Reemerging from oblivion, thanks to Penny Video, Death House (aka Silent Night, Bloody Night and Night of the Dark Full Moon), the Christmas slasher/horror filmed by Theodore Gershuny back in 1970 and not released until 1972. Shrouded in a constant unhealthy and morbid atmosphere, the film's story slowly (but engagingly) unravels, enriching itself, in small doses, with intriguing and original twists and turns, until it reaches its apex of extraordinary cinematic beauty in a majestic and unforgettable finale.
Plot: On Christmas Eve 1950, Wilfred Butler (Philip Bruns) returns to his mansion where he accidentally dies. The man bequeaths all his possessions to his only living relative, his nephew Jeffrey Butler (James Patterson), charging him with one task: to leave the house unchanged. Twenty years later, news about the sale of the mansion (which remained uninhabited after the death of the first owner) reaches the state criminal asylum, leading an inmate to flee the nursing home and take refuge in that very old home. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Butler, determined to sell the property, makes the acquaintance of Diane Adams (Mary Woronov), the mayor's daughter.
It is protagonist Diane Adams (played by Mary Woronov) who narrates the events related to the mysterious mansion, a place of pain and suffering. Her narrative voice and flashbacks accompany the viewer to delve, slowly, into the murky past related to Wilfred Butler's mansion.
Dropped into a Christmas atmosphere suggested by an almost constant melancholy reinterpretation of "Silent Night, Holy Night." Death House makes a show of dense night shots made somber by a cinematography (Adam Giffard) made deliberately dirty and veering to the darkest tones. In this regard, the close-ups to terrified faces surrounded by the most penetrating darkness are unforgettable.
Adding to the growing suspense are then the labored breaths of the homicidal madman and very reminiscent of those unforgettable breaths of Joe Spinell in Maniac (1980). Added to these are the killer's whispers (even during some phone calls) that bring to mind the whispers of psychopaths in Argentian cinema.
Death House then enjoys such heinous moments as the murder of the couple and the amputation of a hand. Nevertheless, the film aims to create in the audience a state of disquiet and anguish through sounds, images, breaths, whispers and a final sequence (embellished with sepia tones and deep, gloomy echoing voices) of disarming beauty that reaches heights of stylistic perfection. In Death House Nor does the music (Gershon Kingsley) that embraces and runs through each sequence highlighting the most suspenseful moments go unnoticed.
Death House, which has remained unjustly buried, anticipated the slasher genre by influencing such films as Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Black Christmas (1974) but also Don't look in the basement (1973), Maniac (1980) and certainly much of the Argentine filmography.
A remarkable film, to be rediscovered, now also in Italy thanks to Penny Video.
In the cast: James Patterson, Mary Woronov, Philip Bruns, Patrick O'Neal, Astrid Heeren, John Carradine, Walter Abel, Fran Stevens, Walter Klavun, Staats Cotsworth, Tally Brown, George Strus, and Lisa Blake Richards.
Among the producers of Death House Lloyd Kaufman also appears.
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Finally available in DVD format for Italy, Death House (never dubbed in Italian) is currently part of Penny Video's "Opium Visions" series, which offers it for homevideo in an inviting original English-language version (only audio track), with Italian subtitles and in 1.85:1 format.
The audio/video quality shows signs of time on the film, which, far from annoying, cloak the film with immense charm. In the special contents, on the other hand, there is an interview with Mary Woronov, the film's protagonist, who talks about her experiences in film.
A must-see film in a highly recommended edition.
DVD card of Death House:
Original title: Silent Night, Bloody Night
Origin: USA - 1972
Duration: 82 minutes
Distribution: Penny Video
Year of publication: 2017
Video format 1.85:1 Anamorphic
Audio Format 2.0 Mono English
Subtitles: Italian
Special contents: interview with Mary Woronov
Number of discs: 1
