The often used phrase “this house looks creepy” is one used
in more horror films and in particular those where a group of young people stop
by an abandoned home than I care to count. And yet it surfaces time and time
again and in movies that actually turn out to be quite good. Such is the case
with DEADLY MANOR.
A group of young people are on their way to a vacation at a
lake they’re not even sure they remember the name of. They pick up a hitchhiker
named Jack who knows the area and will guide them to the lake they think they
remember now. Hours away still they decide to pull off onto a road and see if
they can find a place to rest for the night. Fortunately at the end of the road
(what a coincidence!) they find what appears to be an abandoned house.
Outside of the house is a shrine, a smashed car on a
platform with a picture of a beautiful woman in the front seat. While they find
this odd they still plan on staying here. When one of the girls swears she saw
someone inside close a window, the rest tell her she’s imagining things. But
she refuses to enter, heading back to the highway instead.
The rest of the group enters and begins to wander the
building. They find a basement that contains two coffins. Upstairs they find a
newspaper from the day before but ignore the fact that someone might still be
there. Using the paper, the hitchhiker starts a fire in the fireplace and we
see his picture on the front page, a fugitive from the law.
More searching reveals a bedroom upstairs with photos of an
incredibly beautiful woman in all of them. As with the car, this appears to be
more a shrine than anything else. The group wonders who she might be but then
heads back downstairs to keep warm.
It isn’t long before things go wrong. The first girl who
left for the highway is slaughtered by an unseen killer who cuts her throat and
drags her off. One by one the rest of the group falls prey to this unknown
entity. Is it a ghost? The hitchhiker? Could one of them be a killer? Or is there
something more mysterious at play here that ties into the shrines they found?
The movie contains the usual cast of characters, horny young
people and those who seemingly have no clue when it comes to placing themselves
in peril. Old house with a potential loon inside? Hey no problem, at least we
won’t get wet in the rain or be cold with this fireplace here. We also have a
protagonist that has the potential to turn this into a franchise. Actually a
sequel was discussed but before that could happen director/writer Jose Larraz
passed away.
All in all the movie isn’t all that bad in spite of the
clichés being used. The acting isn’t the best from most of the young people but
solid performances by those behind the mysterious events (Jennifer Delora and
William Russell) makes up for that as well as by Clark Tufts as the hitchhike.
They bring a sincerity to their roles that they younger actors just can’t seem
to muster.
The story is well done here as well. Once we learn the why
and where it becomes interesting to find out what will finally take place. And
the makeup job done here lends itself to the sense of despair needed for the
character here to work properly.
Now we need to talk about Arrow Video. Why? Because they
continue to do what they do best which is rescue movies like this from
obscurity and provide not just a great version of the film but extras to go
with it. In this case they’ve brought a new 2k restoration from original film
elements that makes it look brand new. Extras include a new audio commentary
track with Kit Ellinger and Samm Deighan, a new filmed interview with actress
Jennifer Delora which is fascinating, “Making a Killing” a new interview with
producer Brian Smedley-Aston, an extract from an archival interview with Jose
Larraz, the original “Savage Lust” VHS trailer, an image gallery, the original
script and shooting schedule for BD-ROM content, a reversible sleeve with
original artwork and newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais and for the
first pressing only a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by
author John Martin.
Arrow has been releasing a number of Larraz works and fans
now have the chance to own these in the best shape they’ve ever been released
in. Horror fans have the chance to enjoy them and discover this director as
well. Kudos to Arrow for taking the time to get this right.
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