La casa del terror

I caught this peculiar little gem late night on USA and was instantly intrigued. John Ritter hamming it up royally among granny masked killers, malevolent monkeys, and at least one zombie. Well it's all part of Terror Tract, an enjoyable anthology which follows a young couple looking at homes with a kindly (if a little strange) real estate agent (Ritter). But each house comes with a story (full disclosure), and the young couple may be in for more than they bargained. Story One: After doing away with her husband, a woman and her lover are haunted by visions of said husband unearthing himself from his watery grave and returning for vengeance. Story Two: A little girl finds a playful monkey in her backyard and asks her father (Bryan Cranston) to keep it...but why does the monkey unsettle the father so. Story Three: A young man believes he shares a psychic connection with a brutal serial killer adorned in a granny-mask. But it's the wraparound that is the most fiendish fun it becomes clear that no house on Terror Tract is free from evil. The budget may be a little low but I would stack it up against most of the studio horror films these days. Just watch out for granny face!

The suburban real estate agent Bob Carter (John Ritter) is driving the newlywed Allen Doyle (David DeLuise) and his wife Mary Ann Doyle (Allison Smith) through a suburban area expecting to sell a house to them. While showing the houses, his clients asks for full disclosure about each house and Carter is forced to tell the frightful truth about each house. In the end, Mary Ann knows the neighborhood.

"Terror Tract" is an excellent horror film with a lead storyline and three segments. "Nightmare", "Bobo" and come to Granny" are highly entertaining and the lead segment "Make Me an Offer" has a surprising and hilarious conclusion. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Casa do Terror Tract" ("The House of the Terror Tract")

Real estate man John Ritter shows three houses to a young couple (David Deluise, Allison Smith). Each one has a horrible story attached to it which Ritter tells the couple.

"Nightmare" is a predictable story about a love triangle and murder. There are too many false scares but it's fairly well-done. "Bobo" is a real stupid tale of a killer monkey. Dumb, illogical, silly but Bryan Cranston gives a good performance despite the script. "Come to Granny" is a winner. A teenage boy (Will Estes) sees killings before they're about to happen at the hands of the Granny Killer--a killer who wears a disgusting old womans mask while killing women. The mask itself is scary and the murder scenes are violent, bloody and extremely well-done. Also Estes makes for a very sympathetic protagonist (and has a surprising shower scene). The final wrap up of the framing story is also bloody, funny and really good.

All in all, it's much better than I expected. It's worth seeing for the bits involving Ritter (who's very good) and the final story.

If you're a fan of searching through "B" movies and finding those rare ones with true "gem" moments, have a look. John Ritter truly makes this film. His segment has the most laughs, and the best tongue-in-cheek delivery. The story that ties the three sub-features together is actually the best one. Format-wise, this is purely Tales From the Dark Side. One segment ties three 30-minute shorts together, and much fun is had by all. Hokey horror and fun ensues. Segment 1 is the weakest of the bunch, but still has a few moments to keep things lively. Segment two is supported both by a notable appearance (Bryan Cranston, father on Malcolm In the Middle) and by a hilariously preposterous evil villain. Segment three is the creepiest of the bunch, and uses classic thriller/horror tricks without concerning itself with an explanation or a payoff, much like the early fifties Twilight Zone episodes. Personally, my favourite moment is the opening credit sequence, which stands tall among "b" movie setups. But it's still a bad movie...

(the house on)Terror Tract is a recent and rather good horror film that should have deserved a bit more praise and credit than it actually got at the time of its release. It certainly isn't a highlight, but it is good enough to take the test with similar movies like "Creepshow" and "Tales from the Darkside". The late John Ritter portrays a real-estate manager who's showing some fancy and luxurious houses to a young couple. Due to a newly introduced ethical law, he's obliged to tell the potential buyers every little detail about the past of these houses. That's how we come to the separate stories. Actually, the whole wraparound story starring John Ritter is the best part of the entire movie...it contains a terrific opening on the "eat or be eaten" theme and the finale is just great. Terror Tract constantly flirts with the genre of parody (life in the upper-class neighborhood) but it manages to keep up the horror atmosphere during the entire movie. The quality level of the actual stories of Terror Tract is varying directly as their order. The first story is lame and far from original and handles about the "getting rid of the husband's corpse"-theme. The second story contains a few more interesting aspects but it still isn't quite satisfying. However, the third and final story was really good. It has a fascinating plot and the suspense is built up real well.

The House on Terror Tract certainly isn't a must-see, but you won't regret it if you spend your time watching it. The most important positive point of this film are that it has a fresh and light-headed tone and a pretty funny surrounding. It could have used a bit more bloody sequences, though...