Over the top? Sure.
But, this is a masterpiece of atmospheric dread. The writer and director clearly knew their subject matter; evoking a time, place, and a specific Catholic melancholy -- perfectly.
Notice the details upon closer inspection.
I agree, Marcy. The first time I saw it, this movie was an instant fave of mine....years later, I realised they were portraying a time period in the early 1960's, NOT 1977, when it was filmed....so that gave it even more relevance, to imagine these spooky characters and settings in Patterson, New Jersey, way back then....
someone else mentioned the yellow rain slicker worn by Alice and Karen....(and of course, the housekeeper used one as well!), the mask, the not-knowing till the end, always suspecting it was Alice....and then Ms. Tredoni reveals herself in the end scene....I had a creepy feeling, in the end, when Alice walks away holding the knife in the bag.....do you think that maybe Alice killed her little sister, out of jealousy, and that Ms. Tredoni was then 'encouraged' to kill the others, when she was reminded of her lost daughter, and pushed into some sort of twisted act of revenge? I had that feeling recent;ly, when I saw Alice (Paula Shepard) smile at the end of the move's freeze frame....
Damn, they just don't make 'em like that anymore, do they?! ;-)
"The Film which you are about to see is an account
of a tragedy that befell a group of 5 youths..."
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Hi, flowbeer,
I see many of the things you mentioned--the time-relevant details--that make this a good film. However, I don't get the same thoughts out of the film's ending. To me, it is obvious by film's end Mrs. Tredoni was the only killer behiind the mask. What I get from Alice's grabbing the bag, putting the knife into it and walking away with a grin is the suggestion she may become a killer. One of those open for interpretation images that stays with me at the end.
Maybe so...she would have to be a nut to kill her own sister out of petty jealousy, but I was just thinking aloud.
Great flick though, a true 70's classic!
"Grab yaself uh eggroll!" - Drexel Spivey
It's an interesting idea that Alice killed her sister, but the old lady was in possession of the cross that was ripped off Karen's neck during the murder, so I'm thinking it had to be Ms. Tredoni; she was in love with that priest, and wanted to destroy the woman that he spent so much time with, by killing one of her kids and framing the other for the murder. One of the best horror films of all time IMO...
"IMdB; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...'