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6.2/10
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After escaping a death sentence for her hideous crimes, a seemingly rehabilitated woman settles in an isolated farmhouse with her husband, only to ache, once more, for blood, and a crash-cou... Read allAfter escaping a death sentence for her hideous crimes, a seemingly rehabilitated woman settles in an isolated farmhouse with her husband, only to ache, once more, for blood, and a crash-course in surgery. Is, indeed, her old self back?After escaping a death sentence for her hideous crimes, a seemingly rehabilitated woman settles in an isolated farmhouse with her husband, only to ache, once more, for blood, and a crash-course in surgery. Is, indeed, her old self back?
Trisha Mortimer
- Lillian
- (as Tricia Mortimer)
Victoria Fairbrother
- Delia
- (as Pamela Farbrother)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film that the hero and heroine go to see on their date is The Big Feast (1973), which deals with characters who set out to eat themselves to death - a touch of ironic humor in view of the plot of "Frightmare." However, the dialogue we hear is not from "La Grande Bouffe but from Pete Walker's previous film, House of Whipcord (1974).
- GoofsWhen Jackie drives to her father and stepmother's house, she sits on the right-hand side of the car (as is normal in the UK). But when she drives back, the footage is the exact mirror of the drive there, with her sitting on the left.
- Quotes
Edmund Yates: They said she was well again! They said she was well...
- Alternate versionsThere have been many discrepancies involving the recent DVD release of this title by Image Entertainment:
- The version has an 84-minute running time. The original running time is 87 minutes. There appears to be no footage missing. The print used was no doubt time compressed during the film-to-tape transfer. The version on the DVD release is in fact the uncut R-rated version.
- The R-rated U.S. theatrical cut is uncut despite the rumors. The "Frightmare 2" video release is slightly edited, removing a brief gore spot. The DVD displays the uncut R-rated version.
- The transfer on the DVD is presented full-frame at 1.33:1. Director Pete Walker shot the film in 1.33:1 full frame with the intention of matting the film at 1.85:1. The image on the DVD represents the full 1.33:1 frame as Walker shot it. As a result, there is excess picture information at the top and bottom of the frame. The 1.85:1 matting would have created a more compositionally correct image but the transfer represents the film as it was shot.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Courting Controversy (2005)
Featured review
Unique British Horror Classic
This is one those horror movies that is totally unique. It is a cannibal movie, but it humanizes the cannibals more than any other movie I've seen. They're not rampaging monsters like in "Texas Chainsaw" or stereotypical Third World savages like in the later Italian gut munchers--they're the ordinary people living right next door--and this makes them all the more frightening.
The director is Pete Walker, who found an interesting niche in 1970's British horror/exploitation movies between the hedonistic youth of "Swinging London" and the repressive, reactionary forces that were moving in to stop the party. Walker managed to appeal to both audiences with his "House of the Whipcord", a film both startlingly reactionary and irredeemably sleazy. This film, however, is instead a pox on both houses. There are two cannibals here--one is a seemingly kind old matron (Sheila Keith) who lures victims to her isolated country estate with tarot card readings. She is unwittingly accommodated by her weak-willed husband and well-intentioned step-daughter. She represents a truly twisted version of what American conservatives would later call "family values". The other cannibal is equally frightening--an innocent looking adolescent girl (Kim Butcher) flouncing around in a miniskirt or knickers, coyly manipulating both rough motorcycle-riding youths and respectable older men. She represents the free-spirited and cheerfully amoral youth of the era. It is Walkers genius to ultimately put these two monsters in cahoots. The relationship between them turns out to be very twisted and very close indeed.
The movie is very creepy and truly frightening. Its ultimate message is quite bleak. Apparently, Walker was heavily influenced by American film noir when he made this, and this influence is evident in the dark, eerie visuals and bleak, fatalistic tone where the shadow of the past is always casting a pall over the present. This is a genuinely disturbing film, but one I would recommended highly.
The director is Pete Walker, who found an interesting niche in 1970's British horror/exploitation movies between the hedonistic youth of "Swinging London" and the repressive, reactionary forces that were moving in to stop the party. Walker managed to appeal to both audiences with his "House of the Whipcord", a film both startlingly reactionary and irredeemably sleazy. This film, however, is instead a pox on both houses. There are two cannibals here--one is a seemingly kind old matron (Sheila Keith) who lures victims to her isolated country estate with tarot card readings. She is unwittingly accommodated by her weak-willed husband and well-intentioned step-daughter. She represents a truly twisted version of what American conservatives would later call "family values". The other cannibal is equally frightening--an innocent looking adolescent girl (Kim Butcher) flouncing around in a miniskirt or knickers, coyly manipulating both rough motorcycle-riding youths and respectable older men. She represents the free-spirited and cheerfully amoral youth of the era. It is Walkers genius to ultimately put these two monsters in cahoots. The relationship between them turns out to be very twisted and very close indeed.
The movie is very creepy and truly frightening. Its ultimate message is quite bleak. Apparently, Walker was heavily influenced by American film noir when he made this, and this influence is evident in the dark, eerie visuals and bleak, fatalistic tone where the shadow of the past is always casting a pall over the present. This is a genuinely disturbing film, but one I would recommended highly.
helpful•194
- lazarillo
- Nov 24, 2004
- How long is Frightmare?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Brainsuckers
- Filming locations
- Dawes Farm, Henley Common, Fernhurst, West Sussex, England, UK(exterior and interior of the Yates' farmhouse)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Sound mix
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