The Ghastly Ones (1968)

Three married couples are forced to spend the night in a Victorian-era house where they start getting killed off by a deranged psycho who's bent on claiming an inheritance they are all entitled to.

Director:

Andy Milligan

Writers:

Hal Sherwood (screenplay), Andy Milligan (screenplay)

Stars:

Veronica Radburn, Maggie Rogers, Hal Borske

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Veronica Radburn	...	Martha
Maggie Rogers	...	Hattie
Hal Borske	...	Colin Trask
Anne Linden	...	Vicky
Fib LaBlaque	...	Rich (as Fib La Blaque)
Carol Vogel	...	Liz
Richard Romanus	...	Don (as Richard Romanos)
Eileen Hayes	...	Veronica (as Eileen Haves)
Don Williams	...	Bill
Hal Sherwood	...	Pastor Walter
Neil Flanagan	...	Lawyer Dobbs (as Niel Flanagan)
Ada McAllister	...	Ada
Robert Adsit	...	Robert

Storyline

A gruesome tale of revenge and bloodshed, from the Shock King of Staten Island, cult director, Andy Milligan. This super-cheap horror film story is set in an eerie Victorian mansion where a family has gathered for a will-reading. Three couples must spend the night there to inherit a fortune according to the will. Then they start dying one by one, as people are impaled with pitchforks, decapitated, dismembered, and have their throats hacked open with knives. There is a lot of disgusting gore including a scene where a hunchbacked cretin eats live rabbits.

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Plot Keywords:

woman murders a man | woman murders a woman | stabbing a woman | murderess | psycho | 

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Taglines:

A Gruesome Orgy of Human Mutilation!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood Orgy

Filming Locations:

7 Phelps Place, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ASA Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 72 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reissued theatrically on multi-feature bills in the early 1980s as 'Blood Orgy'.

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Goofs

In several of the fight scenes of the film, the crew and their cameras and sound equipment are visible. There are also moments when the director can be heard softly reminding the actors of their lines.

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Alternate Versions

Available uncut on a Region 1 DVD by Something Wierd Video, paired with 'Seeds of Sin'

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Connections

Referenced in A Night to Dismember (1983)

User Reviews

Ghastly, just Ghastly

This film was released in the UK under the name Blood Rites. It was banned outright and never submitted again for release.

As The Ghastly Ones, it was supposedly a hit with the horror hungry denizens of New York City's famed 42nd Street Grindhouse circuit. If you are looking for some bloody horror, then you will find it in this film.

Unfortunately to see the developmentally disabled Colin (Hal Borske) chomp down on a live rabbit, you have to put up with shaky 16mm camera work that makes Ed Wood look positively marvelous.

Three sisters are to spend three days in the family homestead with their husbands before the old man's money is disbursed. Naturally, in such a situation, people start dropping dead. Family secrets are exposed and lots of blood is spilled, especially during a gruesome dismemberment.

Maybe it was the bunny bit that the Brits objected to, I know I did.