Death Weekend

Rich playboy (Chuck Shamata) and his 'supposed weekend fling' (Brenda Vaccaro) embark in some road rage with four thugs. The thugs track them down at their weekend mansion, then a weekend of terror begins.

A well acted and directed thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Not as violent as other similar titles such as 'Last House on the Left', 'Fight for your Life', and 'Late Night Trains' but far more exciting.

A film well worthy of a re-release.

"Death Weekend" begins with a sleazy super rich dentist on the way to his country mansion with a buxom beauty in tow.The dentist has actually deceived Brenda Vaccaro into the country weekend foray-the sole purpose of the trip is to enjoy his latest conquest.On their way in their car the couple come across four hillbillies who start hassling the couple and chasing them in their car.Vaccaro manages to leave 'em behind.The enraged goons vows to extract revenge.The orgy of mindless violence begins in the dentists mansion...William Fruet's "Death Weekend" is an ugly and brutal rape and revenge flick inspired by "Straw Dogs" and "Last House on the Left".The most surprising fact is that it was banned as the video nasty in UK.The acting is great,the atmosphere is suitably sleazy and there is enough violence to keep fans of grimy exploitation flicks entertained.Give this one a look.9 out of 10.

Solidly-done, low-budget thriller from Canada is a great tale of survival.

In route to their weekend get away, a woman and her gentleman friend anger a gang of thugs and end up paying for it.

Death Weekend is a little known thriller, which is a shame since it's a good entry in the vengeance/exploitation genre. While Death Weekend isn't as violent or disturbing as Last House on the Left (1972) or I Spit on Your Grave (1978), it does possess a powerful tension and makes for a pretty strong watch. Director William Fruet gives this film tight action and dark, suspenseful atmosphere. It does have the occasional burst of shocking violence - especially during the terrifically intense climax.

The films two stars are a strong point as well. Brenda Vaccaro is great as a victim trying to survive. She is an excellent actress and shows it well in this film. Also excellent is villain Don Stroud. Stroud has a powerful kind of presence in this film as the ruthless, but not unattractive leader of the gang.

Death Weekend is a nicely edgy shocker that deserves a wider audience. For thriller, exploitation fans it's worth finding!

*** out of ****

I will throw "Death Weekend" (aka "House by the Lake") a bone as far as its influence over future revenge flicks is concerned ("I Spit on Your Grave" and "House on the Edge of the Park" come to mind), but truth be told, it can't touch the grand-daddy of them all: "Last House on the Left." It blatantly borrows from that film (and, to a lesser extent, "A Clockwork Orange") and mixes it up into a volatile yet shallow experience. While Don Stroud makes a fittingly vicious ringleader, his character is ill-defined (he's just really, really MEAN) and his 'droogs' are just too goofy at times. "Death Weekend" does deliver in the suspense department, and the pace keeps moving along, but it's strictly second-rate material. Yet those seeking a lean and mean revenge flick (and are familiar with the aforementioned above) will probably find much to like here.

5.5/10

'Weekend' starring Brenda Vaccaro is a lesser known entry in the rape-revenge sub-genre. It doesn't have the blood lust that most of the flicks do, in fact there isn't a whole lot of the red stuff at all (even less in many of the existing home video prints such as the Vestron version I saw). But 'Weekend' does have an above average atmosphere and the performances by the whole cast are solid. Don Stroud plays the lead baddie who just couldn't take being out driven by a girl in the beginning (a pretty well done car chase sequence) and eventually tracks down Vaccaro at a nice vacation lodge. Hardcore exploitation fans may find 'Death Weekend' to be a bit 'boring' but that may appeal to those who don't like films with an 'extreme' edge to them.