Deadly Manor (1990)

A group of teenagers take refuge in an old, deserted mansion. Soon the members of the group start turning up dead, and the teenagers realize that they're not alone in the mansion.

Director:

José Ramón Larraz (as Jose Larraz)

Writers:

Larry Ganem (additional dialogue), José Ramón Larraz (as Jose Larraz)

Stars:

Clark Tufts, Greg Rhodes, Claudia Franjul

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clark Tufts	...	Jack
Greg Rhodes	...	Tony
Claudia Franjul	...	Helen
Mark Irish	...	Rod
Elizabeth Baldwin	...	Susan (as Liz Hitchler)
Jerry Kernion	...	Peter
Kathleen Patane	...	Anne
Douglas Gowland	...	Trooper
Jennifer Delora	...	Amanda

Storyline

A group of teenagers take refuge in an old, deserted mansion. Soon the members of the group start turning up dead, and the teenagers realize that they're not alone in the mansion.

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Plot Keywords:

nude photograph | stopped by police | crack in the wall | coffin | motorcycle gang | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in upstate New York at a house that was set to be demolished.

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Goofs

When Tony returns to the house after finding Helen dead in the car, his shirt is bloodstained extensively. The pattern of staining to the front of his shirt changes continuously during the ensuing scenes.

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Quotes

Tony: This could be a lot of different things, you guys. Maybe it's a collector.
Peter: A collector? Tony, people collect stamps, baseball cards, ancient Incan artifacts. No one collects scalps!
Jack: No-one normal.
Susan: Peter, take it easy.
Peter: Take it easy? Take it easy? There's a smashed car outside, coffins in the basement, and scalps in the closet, and you're telling me to take it easy? What's next, Uncle Fester on the patio?

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Connections

References The Addams Family (1964)

User Reviews

90 whole minutes of sheer boredom can indeed be quite deadly

My personal motivation to watch "Deadly Manor" sooner or later (although now I wish it had been much, much later) solely was because the guy in the director's chair was the Spanish-born José Ramón Larraz. Larraz made some really brilliant and atmospheric Gothic horror flicks back in the 70's (like "Vampyras" and "Symptoms") and even the partly American- produced horror junk he forged during the 80's (like "Edge of the Axe" and "Rest in Pieces") rank very high on my list of guilty pleasures. "Deadly Manor" was Larraz' last horror accomplishment, but perhaps he should have retired just one film earlier. It's an extremely mundane and painfully boring cinematic ordeal. Apart from an already dead body during the opening credits, absolutely nothing happens throughout more than an hour of running time! Moreover, the screenplay never at one point indicates where it might be heading towards. The film naturally takes place in a large ominous manor, but there's nothing even remotely suggesting that either the place is haunted or that there's a maniacal killing prowling around the estate, or anything. All we know is that there's a wrecked old-timer car in the garden and that the suspicious hitch-hiker is on the lam for the police. The six teenagers spending the night at the mansion (because it was too late at night and they couldn't find their camping site) are literally waiting to get massacred in patience. I only watched this movie yesterday and already I can't recall any of the death sequences, so that can only mean they weren't memorable and definitely not gory. One thing I do vividly remember is that "Deadly Manor" does not contain any gratuitous sleaze or sickly undertones. Only boredom, boredom, boredom… The end-twist, as in: the clarification of the manor's history; is reasonably original and effective, but it comes far too late. The last ten minutes form a worthwhile swan song to Larraz' career, but we best not mention the first eighty ever again.

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deadly Manor

Filming Locations:

Suffern, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castor Films, Filmworld International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1