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MADHOUSE (1981) – The Blu Review – We Are Movie Geeks

Blu-Ray Review

MADHOUSE (1981) – The Blu Review

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Review by Roger Carpenter

In his heyday, director/producer Ovidio Assonitis was affectionately known as “The Rip-Off King” due to his blatant copying of popular, more expensive hit films.  Thus, we have Beyond the Door (1974), an Exorcist-style film; Tentacles (1977), a killer octopus film in the vein of Jaws; and even the sequel Piranha II: The Spawning (1981), which he famously directed after firing James Cameron shortly after filming commenced.  Always on the lookout for the next big idea in exploitation, it isn’t surprising that he would also jump on the slasher bandwagon as well.  Madhouse is Assonitis’ entry into that particular subgenre of film.

Though produced in late 1980 or early 1981 in Savannah, Georgia, Madhouse wasn’t released stateside until 1983.  So while the film bears more than a passing resemblance to the classic slasher Happy Birthday to Me (also made in 1981), it is unclear how much of a direct rip-off one film is of the other.  While it may be unfair to call Madhouse a rip-off, it certainly borrows heavily from some classic chillers as well as bearing a close resemblance to other films, though this may be due more to the plot centering on twins than anything else.


In her sole screen credit, Trish Everly stars as Julia Sullivan, a teacher at a school for deaf children.  She is perfectly wholesome.  She has a boyfriend who is a doctor, she has her own successful career, she’s pretty, and she loves the children in her classroom.  It’s close to a perfect life.  But Julia harbors a terrible secret: her childhood was filled with trauma due to her twin sister who tortured and abused her at every turn.  As an adult Trish intentionally isolated herself from her sister, Mary (Allison Biggers), and has managed to mostly forget her hellish childhood and move on with her life.  About a week before her birthday, her uncle, a minister, reaches out to her.  Father James (Dennis Robertson) tells Julia her sister has been attacked by a horrific, disfiguring virus and is in the hospital.  Father James convinces Julia to visit her very ill sister, but just as Julia predicted, Mary treats her very badly.  Soon thereafter, Mary escapes the hospital and Julia’s friends and acquaintances soon begin to go missing.

Madhouse is a pretty unique entry into the slasher genre for a number of reasons.  While the use of twins as the primary plot driver wasn’t unique (De Palma did it several years before in Sisters, while another slasher called Blood Rage—also released by Arrow—followed several years after Madhouse), there is a twist that throws the standard idea of the evil twin being a serial killer into disarray. When this twist is finally divulged, it’s more than a little confusing for viewers.  Astute viewers may not be surprised at this reveal because there is one pretty blatant hint that Assonitis drops midway through the film.  But the real problem with the twist is there is absolutely no explanation as to why the killer chooses to kill, leaving the audience hanging.  To say more would spoil the film.  Another difference is the decided lack of teenagers or the slasher trope that equates sex and death. The film is actually pretty tame in the area of sex.  There is no nudity and only a couple of scenes that include kissing. This film is populated by mature adults, most of whom don’t make particularly bad decisions that lead to their deaths, so there isn’t much “don’t go in that door…don’t go down that dark hall…” from the viewers. Finally, the character of Julia doesn’t even discover that people are disappearing until the climax of the film.  There is no police investigation, no tension centered on Julia’s knowledge of her friends’ murders.  This is a major structural issue that is nearly a fatal flaw for the film.


While the film did get caught up in the Video Nasty debate in Britain, leading to its being banned, the scenes of violence are few and far between and, frankly, aren’t terribly bloody with perhaps two or three exceptions.  The bottom line is, like many of the Video Nasties that were banned, when viewed today, one often questions the British censor’s motivations.  Perhaps it had to do more with the killing of a child in the film, though the death is only implied and not even the aftermath is shown.  It may also have been because a couple of animals are also killed (though no animals were actually harmed during filming).  The British seem particularly squeamish with these kinds of ideas, even if only implicated and entirely off screen.  However, Madhouse was probably saved from being completely forgotten because of the Video Nasty debate.  That’s the true irony of the Video Nasty era: most of the films that were banned weren’t particularly good films and probably would have disappeared into cinematic oblivion if the DPP hadn’t inadvertently given so much press to them.

The film drags in places.  Some scenes are overly talky and it features one of the longest, slowest stalkings in film history, with the killer literally stopping to examine nick-knacks during the scene and culminating with the victim locking herself into her apartment, sitting down, and NOT calling the police. Some of the murders are too quick—just one stab to the chest and the film moves on.  It’s almost as if the budget only allowed for a few special effects so Assonitis had to get creative with his kills and save his money for two or three scenes.


That isn’t to say that Madhouse is a bad film.  It’s certainly a low budget film, but the production values are high and the film looks much more expensive than it really was.  Aside from some low-quality special effects, you wouldn’t guess this was a B-picture by its look.  The cinematography is solid and Assonitis is even able to create some genuine tension and eerie set pieces on occasion.  Riz Ortolani is back to create the score, which I also found odd.  There are entire sequences of the film that contain no music and which I think could have helped create tension if a score had been created for those sequences.  Of course, I have no idea who ultimately made the choice to leave some scenes unscored, but whomever made that decision dropped the ball.  Ortolani had just recently scored Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and it seems he took several of that film’s music cues and added them to Madhouse.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but for fans of Cannibal Holocaust and its iconic score, it’s a bit disconcerting to hear those same cues in this film, though I’m sure that wasn’t a problem in 1981.  All in all, though, it’s not Ortolani’s best effort.  The acting is a high point.  Everly is a standout, being used to much greater effect than most Final Girls.  It’s a shame this is her only credit.  The cast surrounding her, most of whom you wouldn’t recognize, are veterans of both the small and large screen, and most do an admirable job.  Jerry Fujikawa, who plays an Asian handiman, is unfortunately relegated to a silly and slightly offensive typecast role.  His demise is actually funny thanks to his expression.  Edith Ivey plays a supporting role as Julia’s landlady and wins the prize for Dumbest Move in the Film.  I’d have been okay if her character had been the first to die as her performance as a flighty, aging hippy was quite irritating.

While it’s all a bit cheesy—though not nearly as cheesy as Assonitis’ Tentacles—it’s still a worthy entry to the slasher genre and good fun.  I’m glad Arrow dug this rarity up and gave it their Special Treatment.  This special edition includes both Blu-Ray and standard DVD presentations from a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative.  The film has been hard to come by in any decent presentation, so Arrow’s release is the perfect upgrade and definitive edition of the uncut version of the film.  It includes several short interviews with cast and crew, including Assonitis himself.  But the standout interview is with Edith Ivey, a veteran with credits running from Howdy Doody to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt.  She talks about her career as well as making Madhouse.  She is genuine and simply very entertaining.  Also included is an alternate title credit sequence as well as the original theatrical trailer.  The special features are rounded out with an audio commentary by the slasher fan group The Hysteria Continues.  There are four members who talk over each other and drop obscure references that may or may not have any relevance to the film.  Not much information is presented about the film itself and the commentary really feels like you are listening in to a random conversation of movie fans while they watch the film.  Not the best commentary I’ve ever heard.


Madhouse can be purchased through Amazon or directly from Arrow at http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/category/usa/.