Don't Go In The House (1980)

Don't Go In The House (R)

One of the video nasties of the 1980's, Don't Go In The House's title belies it's uncampy tone and grim creepy misogyny that it has on display as a socially awkward man starts preying on the women of his town once his domineering mother is out of the picture.

The slasher psycho killer genre of horror films originated with Hitchcock's Psycho, and is copied short hand in DGITH. But those calling it a knock off will miss the skin crawling differences between Donny Kohler and Normal Bates.  The physical abuse of his childhood is shown happening to Donny, his adult character and social abilities obviously flawed because of it (unlike Bates who could "fit in" for years and who's abuse was only implied).  The opening scene where he is transfixed and fascinated by a fellow co-worker who accidentally catches fire sets the scene for a truly mentally broken individual who you can feel for, and when he reaches for the flame thrower there is a kind of unhealthy satisfaction that occurs for both fictional character and viewer.  It is a vexing sensation, one that must be acknowledged.

There are very few scenes of actual violence on display, but one of those few was so psychologically damning that got it banned by the UK.  All the pieces come together there; Donny's psychology, the fear of his victims, the insanity of his childhood, and despite its small budget and limited special effects the scene works chillingly well and haunts the viewer afterward due to its effectiveness of visuals and editing.  Of course surrounding that one scene is a lot of buildup and a lot of hemming and hawing before it's conclusion, and yet the film holds together on the fetishistic horror and skin crawling of just that one scene, and one can hardly blame the British censors for putting the kibosh on it  despite it's low body count.  The simple fact is Don't Go In The House (or its original title of Pyromaniac) isn't as completely outlandish as it's title screamed.  In reality the film's portrayal of a killer skews closer to the reality of the sick perverted weirdos that have actually stalked our streets, making it all the more freaky and a boon for horror genre buffs.

6 Flame Retardant Suit BBQ out of 10 (GOOD)