Unhinged
1982
Anavisio Productions
Megastar Films / 88 Films / CBS-Fox Home Video
7 / 10
It's the story which makes this a little gem of a film. Three college students are on their way to a concert when they take a wrong turn and crash the car due to bad weather. Luckily for them, a handyman finds them and takes them to a nearby house where he does odd jobs. The doctor authorises them to stay in the house for a few days to rest, especially since one of them has a suspected concussion. However, things are not so black and white in the house. The relationship between Mother and Daughter is strained, due to the Mother's opinion on men. Is there someone else in the house? Are they watching the girls?
The writers Reagan Ramsey and Don Gronquist (who also directed) do a great job in building the story slowly creating an uneasiness and unsureness about the house and its occupants. You're never quite sure what is really going on or who is behind it. Gronquist does an okay job when he dons his directorial hat, though the pace is a little slow, even in exciting moments, and there are times when more action or drama is required so as not to bore the viewers. It would have been a little better if Gronquist could have injected a bit more tension and eeriness into the film and the surroundings.
The lead role, Terry Morgan (played by Laural Munson), is a little wooden and sometimes the pauses in her conversations is a little too long so that you think she could be reading off of cards. The best actress by far is Virginia Settle who portrays the bitter and twisted matriarch, Mrs Penrose; she gives a strong and believable depiction and helps to make this film better.
The other thing which makes this movie one to watch is the twist at the climax, you know roughly what's coming though Ramsey and Gronquist add an extra twist to throw the viewer slightly off the mark. This is a film worth watching at least once, especially if you like mysteries and thrillers as this ticks the boxes, though you will need to like the slow and less action-packed style.
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