Madhouse
AKA: There Was A Little Girl
1981
Overseas FilmGroup
Megastar Films / Dark Sky Films / Film 2000
3.25 / 10
This film is crying out for a remake and with today's special effects it could really make this as special as it should be. Though it's the story that writer and director Ovidio G Assonitis along with writers Stephen Blakely, Roberto Gandus, and Peter Shepherd crafted which needs better representation than this film was given, surprisingly enough from Assonitis, who's direction especially at the end turns this into a nearly unwatchable farce instead of a horrific psychological thriller.
This is the tale of twin sisters, Julia who is played by Trish Everly (The Good Sister) and Mary Sullivan played by Allison Biggers (The Bad Sister). During their childhood, it was Mary who was the dominant sibling and tormented, teased, and tortured Julia whenever she could. This behaviour sent Mary to the psychiatric hospital where Julia chose to forget about her. After developing a severe skin disease Mary asks to see her twin and Julia grudgingly agrees, after some cajoling from their Uncle, Father James. The meeting goes as expected with Mary getting angry and attacking her sister while cursing her that she'll make her sorry. After she escapes the institution she and her faithful pet Doberman start to invite Julia's friends to their birthday party... by killing them.
When the climax arrives and everything is revealed you will need to hold onto your sanity and accept the unbelievable in the incredulity of a twist which was only manufactured to shock. Though for spoiler reason's, I cannot say what this is, you won't and cannot miss it. If this twist had been written and filmed better than it would have made an otherwise okay and average movie better... and not worse, as it did.
This is the tale of twin sisters, Julia who is played by Trish Everly (The Good Sister) and Mary Sullivan played by Allison Biggers (The Bad Sister). During their childhood, it was Mary who was the dominant sibling and tormented, teased, and tortured Julia whenever she could. This behaviour sent Mary to the psychiatric hospital where Julia chose to forget about her. After developing a severe skin disease Mary asks to see her twin and Julia grudgingly agrees, after some cajoling from their Uncle, Father James. The meeting goes as expected with Mary getting angry and attacking her sister while cursing her that she'll make her sorry. After she escapes the institution she and her faithful pet Doberman start to invite Julia's friends to their birthday party... by killing them.
When the climax arrives and everything is revealed you will need to hold onto your sanity and accept the unbelievable in the incredulity of a twist which was only manufactured to shock. Though for spoiler reason's, I cannot say what this is, you won't and cannot miss it. If this twist had been written and filmed better than it would have made an otherwise okay and average movie better... and not worse, as it did.
The acting is pretty standard and average until you get to the finale then you enter the lunatic and stupid, which I will put down to Assonitis' direction. Though I think Dennis Robertson as Father James should have won an Oscar for the "Most-Over-The-Top Acting Role In A Movie... EVER!" It is really gleefully bad.
Assonitis also has trouble with pacing the film and this gives the work a disjointed feeling.
However, the evil Doberman is the best thing in the film and some of the attack scenes are even better as they used a real dog as well as a prop set of jaws (which can look a little awful).
I would only recommend this film to lovers of bad B-Movies but be warned you do need to stay to the finale to see the best scene.
I would only recommend this film to lovers of bad B-Movies but be warned you do need to stay to the finale to see the best scene.
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