Madhouse (1981 film)
| Madhouse | |
|---|---|
 1984 VHS release | |
| Directed by | Ovidio G. Assonitis |
| Written by | Ovidio G. Assonitis Stephen Blakeley Peter Sheperd Roberto Gandus |
| Produced by | Ovidio G. Assonitis |
| Starring | Trish Everly Michael Macrae Dennis Robertson Allison Biggers |
| Cinematography | Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli |
| Music by | Riz Ortolani |
Release date | 1981 |
Running time | 93 min. |
| Countries | Italy United States |
| Language | English |
Madhouse (original title: There Was a Little Girl; also known as And When She Was Bad) is a 1981 Italian slasher film directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis. It stars Trish Everly, Dennis Robertson, Allison Biggers, Michael Macrae, Morgan Hart, Edith Ivey and Jerry Fujikawa. The film features a musical score by Riz Ortolani and cinematography by Assonitis regular Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli.
It was one of the many films on the "video nasty" list, a list of horror/exploitation films banned by the BBFC in the 1980s for violence and obscenity.
Plot
Julia (Trish Everly, in her only film role) is a young teacher for deaf children living in Savannah, Georgia. She has horrid memories of her childhood, which was scarred by her sadistic twin sister Mary (Allison Biggers). At the urging of her uncle, Father James (Dennis Robertson), Julia visits Mary, suffering from a severe skin disease, in a mental institution. The meeting does not go well and Mary vows to make Julia "suffer as she had suffered". As their mutual birthday approaches, several of Julia's friends and neighbors begin to die gruesome deaths, some of which are committed by a mysterious Rottweiler dog that has some sort of connection to Mary. But is Mary really the killer?
Cast
- Trish Everly as Julia Sullivan
- Michael Macrae as Sam Edwards
- Dennis Robertson as Father James
- Morgan Hart as Helen
- Allison Biggers as Mary Sullivan
- Edith Ivey as Amantha Beauregard
- Richard Baker as Sacha Robertson Jr.
- Don Devendorf as Principal
- Jerry Fujikawa as Mr. Kimura
Production
The movie was filmed on location in Savannah, Georgia in the notorious Kehoe House, which has a reputation for being haunted.[1]
The film's title refers to the poem "There Was a Little Girl" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
There was a little girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good, and when she was bad, she was horrid.
Release
There Was a Little Girl (renamed Madhouse for the video market) was released four times on video. A watered-down, cut and edited version was released on VHS in America by Virgin-Label, discontinued and then released again in 1989.
The film's graphic content got it classified as a "video nasty" by the BBFC, and the film never saw a theatrical release in the United Kingdom. In 2004, the film was passed by the BBFC and was released uncut on DVD by Film 2000, and was released in the U.S by Dark Sky Films in 2008.
Critical reception
Ian Jane of DVD Talk wrote "Despite the ridiculousness of the script and the mediocrity of the acting, Madhouse has enough gore and ludicrous set pieces to make it worth a look for slasher fans."[2] Tom Becker of DVD Verdict opined, "Little touches of audacity notwithstanding, Madhouse ends up being a mediocre chiller with some unintentional laughs."[3]
References
- ^ "Haunted Savannah Tours Starting Here, at the Kehoe House – Haunted Bed and Breakfast". kehoehouse.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ Jane, Ian (25 November 2008). "Madhouse : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ Becker, Tom (25 November 2008). "DVD Verdict Review – Madhouse". DVD Verdict. Retrieved 9 December 2014.