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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg2YlWCZtLI


You can't help but like this rather campy, in the Joan Crawford not Ed Wood way,  variation on the slasher movie. Much suspension of disbelief is required but it's pretty awesome if you let yourself get into it.

A guy who has a family values church going republican running for house of representitives type persona is actually a serial killer. It's based on the real life story of John List, who you may recall was captured after a genius forensic sculpture guy made an amazingly accurate bust of what he would look like today and his neighbor saw it. Most of the movie is after he kills the first family and has moved on to the next one. He finds a vulnerable divorcee and wows her with his family values schtick and moves in and takes over much to the consternation of her very cute teenage daughter.


The daughter, Jill Schoelen , is kind of a combination of Shannen Doherty and Phoebe Cates. She also reminded me a lot of Pamela from Pamela's Prayer  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjoGfjNXb_c) which this movie strongly resembles in a very dark way.  She seems to get progressively hotter as the movie goes on. There is even a nude scene which was totally unexpected.

This is a good halfway mark between the straight up slasher genre and stuff like Sleepaway Camp or even Happiness. The two camps, gore and what you could call mental gore, don't always get along but this movie has something for both. There are several classic scenes, like when the girl catches the stepfather having a tantrum in the basement and while not as overt as Slumber Party MAssacre (is that the one I'm thinking of?), some feminist sort of stuff can easily be read into the whole scenerio.

The DVD isn't loaded up with extras but the one interview segment it has covers alot of bases. The director said he hated slasher movies and turned down the gig but was talked into it and given free reign to do something a little different.

5/5 unique, a little ridiculous, a quality rental. Would make an amazing musical or something.

I just ordered this from Netflix, I've seen the sequel but not the original or remake.  :thumbup:

Aside from the stab at church going republicans (see inaugural post) and the 80's cheesi-ness it embodies this movie has a lot more going for it on a deeper level. 

Watch the company you keep, or who you allow to access your personal life and\or family.  You don't know who you're really getting involved with. Fast forward to today's times, with so many more family murders, childrens' kidnappings and all that, and the movie serves it's purpose as a cautionary tale while remaining suprisingly entertaining.  Good movie.

Always been a fave and I LOVE the blu-ray. It presents the movie with more detail and stronger colors.