Haunts (1976)

More than one reviewer has likened this film to Polanski's classic "Repulsion". That is true after a fashion, but "Haunts" begins with the pretence to being a thriller or even a slasher film; there is a psychopath on the loose who is raping and murdering women in small town USA. This town is so small in fact that although it has a sheriff it appears not to have even one detective, yet bizarrely it sports its own TV station.The heroine is Ingrid, who is both a stunning blonde and an old maid. There is a false lead or two, but the bad guy is tracked down by the sheriff who does a fair job of policing, when he isn't throwing up after overindulgence in alcohol or slapping the ne'er do well who has put his daughter in the club. Or perhaps that should be sheriffing? What happens next you will have to discover for yourself, dear reader, but if you can work this one out there is a job waiting for you at Oxford University, explaining to next year's intake how to crack Fermat's Last Theorem.

Haunts is one of those flicks that is hunted down by true collectors for so many reasons. First of all, it has a few famous Thespians in it that were on their downfall back then. On the other hand the director was Herb Freed who directed Graduation Day, a well known horror for the geeks. But also this flick, Haunts, never had a proper release so far. It's only available on US VHS up to this writing and I guess it will never be released on DVD because it's a bit outdated and had nothing to offer.The only acting that could convince me was that of May Britt (Ingrid). It was her last flick she performed in. We also have Cameron Mitchell (Carl) be he couldn't convince me, not even in the final scene before the mirror. It's sad to see what he did before as an actor and I couldn't care about him here. Further we have Aldo Ray (Sheriff) but what he did here was really bad, he just said his lines without emotions. Coming from movies like The Green Berets (1968 with John Wayne) is is really a downfall. Luckily some names went further to become bigger like Ben Hammer (Vicar) who played for example the father of The Beastmaster (1982) and is still performing. William Gray Espy (Frankie) stopped acting in 1985 and only appeared in series.It's made just before the heydays of the slashers and maybe that's the reason why it flopped. Nothing is creepy or scary there is even no red stuff to mention in it. It's more a psychological drama with a twist. Everybody in a small town do has his dirty secrets. It's also weird to see May Britt walking around a lot in her nudies but doesn't show anything. The rape scene's are tame and the stabbing isn't convincing at all. Still, it's one to collect due the actors in it and the name of the director. Easy to catch on VHS with different covers, none of them pictures on it shown in the movie.Gore 0/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 1/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

This is a movie that asks you to stick with it to the end, purposely confusing the viewer and leaving them unsatisfied until it is ready to reveal itself. That would be fine, except the payoff really isn't worth the time you'll put into this one.The main character, Ingrid, lives in a small, quiet community, and has always been considered to be very level-headed by the other residents. However, when she claims to be attacked several times, the police and her doctor start to wonder if she is imagining it. We eventually find out that she has some lurid family history, but we never really know what is real or imagined. The movie is mostly told from Ingrid's point of view, which proves unreliable. She eventually commits suicide and we find out some more of her past, ending with an ambiguous final shot.I didn't really find the movie atmospheric or involving. It had a low-budget feel and looks to be marketed as a trashy thriller, but it could have been a TV movie considering the content. Nothing really stood out, not much was memorable.Some recommendations: If you are interested in a movie with similar themes but want more something that will make more of an impact, try "Chinatown," "The Grifters," or "Angels and Insects."

This has a Bergmanesque spareness to it that is at times OK. The plot is terribly convoluted and confusing. I don't even know if we have closure at the end. Just what does it all mean? I remember May Britt being married to Sammy Davis, Jr. She of the Scandanavian roots and the freckles. In here she is a virgin queen. She is so frumpy and cold, it's hard to feel for her. Obviously, she deserves to live as she wishes, but she has been so traumatized that we can't get close to her. In repulsion, we can't take our eyes off the girl. When Britt leaves a scene, she is pretty forgettable. There is a pretty good give and take. Aldo Ray is pretty believable in his intense wishes to solve the case. He has feelings for this woman and wants to help her out. She, like so many in horror movies, feels she can be hysterical one moment and totally independent in the next. There are lots of layers and that's fun. I didn't move away from this movie. I have the same collection mentioned by other reviewers. If they had a psychological drama box, this might fit in nicely. Anyway, as a make my way through these B and C movies, I don't see them as a total waste of time. I had never seen May Britt act before. She had some talent, but it wasn't exposed here.