The Butterfly Room

Italian Writer/Director Jonathan Zarantonello, in his first English language film, has brought together a rather intriguing cast and delivered an original horror piece that should entertain fans of both vintage & recent horror films. A substantial part of it's success is owed to the film's tight, well written script, but make no mistake, long standing horror icon Barbara Steele absolutely owned the role of Ann. While it may help some folks by reading further into the film's actual full synopsis, I found that even though going in blind was a tad confusing at first, especially if you aren't glued to the screen for every moment, it pays off later when everything clicks and falls so neatly into place. So I will do my usual, less is more outline.

Ann is an older, private, but elegant woman with a passion for butterfly collecting, who longs for the companionship like that of which she had so many years past with of her seemingly long lost daughter Dorothy. One day while out shopping, Ann is drawn into the company of a young, seductive and extremely manipulative young girl Alice(Julia Putnam). As Alice's motives become more clear, Ann realizes that their meeting was by far no accident and that Alice's deceptive tactics are not only being used on her, but a string of women. All of whom are also childless and for one reason or another, are all willing to participate in this warped type of pseudo parenting. The shock of this finding sends Ann into a spiral of madness resulting in some very lethal & callous acts to those unfortunate enough to cross her path.

Despite this being an American production, Zarantonello manages to effectively put that familiar Italian Giallo feel into the film. The atmosphere was very creepy and the film possessed that 60's kind of look & feel to it, with cinematography that was reminiscent of the horror films of old. As a bonus for horror buff's, there was no shortage of cameo's from the likes of Erica Leerhsen(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Heather Langenkamp(Nightmare on Elm Street), Adrienne King(Friday the 13th), Camille Keaton (I Spit on your Grave), PJ Soles(Halloween). You won't find a better psychotic & violent portrayal by a women that, can you believe, is seventy-five years old. I recommend taking this old Buick for a ride if you happen to have an urge for something creepy or looking for a good late night horror flick(which in my case is every night).

A strange lady keeps butterflies mounted in a special room. She has an unhealthy interest in the children around her and is a Karen to the nth degree. She manages to get her hands on the little girls, except one little girl seems to have her hands on the butterfly lady. This is an ok story in an ok movie.

I had no idea what to expect with this movie. An insane and homicidal woman pays a teenaged girl so she can pretend she is her mother. Well, I'll give it credit for a storyline I've never seen before. The cast really shines well here, by the way. I can't say I'm a good judge of acting, but I can say that I was held captive by the principal actors performance. The movie lost a few marks at the end though. Mostly for some character actions and sequences that didn't exactly make sense, but overall it was still an enjoyable movie.

Although this movie has a to-die-for cast including Barbara Steele (Black Sunday), Adrienne King (Friday The 13th), Heather Lagenkamp (Nightmare On Elm Street), Camille Keaton (I Spit On Your Grave), P.J. Soles (Halloween), Erica Leerhsen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) AND is shot with a very stylish flair - the story is just not there to hold up its end of the deal.

When a little girl who uses lonely older women as ATM machines tries to make Ann (Steele) her next victim, the tables get turned. And the secret lies inside the Butterfly Room. The premise is interesting enough but unfortunately the movie is just not very engrossing. Steele is as great as she always was, captivating and consuming. She deserves to be popping up in lots more, and lots better, horror flicks.

Horror aficionados will still want the check this out for the cool cast and the updated Bava/Giallo-ish style. Just don't expect too much!

"The Butterfly Room" is a curiosity for the extraordinary casting it features of actresses from famous horror movies. There's Heather Langenkamp, from "Nightmare of Elm St", Adrienne King from "Friday the 13th", P.J. Soles from "Halloween", Camille Keaton from "I Spit on Your Grave". But of course, the real star of the show is Barbara Steele, who is famous for her roles in gothic horror films such as Mario Bava's "Black Sunday".

Other than that, it doesn't have much going for it. The story is undercut by liberal flashbacks that don't really add a whole lot, and a plot that is pretty badly told besides.

I kept watching basically for Steele's performance. Here, in her mid-seventies, she is still a magnetic performer.