By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I am a huge Sally Field fan. I just adore her. I love her in everything from Kiss Me Goodbye (1982) to Not without My Daughter (1991). I even enjoy Soapdish (1991). She is by far one of my favorite actresses. So many knock her for overacting, and admittedly she does, but it adds to her charm. It’s sort of the way that Charlton Heston delivers his dramatic lines. He’s over the top, but for him it works.
When I heard about Home for the Holidays, I had to see it. Old school made-for-TV horror films are usually quite good and the plot seemed intriguing.
The film opens when four sisters return to their childhood home. Their elderly father believes his wife is trying to kill him. Benjamin Morgan (Walter Brennan) doesn’t have a good relationship with any of his daughters. They not only blame him for their mother’s death but he’s judgmental and cruel in his old age.
The eldest sister Alex (Eleanor Parker) constantly makes excuses for him and tells her sisters that they should forget the past and help him. Joanna (Jill Hayworth) is the most hated among the sisters. Benjamin doesn’t hide his disappointment about her life choices. She had been married multiple times and Benjamin immediately brings it up.
Frederica (Jessica Walter) is the one who refuses to forgive. A painting shows that she looked just like her mother. She believes her father killed her mother. Never getting over the pain she drowns her sorrows in boos and pills.
Lastly there is Christine (Sally Field). She’s the youngest and our protagonist. She is a college student who doesn’t really hold a grudge but certainly understands her sister’s anger.
When they arrive Benjamin discloses that his wife of ten years is trying to poison him. Elizabeth (Julie Harris) had been married once before and her husband was poisoned. Elizabeth was acquitted of the murder but many in the town believe she was guilty. Now, her husband believes it too.
Soon people begin getting murdered by a mysterious figure in a yellow raincoat and red boots. The killer is pretty obvious to any horror fan, but for the 70s I’m sure it was pretty surprising.
The dialogue is excellent. There are certain scenes that are definitely over the top but not in a bad way. They’re just fun.
I wish they still made movies like this for TV. They’re fun and cool and far better than all the crap that is on TV now.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10
