The Halfway House (2004)

Young girls are disappearing in and around the Mary Magdalen Halfway House for Troubled Girls. Desperate to find out what became of her sister, Larissa Morgan goes undercover to infiltrate ... See full summary »

Director:

Kenneth J. Hall

Writer:

Kenneth J. Hall

Stars:

Mary Woronov, Janet Tracy Keijser, Shawn Savage

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Woronov	...	Sister Cecelia
Janet Tracy Keijser	...	Larissa Morgan
Shawn Savage	...	Sgt. Dick Sheen
Stephanie Leighs	...	Cherry Pie Pulowski
Athena Demos	...	Angelena
Monica Shere	...	Eddie
Joseph Tatner	...	Father Fogerty
Michael Gaglio	...	Inspector Hinds (as Mike Gaglio)
Cleve Hall	...	Lutkus
Tomi X.	...	Sheila (as Tomi X)
Saye Yabandeh	...	Shelby
M. Robert Todd	...	Spider
Ashley Fires	...	Annie (as Ashley Rhea)
Arianna	...	Halfway House Girl #1
Azia Sumatra	...	Halfway House Girl #2

Storyline

Young girls are disappearing in and around the Mary Magdalen Halfway House for Troubled Girls. Desperate to find out what became of her sister, Larissa Morgan goes undercover to infiltrate the Catholic-run institution. Once inside, she encounters Father Fogerty, a priest with a passion for punishment; Sister Cecelia, a nun with a dark past plotting an even blacker future; Edwina and her love-toy Cherry Pie; tough Latino Angelina and her home girls and a sinister handyman named Lutkus. It's not long before she's caught up in a twisted web of sadism, violence, and wanton lust before finally learning the ultimate secret of the Halfway House.

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Plot Keywords:

human sacrifice | stripping | violence | sadism | priest | 

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Taglines:

Sister Cecelia knows what to do with bad girls!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality/nudity, horror violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 February 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Exzesse im Folterkeller 2 - Die Brutstätte des Bösen

Filming Locations:

Lincoln Heights Jail - 401 N. Avenue 19, Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

BV Entertainment Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min (unrated) 85 min (R-rated)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Miskatonic University is mentioned by Ofc. Sheen to Larissa, who queries "where have I heard that before?" This is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft, who used this fictitious University in some of his stories, notably "Re-Animator."

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Crazy Credits

No Elder Gods were harmed during the making of this motion picture.

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Connections

References Jaws (1975)

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Soundtracks

Holy, Holy, Holy
Music by John B. Dykes (uncredited)
Lyrics by Reginald Heber (uncredited)
Vocals by Francine "Frankie" Friselle and Arianna
Organ by Lynda Williams

User Reviews

Nasty Nuns, One-Eyed Monsters and Cherry Pie

Fans of "USA Up All Night" will love "Halfway House" for two reasons:

1. This campy tale about a home for wayward girls who constantly go missing has everything that those classic films of the 70s and 80s do - There's sex, violence and monsters aplenty along with enough smart, brassy dialog to fill another three films.

2. "Halfway House" is written and directed by Kenneth Hall who was no stranger to the classic late night movie show. Hall wrote "Puppetmaster" and "Nightmare Sisters" as well as directing such choice fare such as "Linnea Quigley's Horror Workout" and "Evil Spawn".

"Halfway House" takes a refreshing approach to the Women-In-Prison genre with a story about Larissa (Janet Tracy Keijser) who is searching for her sister when she goes missing after a jog by the ominous house. Larissa seduces a well-meaning but horny cop (Shawn Savage as Sgt. Dick Sheen – HA!) into helping her infiltrate the house as a delinquent teen. Once inside, our Nancy Drew runs afoul of Sister Cecelia (Mary Warnov in wonderfully subtle performance) and her handyman Lutkus (the hilarious Cleve Hall, Kenneth's brother) along with a slew of sexed-up, bitchy 'inmates', who constantly try to escape the house without much success, for what lurks in the basement isn't very pretty and apparently very hungry.

Hall is in fine form here, recapturing much of what was so great about spending Friday nights glued to your TV. And like wine, he's aged well and brings a fearless sense of thematics to "Halfway House", making it a must for repeat viewings.

I caught a screening of "Halfway House" at the Valley Film Festival last year and was blown away by this independent movie's tenacity to please a crowd. Hall spoke afterward, proving he may be L.A.'s answer to John Waters – smart, irreverent and completely charming, it's no wonder that his films have endured all this time. I was thrilled when I found out it was coming out on DVD in August in the uncut version I saw. Long live blood, breasts and beasts!!!