Silent Night, Bloody Night AKA Death House AKA Night of the Dark Full Moon
(1974) 88 Min.
Rated: R
Country: USA
Director: Theodore Gershuny
Starring: James Patterson, John Carradine, Mary Woronov, Patrick O’Neal
Links: IMDB | Wikipedia
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Some twisted events are woven into the past of a dark old mansion and the town surrounding it.
Synopsis:
A woman walking in a forest in Harlington, Mass. recounts a tale that only she remembers. She recalls the owner of Butler House, Wilford Butler. Upon visiting the house Mr. Butler bursts out of the doorway in flames. He crawls around on the snowy ground screaming and dies there. A voice over of the sheriff announces that Butler’s autopsy states that he died of his burns and the death was deemed an accident.
He leaves his estate to his grandson Jeffrey Butler (Patterson). It lies empty for 20 years. A lawyer, John Carter (O’Neal), and his lover, Ingrid, arrive to asses the house and sell it. Carter meets with the mayor and informs them that the house will be sold to them if they can come up with $50,000 by noon the next day.
Carter and Ingrid return to the house to stay there the night. As soon as they are in bed and about to rest a mysterious figure comes in and chops them up with an ax. The killer places a cross in the bloody hand of one of their corpses. The man calls the sheriff and lures him to the house. He claims to be Mary and also warns Tess, the switchboard lady, that he’s there and coming for them.
Jeffrey Butler arrives at Diane Adams’ house, the daughter of Mayor Adams (played by Mary Woronov). He takes off to find the sheriff. Meanwhile someone kills the sheriff. Jeffrey re-appears at the Adams house and Diane insists on going with him to the estate. As they approach they find the tombstone and the sheriff’s car. They go to meet the newspaper man, Towman (Carradine).
Meanwhile at the house, someone kills Tess.
Diane decides to do some research and learns that Wilford’s daughter Mary was brutally raped and had a son named Jeffrey. The house was converted into an insane asylum and Mary herself was committed there.
Jeffrey returns to find Diane and they both go to find Towman only to find his car in flames. As they drive further a bloodied Towman tries to wave them down, but Jeffrey rams his car into Towman, knocking him over and killing him. A shocked Diane reluctantly stays in the car upon Jeffrey’s orders.
Jeffrey, while waiting in the house, reads Wilford’s diary. Wilford reveals that he had fathered Jeffrey and he wished to make things right by killing the doctors who were at his house. He let loose the inmates which not only murdered all the doctors but his daughter Mary. Since then Wilford has lived in different asylums.
Diane enters the house and talks to Jeff who reveals that Wilford is still alive. That the man who was burned to death was a squatter and not Wilford. That Tess, the mayor and others were the inmates of the house long ago. They were the ones who killed Mary.
The Mayor Adams walks into the house with a gun. He sees Jeffrey and draws his weapon. They both shoot each other. Suddenly Wilford comes downstairs. Believing Diane to be his daughter, he tries to reassure her that she is safe. The panicked Diane screams and tries desperately to get away. She manages to get a gun and kills Wilford.
Back to present day, it is a year later and the house is about to be demolished. Diane is still walking in the woods near the house and tells the audience that though the house may be gone her memories cannot be destroyed.
Review:
Though it does not seem like much from the start, the slow and deliberate pacing helps to build the anticipation in this film. The viewer isn’t given all the clues at first and it’s more of a murder-mystery. The voice-overs throughout the film can seem a bit heavy handed. Most viewers will probably figure Jeffrey has something to do with the murders as soon as he appears, but the overall tension and writing is well done. Some of the scenes are a little cheesy, but this really is an underrated film of this genre. You can overlook the silly make-up, the hammy first scene of a guy on fire and even some of the over-use of narration if you just let the film take you on its little journey. It’s quite a fun film in that way.
Notes:
This is James Patterson’s last film as he died two years before the film’s release. He was aged 40.