American Gothic (1988)

Director:

John Hough

Writers:

Burt Wetanson (screenplay) and
Michael Vines (screenplay)

Release Date:

May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The family that slays together stays together.

Plot:

On a lonely island in the Pacific Northwest, a group of travelers find themselves targeted by a crazed, homicidal family.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Eccentric | Mouth Organ | Horseshoe | Adult As Child

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sarah Torgov	...	Cynthia
Terence Kelly	...	Psychiatrist (as Terry Kelly)
Mark Erickson	...	Jeff (as Mark Ericksen)
Caroline Barclay	...	Terri
Mark Lindsay Chapman	...	Rob
Fiona Hutchison	...	Lynn
Stephen Shellen	...	Paul
Rod Steiger	...	Pa
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Ma
Janet Wright	...	Fanny
Michael J. Pollard	...	Woody
William Hootkins	...	Teddy

Directed by
John Hough

Writing credits
Burt Wetanson		(screenplay) and
Michael Vines		(screenplay)

Produced by
Christopher Harrop	....	producer
Raymond R. Homer	....	executive producer (as Ray Homer)
Terry Lens	....	line producer
Michael Manley	....	executive producer
John A. O'Connor	....	associate producer (as John O'Connor)
John Quested	....	producer
George Walker	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Alan Parker

Cinematography by
Harvey Harrison		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Victor-Smith		(as John Victor Smith)

Production Design by
David Hiscox

Set Decoration by
Robert Logevall		(as Robert B. J. Logevall)

Costume Design by
Keith Denny		(wardrobe designer)

Makeup Department
Sarah Grundy	....	hairdresser
Gordon Kay	....	head makeup artist
Sydney Silvert	....	assistant makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jono Drake	....	assistant director
Sean Dromgoole	....	second assistant director
Ty Haller	....	assistant director
Michael Metcalf	....	assistant director
Tom Zapata	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Christopher Bragg	....	painter (as Christopher Braff)
Bob Clark	....	carpenter
Cindy Gordon	....	property master
Joe Gould	....	set dresser
Jennifer Hill	....	painter (as Jennifer L. Hill)
Peter Mills	....	property assistant
Philip Morgan	....	head painter (as Phil Morgan)
Con Murphy	....	rigger
Amanda O'Leary	....	property assistant
Stefan L. Perry	....	lead hand
Amy Audrey Phillips	....	art director trainee
Beverly Sutton	....	property assistant
David Tait	....	construction coordinator (as David A. Tait)
Tommy Westbrook	....	head carpenter
Kevin Brown	....	prop buyer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gerry Bates	....	sound maintenance
Paul Carr	....	re-recording mixer
Peter Horrocks	....	sound editor
Chris Munro	....	sound recordist (as Chris Monroe)

Special Effects by
Allen Benjamin	....	special effects

Stunts
Dorothy Fehr	....	stunts
John Wardlow	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Dennis Brock	....	gaffer electrician
Trevor Coop	....	camera operator
Geoffrey H. Dunbar	....	lamp operator
Terry Goddard	....	electrician
Phil Hersee	....	stills photography
Dean Morrish	....	clapper/loader
Shane O'Neill	....	focus puller
Nick Phillips	....	cameraman: aircraft sequences
Glen Schaab	....	general operator
Robert Snooks	....	electrician
Tony Turner	....	camera grip
Chris Helcermanas-Benge	....	camera operator: additional photography (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tony Hague	....	assistant costumer
Gina Widzinski	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Neil Farrell	....	assistant editor
Daniel Jeffries	....	assistant editor (as Daniel Jefferies)
Michael Trent	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Chris Dibble	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Ted Bradford	....	driver co-captain
Kelly Cramb	....	driver (as Kelly Bruce Cramb)
Ed Dykstra	....	driver (as Aize [Ed] Dykstra)
Dennis Farley	....	driver
Mark Gould	....	teamster coordinator
George A. Hampton	....	driver (as George Hampton)
Blake Patterson	....	driver
Thomas Scott Renyard	....	driver captain
Ron Stonehouse	....	driver

Other crew
Don Anderson	....	production accountant
Campbell Clarke	....	production assistant
Gisele Fredette	....	first aid (as Giselle Fredette)
Wendy Mclean	....	personal assistant to director
Chris Nixon	....	unit publicist
Jean Ovrum	....	location manager: Los Angeles
Arthur S. Rabin	....	location manager: Bowen Island
Barbara Ann Schoemaker	....	production coordinator
Doreen Soan	....	script supervisor
Karen Tan	....	assistant accountant

Production Companies

• Brent Walker PLC (present)
• Pinetalk (in association with) (as Pinetalk Ltd)
• Manor Ground (producer)
• Gerrard and National Leasing (copyright owners) (as Gerrard & National Leasing Limited)

Distributors

• Virgin Vision (1987) (UK) (theatrical)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• VCL Video (1988) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Vestron Video International (1988) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Vidmark Entertainment (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Arcadia Digital (2005) (Cyprus) (DVD)
• Arcadia Digital (2005) (Greece) (TV)
• Cinemax (2013) (Hungary) (TV)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Look Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Stax Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Trinity Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Roger Cherrill  post-production facilities
• Lansdown Recording Studios  music recording (as Lansdowne Recording Studios)
• Lindsay Walker & Associates  casting (as Lindsay Walker Casting Inc.)
• Film Fare Caterers  catering (as Filmfare Caterers Ltd)
• Panavision  cameras by
• William F. White International  film equipment (as William F. White Ltd)
• Harbour Air  aircraft
• Damson Studios  titles and opticals
• Dale & Company  services: Canada
• British Columbia Film Commission  the producers wish to thank: for their generous support
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:90 min | Canada:85 min (Ontario) | Argentina:89 min | UK:86 min (DVD version)

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:16 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Germany:18 | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Brent Walker PLC

Trivia:

The poster art, and all related media were based on the famous painting by Grant Wood.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Teddy and Woody douse Paul's body with gasoline, you can see him blink as this is happening.

Quotes:

Rob:[taking Terri under his arm] Okay, where do we sleep?
Pa:...Just a second...you hitched?
Rob:Huh?
Pa:Hitched! Hitched! Hitched! Hitched! It means married, that's what it means!
Rob:Nope
Pa:Well then, where do you think you're going?
Rob:Goin' to bed, get our 40 winks.
Pa:No you're not. There will be no devil's play in this house...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Touch of Satan (#10.8)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday To You

A Good and Original Horror Movie

Cynthia (Sarah Torgov) leaves a mental institution, where she stayed after losing her baby in a bath accident. Her husband decides to join a group of friends and fly from Seattle to a camping in a small hydroplane. The craft has a problem and it lands in a lonely island in the middle of nowhere. There, they are hosted by Ma (Yvonne de Carlo) and Pa (Rod Steiger), a very religious couple, who lives like they were in the beginning of the Twentieth Century. When the group meets the two sons and the daughter of Ma and Pa, they realize that they are in the middle of very demented persons, who start hunting them. This movie was a great surprise. Although having a low rating in IMDB, it is indeed a good and original horror movie. The scary story has many funny situations, and the direction and performance of the cast are very good. The contrast in the behavior of such a nice Ma and Pa when the secret of that weird family is disclosed, is really frightening. Highly recommended for fans of horror movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `Os Anfitriões' (`The Hosts')