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Frightmare


Frightmare (1974) N

Very bleak and down to earth cannibal film set in 1970s England.



Dorothy and Edmund Yates are a married couple who have spent about 15 years in mental hospital for murders and cannibalism. They're released as sane but Edmund and his daughter from previous marriage, Jackie, suspect Dorothy isn't as well as the doctors said. They try to keep her happy with a plot involving pig brains. Jackie's younger sister, Debbie, who's Dorothy's daughter is supposed to think her parents are dead but yeah, apples and trees. Things start to get out of hand.

I liked the grimy and bleak tone of the film. There's not much graphical violence but the story was brutal and severely downbeat. Family relations were well written and the whole mess seemed, in all its insanity, kinda plausible. Especially Edmund was great with just enough humanity and independence in him that you're tempted to feel sorry for him.

While the concept and basic story is great the actual writing leaves something to be desired. For such a short film it drags quite a bit and dialogue isn't too good. Acting is otherwise fine but Sheila Keith as Dorothy is clearly overacting. Kim Butcher as the psychotic jailbait Debbie looks hot. Cinematography seems to be quite basic and the overall look of the film is cheap. Effects are pretty poor.

Little boring at times but otherwise pretty nice and depressing cannibal film.