(1974)
Directed by Pete Walker
Starring Sheila Keith, Rupert Davies, Deborah Fairfax, Kim Butcher, Paul Greenwood,
Fiona Curzon, John Yule, Andrew Sachs

Pete Walker is a director that more horror fans need to know about. He only made a handful of films in the ‘70s that really could be considered horror, but he made tales that not only didn’t pull any punches, but they also usually made you feel like you just got kicked in nuts. Walker had said that he wanted people leaving theater “thinking, yet frustrated.” And he did just that.

Frightmare film deals with the interesting subject of cannibalism. It starts out in black and white with a man coming to what looks like a deserted fair or circus, or maybe early enough where it isn’t open yet. He comes to a trailer to get his fortune told. But what he didn’t foresee was his own death. We jump to a court sentencing, where the judge is handing out a speech on how horrible of a crime they are convicted of. We then jump to present day with young Jackie, leaving her rebellious young sister sleeping, to head off in the dead of night with a strange package, delivering it to her father and stepmother who live in the country in a nice little cottage. Granted, there seems to be some blood seeping out of the butcher paper wrapped package . . .

It seems that Jackie’s stepmother, Dorothy, has a taste for the gooey gray matter between the ears, which is what she was convicted of years ago, committed to an asylum, only to be recently released because she was “cured”. Her devoted husband loves her so much, that he will do anything for her, especially to keep them both out of the institute. But as Dorothy slowly moves back to her old ways, Jackie is also doing battle trying to keep her younger sister Debbie from getting into trouble.

Rupert Davies stars as Edmund, the dedicated spouse, was known to most horror fans because of his roles in two 1968 films, Hammer’s Dracula Has Risen from the Grave and Michael Reeves’ Witchfinder General. But it is Sheila Keith, who plays Dorothy, that really steals the show. This was Keith’s second film for Walker, the first being House of Whipcord, where she played an evil guard in a sort of makeshift women’s prison. She has much more to do here with the character of Dorothy, but really does steal the show every time she is on screen. In one moment, she seems like this kind old woman, right before she grabs a red-hot iron poker to beat you with, doing it all with a twisted and demented smile. This is someone that was known for small television roles in comedies and drama, but then goes completely over the top in the work she did for Walker. Maybe that is why she is so effective in this films, because she really does seem like she’s some friendly older lady, or someone’s sweet old grandmother. She would go on to appear in three more of Walker’s films, each one well worth seeing.

Deborah Fairfax and Kim Butcher play the two daughters and do well here, especially the younger and more thrill-seeking Debbie, played by Butcher. She had a brief part in Walker’s next film, House of Mortal Sin (1976). Look for the appearance in the beginning of Andrew Sachs, better known as Manual in the Fawlty Towers TV series.

While Walker might have been playing it up for ballyhoo, the commentary on people that have been locked away due to mental illness, only to be released later when they are deemed well enough to return to society, shows that maybe Walker’s feeling is that there is no rehabilitation for these people and should remain locked away forever. Or at least that is what the film seems to be telling us.

During a time where Hammer’ gothic period pieces had already lost its hold on audiences, Walker wanted to make films that would leave the audiences shaken when leaving the theater. Frightmare is a perfect example of that, which he continued with his next few pictures. The film is filmed with plenty of gruesome moments, even more gristly parts that are implied, but there is so much more. There is a showing of utter love and devotion from Edmund, the husband of the brain-eating nutcase. Even during their sentencing in the opening, the only crime he is guilty of is his complacency and allowing it to continue. But he will, has continued to, help cover up and do whatever he can to keep his wife out of the institute again. Crazy as that may be, it shows how strong love can be, which is another theme that Walker would visit again.

If you haven’t seen any of Walker’s films, this one is a great place to start. But I wouldn’t stop there. To get the full effect of what he was trying to say, watch a few more of his horror films he made in the ‘70s. Enjoy!