Don't Go in the House (1979)

A disturbed young man who was burned as a child by his sadistic mother stalks women with a flamethrower.

Director:

Joseph Ellison

Writers:

Joe Masefield (story), Joseph Ellison (screenplay),

Stars:

Dan Grimaldi, Charles Bonet, Bill Ricci

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Grimaldi	...	Donny Kohler
Charles Bonet	...	Ben (as Charlie Bonet)
Bill Ricci	...	Vito
Robert Osth	...	Bobby Tuttle
Dennis M. Hunter	...	Worker
John Hedberg	...	Worker
Ruth Dardick	...	Mrs. Kohler
Johanna Brushay	...	Kathy Jordan
Darcy Shean	...	Girl in Car
Mary Ann Chinn	...	Woman in Street (as Mary Ann Chin)
Lois Verkruepse	...	Woman with Kids
Susan Smith	...	Girl in Market
Jim Donnegan	...	Clerk
Claudia Folts	...	Body #1
Denise Woods	...	Body #2

Storyline

A slasher film about a victim of child abuse (Dan Grimaldi) who grows up to become a maniacal construction worker. He stalks women at discos, takes them home, then hangs them upside-down in a special steel-walled room and sets them on fire.

---

Plot Keywords:

room | flamethrower | abuse | steel plated room | brunette | 

---

Taglines:

You Have Been Warned!

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Burning

Filming Locations:

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Turbine Films Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Selected by Quentin Tarantino for the First Quentin Tarantino Film Fest in Austin, Texas, 1996.

---

Goofs

There is no doorknob on the inside of the steel paneled room. As such, Donny would not have been able to get out of the steel room once the door latched closed.

---

Connections

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! Part 2 (2006)

---

Soundtracks

"Straight Ahead"
Produced by Murri Barber
Composed by Ted Daryll
Performed by The Daryll/Barber Band

User Reviews

It's contribution to the genre: the burning scene.

A movie highly inspired by "Psycho" tells the story of Donny, a traumatized man that hates women because as a child he was abused by his mother; she burned his hands (scene is shown in a flashback).

A grown-up Donny keeps his mother's corpse in the 2nd. floor , sitting in a rocking chair (as I remember). Donny's violent conduct against women is a subliminal revenge against his mother but it helps him in order to feel "good". How could Donny get rid of his demons?

*SPOILERS* "Don't Go In The House" is only remembered because of the infamous burning scene. Donny ties a naked woman and later burns her with a flame thrower. Obviously he didn't play with toys as a children. The scene is fantastic for lovers of violence.

Disturbing but it's a creative scene that is a key part of the beginning of the slasher era.

There isn't much to talk about this movie besides the burning scene and the ending. The movie is not a completely rip-off of "Psycho" mainly because of it's slasher elements and late 70's influences in the genre.

The actor who played Donny did a good job and the other cast members were OK for a movie of this kind.

6/10. Watch it only if you are very into the genre. Otherwise it won't entertain you.