This is a campy black comedy psychological horror film about a wastrel young man (Paul Nicholas) trying to provoke his grandmother Moana Washbourne into having a heart attack by scaring her to death, making her think that there is a plot to kill all old people as a part of society cleansing. He's been pushing to this by girlfriend Vanessa Howard, a travel agent who wants to find an easier way of getting through life. Washbourne isn't really all that annoying, just lonely and vulnerable and extremely gullible. Nicholas is cruel, grinning at her as she wheezes after having a nightmare, and he even dreams of her being mowed down with a bunch of older old people while he is wearing a Nazi uniform. Howard and Nicholas are having fun with their deliciously nasty characters, with Howard delighting in making fun of granny. Nicholas does show hints of loving her, but he's so desperate to not work and get ahold of the estate's she is leaving him that he is easy prey for the manipulative Howard.
For veteran character actress Washbourne, this low-budget thriller would be followed up by a last bout of success with her co-starring with Glenda Jackson in "Stevie". She had previously played a similar role in the remake of "Night Must Fall", and it's painful to watch her being manipulated by Nicholas who keeps telling her these false plots against senior citizen, with Howard at one points calling up pretending to be a census taker. Surprisingly, the acting by the young people is equivalent to the veteran Mona, but it's the cheap appearance of the film that makes this look trashy. Easy to enjoy, but certainly not something that I'd recommend to older members of the family.
For veteran character actress Washbourne, this low-budget thriller would be followed up by a last bout of success with her co-starring with Glenda Jackson in "Stevie". She had previously played a similar role in the remake of "Night Must Fall", and it's painful to watch her being manipulated by Nicholas who keeps telling her these false plots against senior citizen, with Howard at one points calling up pretending to be a census taker. Surprisingly, the acting by the young people is equivalent to the veteran Mona, but it's the cheap appearance of the film that makes this look trashy. Easy to enjoy, but certainly not something that I'd recommend to older members of the family.