Trauma (1976)

A paranoid writer (Kier) is unable to get started on his second novel. He hires a secretary (Hayden), and then his troubles really begin.

Director:

James Kenelm Clarke

Writer:

James Kenelm Clarke

Stars:

Udo Kier, Linda Hayden, Fiona Richmond

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Udo Kier	...	Paul Martin
Linda Hayden	...	Linda
Fiona Richmond	...	Suzanne
Patsy Smart	...	Mrs. Aston
Karl Howman	...	Small Youth
Vic Armstrong	...	Big Youth

Storyline

A novelist (Udo Kier) hires a quiet British country house so that he can work on finishing his latest novel. His agent arranges for a secretary to stay with him, in order to speed up its completion (played by Linda Hayden). However, this turns out to be a big mistake when she reveals that she has actually come to kill him for stealing the manuscript for his last novel from her husband, which drove him to suicide. The housekeeper, Kier's girlfriend (played by 70's sex superstar Fiona Richmond) and 2 local thugs all meet horrific ends as Hayden goes on her killing spree.

---

Plot Keywords:

video nasty | secretary | house | country house | sex | 

---

Taglines:

She'll take your breath away . . . Your life is next [Video Australia]

---

Genres:

Thriller

---

Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1976 (UK)

Also Known As:

Trauma

Filming Locations:

The Street, Hatfield Peverel, Essex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norfolk International Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Joke: There are characters called Smedley and Aston. The producer is Brian Smedley-Aston.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Hunt for the House on Cuckoo Lane (2011)

---

Soundtracks

Drinks On The Terrace
Composed by Steve Gray
Performed by The Steve Gray Orchestra

User Reviews

An excellent and erotic 'Video Nasty'!

I may be on my own with this one, but if you ask me; The House on Straw Hill is an excellent little film. Considering that it's a thriller, the film doesn't feature a great deal of tension or suspense - but the action is kept engaging by the way that it sets up the storyline. The film moves slowly, but in doing so is allowed time to let its characters grow and the plot to build. The film is set mostly in a house surrounded by a cornfield. I'm not sure why these sorts of films always have to take place in distinguished houses, but this location actually provides a good base for this story. The field in which the house is situated ensures that the action always feels isolated from society, and there's something sinister about farm houses in the country anyway. The plot follows a paranoid writer (played Udo Kier) who is about to write a new book. He hires a beautiful blonde to be his secretary to aid with the writing, but this turns out to be a big mistake as the young woman has more of interest in the man than just helping him to write a book.

This film was included on the infamous 'Video Nasty' list back in the eighties under the title, 'Exposé'. Like a lot of films on the list, this one doesn't feature a great deal in the way of gore and it's a wonder why it ever got banned. House on Straw Hill does have a handful of bloody sequences, but nothing enough to warrant it's banning in my opinion. Udo Kier takes the lead role and delivers another of his bizarre, paranoid performances. It's debatable as to whether or not Kier actually has any acting talent, but he certainly has screen presence and for that reason alone, his films are always worth seeing. He is joined by a distinctly feminine cast, which includes Linda Hayden in the role of the secretary and seventies sex symbol Fiona Richmond as Kier's girlfriend. You'll no doubt be glad to know that the two 'hook up' in one of the movie's central scenes. House on Straw Hill pulls off a great double bluff with the identity of the maniac, and this provides the film with its main backbone. It has to be said that the conclusion is a bit silly, but it's one of the few suspense sequences in the film and you can't expect a film like this to be without silly moments. On the whole, I can see why this isn't widely liked; but I'm definitely a fan.