The House That Screamed(1969)La residencia(original title).Lilli Palmer owns and runs a school for wayward girls in France. Her absolute discipline has fostered a social order among the girls with rampant sex, lesbianism and torture the norm. Palmer also has an adolescent son (Moulder Brown) she tries to keep isolated from the young women lest he be tainted by sexual relations; She explains that he must wait for a girl "just like his mother". Meanwhile, girls are "running away" (being murdered) one by one, with their corpses and any evidence of their outcome not to be found. Beware cut versions; the film was shown back in the 70's on network TV chopped to only 76 minutes! Written byArthur Workman <arthur49@user1.channel1.com>... Synopsis The House That Screamed(1969)La residencia(original title)
Movie Title: The House That Screamed(1969)La residencia(original title)
Run Time: 99 min
Rating: 6.9 / 10
Genres: Horror |Thriller
Release Date: 1969 (Spain)
Director: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador
Writer: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador ,Juan Tébar... and other credits
Actor: Lilli Palmer,Cristina Galbó,John Moulder-Brown
A film about teenage sexuality set in a girl's reform school? Don't drop your brown-sauce stained jogging bottoms and prepare for a chug fest just yet. This film is subtle, and all about repressed sexuality (or so it seemed to me).
We've got a new girl starting at a 19th Century girl's school full of wayward teenagers, run by a cruel headmistress and her underling, a pupil who likes to inflict pain on some of the other pupils. The headmistress' son, also a teenager, has a habit of peeping on the girls, even though his mother constantly warns him that these girls are damaged good. Things continue on in this vein until you start thinking to yourself: "Where's this all heading?" It's just about then that one of the girls gets stabbed to death in a greenhouse.
This beautiful looking film is full of surprises, and I'm not going to reveal anything here, save to say that about twenty minutes from the end the film throws you a curve-ball and makes you root for a character you've been set up to hate.
For those complaining about the girls having a shower with their clothes on (probably some disappointed guys all good to go with Kleenex to hand), I think that was the whole point of the scene. The whole film is about repressed sexuality (not just for females either, the son is constantly berated by his mother) - check out the sewing scene, where the girls get jealous that one of their friends is out having some personal time with the local delivery guy - it's enough to cause a Daily Mail reader to have a stroke.
All in all, good film. Superficially a slasher, I'd guess, but with a lot more going on a very easy on the eye. If you're a fan of Euro horror, I'd go for this one. If you like WIP films and think this might be like that, you'll have to hold onto your mess until another time.
