The House That Screamed (1969)
"La residencia" (original title)

Lilli Palmer owns and runs a school for wayward girls in France. Her absolute discipline has fostered a social order among the girls with rampant sex, lesbianism and torture the norm. ... See full summary »

Director:

Narciso Ibáñez Serrador

Writers:

Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (screenplay), Juan Tébar (story)

Stars:

Lilli Palmer, Cristina Galbó, John Moulder-Brown

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lilli Palmer	...	Sra. Fourneau
Cristina Galbó	...	Teresa
John Moulder-Brown	...	Luis (as John Moulder Brown)
Maribel Martín	...	Isabelle
Mary Maude	...	Irene
Cándida Losada	...	Srta. Desprez
Pauline Challoner	...	Catalina (as Pauline Challenor)
Tomás Blanco	...	Pedro Baldie
Víctor Israel	...	Brechard
Teresa Hurtado	...	Andrea
María José Valero	...	Elena
Conchita Paredes	...	Susana
Ana María Pol	...	Claudia
Mari Carmen Duque	...	Julia (as María del Carmen Duque)
Paloma Pagés	...	Cecilia

Storyline

Lilli Palmer owns and runs a school for wayward girls in France. Her absolute discipline has fostered a social order among the girls with rampant sex, lesbianism and torture the norm. Palmer also has an adolescent son (Moulder Brown) she tries to keep isolated from the young women lest he be tainted by sexual relations; She explains that he must wait for a girl "just like his mother". Meanwhile, girls are "running away" (being murdered) one by one, with their corpses and any evidence of their outcome not to be found. Beware cut versions; the film was shown back in the 70's on network TV chopped to only 76 minutes!

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Plot Keywords:

france | school | sex | splatter | mutilation | 

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Taglines:

Only the killer knows why and how and who is next!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1969 (Spain)

Also Known As:

House of Evil

Filming Locations:

Comillas, Cantabria, Spain

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 104,871,715 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anabel Films, Anabel Films S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 105 min (VHS)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Contains the first ever close-up slow-motion murder in Spanish cinema history.

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Connections

Referenced in Pieces (1982)

User Reviews

Needs more sleaze.

Señora Fourneau (Lilli Palmer) is headmistress at a finishing school for wayward girls, where she rules with an iron fist, punishing those who step out of line with solitary confinement and corporal punishment (her sadistic assistant Irene happily administering a good flogging); when students occasionally disappear, they are presumed to have run away, but in reality, the girls are being brutally despatched by a homicidal maniac who stalks the school grounds.

Given its lurid subject matter, La Residencia is a surprisingly restrained affair in terms of nudity and graphic violence, director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador dealing with his themes of repressed lust, lesbianism, sadism and incest in a far less sleazy and exploitative manner than many a Euro-horror of the same era. This reserved approach seems to have gone down well with the majority of reviewers here on IMDb, who commend the film for its subtlety, sense of style and haunting atmosphere, but who fail to mention just how dull it all is as a result. Hell, this film even manages to make a communal shower scene boring, the pretty girls remaining clothed as they wash themselves (!?!?).

A delightfully twisted final revelation—in which we learn the identity of the killer and the reason for the murders—just about makes it worth struggling through to the bitter end, but I'm definitely in the minority with this one: as far as I'm concerned, it could have done with less 'suggestion', and more in the way of actual blood and boobs.