By Melissa Garza
The early to mid-90s are known for notoriously bad horror movies. Whether talking about the straight-to-video sequels of classics from the 70s and 80s or the “sexy” thrillers with awful TV actors, the first part of the decade was an overall big disappointment. It wasn’t until Scream hit the theaters in 1996 that horror found a mainstream comeback. With the help of good movies like The Blair Witch Project (1999) and mediocre successes like I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), horror remained on the forefront and made a large impact as the new millennium approached.
Still, after the 80s and before the return of Wes Craven, it took a fan with a great deal of patience to find a gem among the awful productions of the early 90s. More often than not, one got stuck with either a horrible Amityville sequel/rip-off or a Poison Ivy-esque movie that though may appeal to a teenage boy, really offered little to the horror genre.
Plain and simple, it was a rarity that one could find any good horror during this time-frame. In fact, it was typically the very obscure or lesser known productions that were the best. Movies like Kingdom of the Vampire (1991) and Little Corey Gorey (1993) were far better than the mainstream attempts like In the Mouth of Madness (1995) and Candyman (1992). I’m not sure what happened in the first part of the decade, but the greatest elements of horror were traded in for lame stories that attempted to be intricate and overly complex. There was an unwarranted pretentious tone to many of the early 90s mainstream horror films. This was one of the many reasons they ultimately failed. It was as though, there was a sudden distaste for horror so the powers-that-be felt they needed to make “intelligent” scarefests, but they would become so focused on telling their story that they would forget to frighten the audience – or sadly even interest them.
In horror, simple and scary will always be more important than complicated. Moreso, the complicated nearly always ends up contrived. Most recently, Dead Silence (2007) is a great example of this. A movie that should have been an easy win – a horror movie about puppets – ended up failing on nearly every level. The movie decided to take every twist and turn it could and the result was to be void of any common sense at all.
On the other hand, when a horror fan is introduced to a horror movie done right, there is nothing better! I’m happy to say that Deadly Manor is a perfect example of early 90s horror done right. It understood the purpose of a horror movie was to scare and entertain, and it did both very well!
The movie opens with a group of teenagers picking up Jack (Clark Tufts) a hitchhiker with a shady past and a lot to hide. The kids get lost and end up at a rundown abandoned mansion. They begin looking through the home and get freaked out upon finding caskets in the basement.
Quickly, odd things that borderline on the supernatural begin to occur. Just as fast, a body count mounts as a masked assailant begins a killing spree.
There are a few surprising elements to the movie but it never becomes so involved with motive that it loses sight of atmosphere. The tone in the production is very dark and sinister. I anticipated a Friday the 13th style movie but was taken aback when instead I received something far superior. There were genuinely creepy moments that made me want to close my eyes. In one scene, the survivor begs for help. It was such a tense moment and so well done. It reminded me of Black Christmas (1974).
There were also elements that were reminiscent of Scarecrows (1988), a great film in its own right. The characters share a hostile comradeship which puts into question the innocence of the victims. Lastly, there was a haunting intensity and energy that kept me on the edge of my seat the way in which The Strangers (2008) was able to do. It was able to capture so many great elements of horror and deliver them in one movie.
I cannot suggest this film enough. It was a pleasant surprise as I wasn’t expecting much at all. I was anticipating a mediocre whodunit. Some reviews I had read, labeled it as “boring.” I couldn’t disagree more. The movie went by fast and though there was build-up prior to the slayings, it was necessary to gain the momentum that in-turn forces the audience to share the same fear the characters experience. The actors did a fantastic job and the characters reactions were realistic which builds an even stronger connection between the characters and those watching the film. Perhaps, the emotionalism in the movie was strongly influenced by the movies mentioned previously – or maybe it’s because it was made in Spain and Spanish horror is notorious for bringing the audience in on an emotional level. Whatever the case, I’m grateful and I think once the horror fans get wind of this obscure gem, they will be too!
The good news is that this is up for sale on Amazon Print-On-Demand and for rent on streaming. I would say it’s worth owning as I’ll definitely view it more than once.
Scared Stiff Rating 7.5/10
