Visita del terror

Patty Duke is lovely and appealing as Francesca Kinsolving, a very pregnant young woman whose husband Matthew was killed in Vietnam. She makes the journey from L.A. to snowbound Minnesota, where the Kinsolving family homestead is. She's hoping to make some sort of connection with Matthews' mother, about whom he spoke so highly. But when she gets to the estate, the mother (Rosemary Murphy) turns out to be an odd duck, and a forbidding character. What's more, this woman has a daughter, Kathleen (the memorable Sian Barbara Allen), who has her own problems. Francesca realizes that she's not welcome there, but becomes a prisoner anyway when bad weather prevents her from leaving.

It's understandable that people might think that this was a made-for-TV affair, but in truth it *did* play in theatres. The director is Lamont Johnson, who had lots of television credits, but did a couple of theatrical features as well. He gives this decent story (script by Jo Heims, based on the novel by Naomi A. Hintze) some respectable suspense, and utilizes the real life Glensheen Historic Estate to great effect. The wintry atmosphere also helps a lot. Refreshingly, although Hintzes' tale has some twists to it, it's not overly complicated, and it's surprisingly absorbing, doing a good job of keeping the viewers' attention.

Another heavy asset is Dukes' character. She's vulnerable, but she's not a dummy, and realizes early on that she would be better off leaving if possible. You do sympathize with her and feel a certain suspicion towards Mrs. Kinsolving, who is played with effective frostiness by Ms. Murphy. Allen likewise does a very creditable job. Richard "John-Boy Walton" Thomas has fun with his cocky and creepy character, who's not given a proper introduction until well into the picture. And Robert Redford lookalike Dennis Rucker is likable in his small part as friendly bus driver Red Cooper.

The music by Gil Melle is on occasion a little unusual, but it works. And the cinematography by Jack A. Marta is excellent.

Only the conclusion fails to be particularly satisfying.

Seven out of 10.

When her Army husband is killed in combat, a pregnant Patty Duke travels to the remote Minnesota home of his family, whom she's never met, for a visit. Meeting with icy acceptance from mother-in-law Rosemary Murphy and stranded by a blizzard, Duke begins to discover terrifying--and deadly--secrets about her husband's family.

I wish had known about this film before I had been in Duluth many years ago. The movie was shot in the Congdon Mansion, and it would have been fun to visit the building, even if I was not allowed inside.

Well played, Scream Factory, for giving this one a release. I had not heard of it, and based on the few IMDb reviews, it seems I am not alone. Despite being a Universal film, it seems to have been very understated, with few "names" attached. Was it made for TV originally? I am surprised by how well the protagonist takes her situation -- a more modern version would have her being terrorized.

There are a couple of things to recommend this picture. First there is the snow: a LOT of snow, which adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere. Also a truly creepy performance by Richard Thomas (pre Waltons) as Kenny. Just the way he refers to himself in the third person is more effective than a hundred stabs of a knife. A good rental but not as bloody as genre fans might like.

Despite what a few other reviewers have noted, this movie was a. Not a made for TV "movie of the week" and b. Not filmed in the "woods of Minnesota". The Glensheen Mansion is in the eastern part of Duluth, nestled in amongst other mansions built around the turn of the last century by the "robber barons" who made their fortunes in lumber, railroads or other enterprises of the times.

I happened to be in St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth when this movie was filmed in early 1972 and we had a celebrity guest on our floor at the time. Every morning an entourage would parade down the hall to visit Patty Duke, to include her dog and numerous hangers-on. Patty Duke was hospitalized at the same time for a "nervous condition". Read her bio and you will understand what that means in English.

The movie was OK, but a real treat for people who knew about the mansion because that was long before it became open to the public. The movie was made about five years before Mrs Congdon and her night nurse were savagely murdered. That event could also have made for a very interesting movie itself.

Duke, Harris, and Thomas are well worth watching for their understated performances in this moody character study. Director Johnson elicited a range of nuances and power from Duke that no other director has been able to achieve. Harris is spellbinding as a woman for whom bitterness is a highball and acrimony is champagne.