Death Weekend (1976)

A rich playboy has a large house in the countryside. One weekend he invites a fashion model. On his way to the house, he drives past a gang of crazy young men. They find out where he lives,... See full summary »

Director:

William Fruet

Writer:

William Fruet

Stars:

Brenda Vaccaro, Don Stroud, Chuck Shamata

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Brenda Vaccaro	...	Diane
Don Stroud	...	Lep
Chuck Shamata	...	Harry
Richard Ayres	...	Runt
Kyle Edwards	...	Frankie
Don Granberry	...	Stanley
Ed McNamara	...	Spragg
Michael Kirby	...	Ralph
Richard Donat	...	Policeman
Denver Mattson	...	Smokey
Al Bernardo	...	Mr. Doobie
Roselle Stone	...	Mrs. Doobie
Elaine Yarish	...	Campground Girl

Storyline

A rich playboy has a large house in the countryside. One weekend he invites a fashion model. On his way to the house, he drives past a gang of crazy young men. They find out where he lives, enter the house and kill him. Eventually the model arrives...

---

Plot Keywords:

house | gang | revenge | remote | vandalism | 

---

Taglines:

Tension so unbearable so overwhelming so uncontrollable you'll want to scream out loud!

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

The House by the Lake

Filming Locations:

Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), DAL Arts, Famous Players

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was released by AIP in America under the title 'The House by the Lake'. The distributors felt under that particular title it would be more marketable as Wes Craven's similarly-themed film _Last House on the Left (1972)_ had been such a hit.

---

Goofs

During the opening car chase, the Camero smashes into an Oldsmobile, smashing a corner of the Camero's front end. Immediately after, the damage is gone.

---

Quotes

Lep: [referring to Diane] You goddamn fucking cunt!

---

Connections

Referenced in When Strangers Appear (2001)

User Reviews

Sweet grindhouse home invasion classic

Whilst this one is often on these boards compared with the various 70's rape revenge favorites, I really couldn't see too much of a connection other that vile criminal scumbags tormenting the innocent. There is little bloodshed and a low quotient of sleaze, but for me this was not really the point. The plot has a slimy dentist taking an intended conquest out to his house by the lake and the lady getting on the wrong side of some local scuzzballs who proceed to arrive at their house and menace them in mean spirited fashion. It takes about an hour before things really come to a head, which seems to get on some reviewers nerves, but for me the whole course of the film was ace on account of the fine quality acting and well written characters. Chuck Yamamoto is suitably spineless and weak as the dentist and Don Stroud makes for a really hateful, skin crawling main villain. He doesn't have the sinister, slightly over the top grotesque panache of a Krug, he just plays a low down dirty A-hole and does it swell. The finest acting however comes from Brenda Vaccaro as the lead. Its a much better written role than a lot of females in these sort of films, she's actually a strong, wilful character throughout, so her actions at the end are far more believable. She comes off as a stronger character than all the men really, putting their pettiness, arrogance and materialism into sharp relief. It helps that she's pretty easy on the eye too. She just about makes the film, keeping it always distant from simple exploitation with her performance, turning it rather into an attack on empty macho pursuits and values. Even though this may miss the mark a bit as a shocker Brenda Vaccaro was just a constant joy to watch and after encountering many more misogynistic oldie exploitation outings it really made me smile to see a solid, well written female character kicking ass. The film is solid and professional in all technical aspects, nothing stands out as being that impressive but director William Fruet certainly keeps a tight tense hand on proceedings at all times. All in all, this is highly worthwhile as a bleak grindhouse thriller, especially for fans of any of the actors involved as all do fine work. It may disappoint those seeking serious sleaze because it really isn't about that, but for those seeking something both grimy and thought provoking, this is a good bet.