Rating: 2/5
Cult Movie Challenge 2016 | 50/52 | Best of the Worst
1947 Robert Gimble comes home to find that his wife has left with their son, George. Enraged, he takes the daughter that they left behind, Laura. While driving, they hit a slick spot on the road, driving off a bank and knocking George unconscious. Laura, still awake, watches in horror as the car catches fire and consumes both of them.
1977 Paul and Mary prepare the house for George, his wife, Vivian, and their daughter, Cathy. Something binds itself to Cathy, connecting her experience to memory. She goes into the attic. When she comes out, her behavior changes as she fixates on a car wreck and develops a violent temperament.
— All women are bitches. Repeat. — All women are bitches.
Whoever wrote this script hates women and especially hates his wife. The word “bitch” is in every scene and said with such relish.
I feel so terrible for Vivian, who is going through a deep depression after a miscarriage. At first, George seems supportive, but he blows up on her for any worry she might have.
The script is incoherent — we get no sense of why Laura’s spirit drives Cathy to do what she does beyond the misogyny her father imparted.
The movie has so many weird little choices! They take an awful script and bring such unintentional entertainment.
This movie isn’t so bad that it’s good, but genre enthusiasts will appreciate seeing such an inept riff on The Omen and other “bad seed” movies.
** Stray Thoughts / Spoilers **
- George looks like Quentin Tarantino and acts as well. He has a Frasier Crane air to his demeanor.
- “Didn’t my mommy tell you I hate being kissed?”
- Cathy’s manic repetition of nursery rhymes is her most haunting feature.
- The doll’s voice is a young girl pitched down like they’re trying to keep her anonymous.
- The time-lapse of the food decaying!
- Cathy teleported around the room, and her mom was too angry at her to care.
- — “She’s a good dog, Cathy.” — “She’s a female.”
- “Old bitch! F*g whore! Fat, dried-up whore!” Cathy says to the medium. Paul joins in.
- Suddenly, Paul is surrounded by snakes, rats, and tarantulas.
- “Medium? I’d say a rare piece of shit!”
- Cathy tries to commit suicide to escape Laura’s spirit.
- Leeches in the bathtub!
- “You want to go upstairs because you’re an old man. Old people like seeing other people die.”
- Paul successfully opens the door, which he isn’t supposed to do, so he pulls it back closed and barges at it.