So Sad About Gloria

A great axing scene, overdone directing, excessive use of music, and some terrible acting by the lead heroine equals B movie heaven. Elvira ragged on it and MST should have; it is that much fun! This movie does manage to create a weird doomed kinda feel to it that is unique and kinda fun. If you like B movies (and you know you do otherwise you would not be reading this), check it out for a fun 90 minutes!

If you can't guess the twist ending of So Sad About Gloria at least half an hour before it happens, you clearly haven't seen enough horror/thriller movies. Even in 1973, it must've seemed old hat. If the ending hadn't been so trite and predictable, I might have forgiven the fact that the film is so uneventful and boring for the most part. There's only one good scene in the whole film - the brutal and bloody axe murder of a buxom young woman - the majority of the screen-time being devoted to the sappy romance between heiress Gloria Wellman (Lori Saunders) and aspiring writer Chris Kenner (Robert Ginnaven).

Having just been released from a mental hospital, Gloria still suffers from terrifying nightmares that somehow relate to her father's death, but her new relationship with Chris helps to banish her fears. Chris is exactly what Gloria needs: a caring, loving and understanding partner, and she is over the moon when he pops the question (with the approval of her Uncle Fredrick, played by Dean Jagger). In fact, Chris is almost too perfect - and it doesn't take much to put two and two together, especially when the new home that Chris rents for the couple turns out to be the place where the axe murder happened, and Gloria starts to hear strange noises in the night. Why, one severe shock and she would be pushed right over the edge... Yawn!

3.5/10, rounded up to 4 for the savage axe attack; more stuff like that, and this would've been great.

This film suffers from many aspects: poor audio, lousy script and bare bones production. Conversely, it accurately captures the "absense" of the electronic age, natural beauty and innocence. The sound track is rather pleasant. If you're looking to relive this Era, it's worth a watch. Outside of this, there's nothing redeemable.

So Sad About Gloria (1975)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Gloria (Lori Saunders) is released from a mental hospital and placed in the care of her uncle Frederick (Dean Jagger). Before long she falls in love with a man named Chris (Robert Ginnaven) and they are married but soon Gloria begins seeing a bloody axe murder, which may have something to do with her past.

SO SAD ABOUT GLORIA is a film that should have been a lot better than it turned out but there's no question that it has a few memorable moments that make it somewhat worth sitting through if you're a fan of the horror genre. There's certainly nothing here that is going to make you run out and recommend the movie to all of your friends but God knows the genre has seen a lot worse.

The highlight of the film happens early on with a rather over-the-top and somewhat bloody murder sequence. A woman is slowly getting ready for bed not knowing that a maniac is about to break in on her. The scene is fairly extended and the maniac breaks all sorts of items inside the room and when he slashes down on the lady there's certainly some blood flaw. This scene is easily the highlight of the film and sadly nothing like this happens again.

The entire film plays out as a mystery because we're supposed to be guessing who the killer is but I'm going to guess that most people will figure out what's happening within the first twenty-minutes. In other words, if you've never seen or read a mystery in your life then you might get caught off guard by what happens. The rest...

I thought Saunders was okay in her role and Jagger is always fun to watch. The film does offer up some scenes with a good atmosphere and the low-budget actually works in the film's favor. Still, the film is bloody dry at times and there's no question that the non-stop dialogue scenes really drag the film out. There are some good elements to be found here but overall the film is a mess.

For a basically no-budget thriller, this isn't really all that bad. Director Harry Thomason went on to produce the first-rate TV series "Designing Women," Dean Jagger was an Academy Award-winning actor, and Lori Saunders, best known for playing one of the sisters in "Petticoat Junction," is actually pretty good in a very atypical role. The plot about a recently released mental patient who may or may not be committing a series of ax murders isn't particularly original, but the film does achieve a degree of suspense, and Saunders does a good job--for the most part--of conveying the anxiety and confusion of a young girl who isn't sure if she's a serial killer. The film is definitely hampered by its next-to-nil production values, and Thomason obviously had quite a bit to learn about directing--mainly about pacing and continuity--but it's not a completely botched effort. And Lori Saunders is just so damn cute it's hard not to give her the benefit of the doubt. But then again . . .

Anyway, it's worth a look. (However, there's another Harry Thomason film that isn't: a bottom-of-the-barrel sci-fi stinker called "The Day It Came to Earth." Absolutely rancid. Skip it.)