Funeral Home (1980)

A young woman arrives at her grandmother's house, which used to be a funeral home, to help her turn the place into a bed-and-breakfast inn. After they open, however, guests begin disappearing or turning up dead.

Director:

William Fruet

Writer:

Ida Nelson (screenplay)

Stars:

Kay Hawtrey, Lesleh Donaldson, Barry Morse

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kay Hawtrey	...	Maude Chalmers (as Kay Hawtry)
Lesleh Donaldson	...	Heather
Barry Morse	...	Mr. Davis
Dean Garbett	...	Rick Yates
Stephen E. Miller	...	Billy Hibbs (as Stephen Miller)
Alf Humphreys	...	Joe Yates (as Alfred Humphreys)
Peggy Mahon	...	Florie
Harvey Atkin	...	Harry Browning
Robert Warner	...	Sheriff (as Bob Warner)
Jack Van Evera	...	James Chalmers
Les Rubie	...	Sam
Doris Petrie	...	Ruby
Bill Lake	...	Frank
Brett Matthew Davidson	...	Young Rick (as Brett Davidson)
Christopher Crabb	...	Teddy (as Chris Crabb)

Storyline

An old funeral parlor now converted into a tourist home during certain periods such as the summer, develops a problem, when a escaped mental patient with a split personality moves in and proceeds to do away with those specific/certain guests or staff, he/she feels are nosy or immoral.

---

Plot Keywords:

small town | black cat | undertaker | slasher | car falling off a cliff | 

---

Taglines:

Some things never rest in peace

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's French title is 'Le Cri des Ténèbres', meaning 'The Cry of Darkness'.

---

Goofs

The film is set in the U.S., but there is a Canadian flag displayed prominently in front of a public building.

---

Quotes

Maude Chalmers: Good riddance to bad rubbish

---

Connections

Referenced in The Big Box: The Body Shop (2010)

---

Soundtracks

Onward, Christian Soldiers
(uncredited)
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by Sabine Baring-Gould

User Reviews

Pedestrian Canadian Effort

I'll give "Funeral Home" a little extra credit, since it was directed by William Fruet, who also gave us the decent revenge pic "Death Weekend." The plot has a young girl returning to her grandparents' home, the former funeral parlor now converted into a bed and breakfast by the grandmother; but who is grandma talking to in the basement every night, and who is bumping off the sinful heathens who stop and stay at the B&B? The typical genre stereotypes are present: Goofy Young Deputy, Mentally Challenged Gardener, Puritanical Parental Figure, and the Sweetly Innocent Girl. The plot itself echoes "Psycho" in more ways than one, but with a fraction of the budget and considerably less talent. The actors are fairly good for this type of low-rent affair, and there are a few cheesily-integrated, yet atmospherically effective flashback scenes, but "Funeral Home" is simply a forgettable affair.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 August 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Funeral Home

Filming Locations:

Elora Quarry Conservation Area, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD1,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), The Incident at North Hampton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1