Mausoleum

Well-shot, atmospheric chiller. Bobbie Bresee, in her first horror film, doffs her blouse at every available opportunity. Marjoe Gortner (FOOD OF THE GODS) is very effective as Bresee's hubby. The late John Buechleur does an outstanding job on makeup effects. His female demon has to be seen to be believed.

This was a strictly okay horror flick. I'll tell you how bad the quality of film this was: it looked old the first time I saw this,on a Saturday afternoon horror film fest on the USA Network in 1988! It had only been in the can for five years and it looked like it was at least ten years old!

Bobbie Bresee was(still is?)a fox whose acting prowess wasn't bad enough to merit her among the legendarily bad(think Pia Zadora,Denise Richards,Kim Bassinger),but was still just wooden enough that producers smartly decided to put her in films with more scream,cleavage and probably less dialogue. I cannot fault the poor bastards who were victimized by her demon-breast,glowing eyes seduction. I'm not sure I could resist that temptation,either!

Don't try to make sense of this film.Just enjoy the sex and silly special FX.

Four out of 10 Stars

Bobbie Bresee (the temptress in "Ghoulies") stars here as Susan Walker Farrell, whose family history is colourful, to say the least. It dictates that she will fall victim to demonic possession as an adult, when she is married to concerned nice guy Oliver Farrell (Marjoe Gortner, "When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?"). Various people are killed off by her while she is in this demon incarnation, and it will be up to her longtime psychiatrist, Simon Andrews (Norman Burton, "The Gumball Rally"), to do his reading on the Nomed family (the name is a clumsy clue) and find out how to save the day.

The 80s live on in ultra-cheesy spectacles like this one. While hardly a "good" film, that matters little. The truth is, it's a VERY amusing low budget horror / sleaze / schlock film, complete with negligible acting, ropey visual effects, decent gore, a dose of nudity from Ms. Bresee, entertainingly designed creatures (the "demon breasts" are the most original touch), melodramatic music by Jaime Mendoza-Nava, and a fair amount of humour, at least some of which I believe IS intentional. The silly script is credited to Robert Barich (who pulled triple duty; he was also a producer and the cinematographer) and Robert Madero. The film is never more fun than when Ms. Bresee is undergoing her monstrous manifestations. These are always worth hearty laughs.

Marjoe, commendably, looks very serious as the distraught husband. The same goes for the great character actor Burton. Bresee is very sexy, but not much of an actress. Laura Hippe ("The Swinging Barmaids") plays Susan's aunt Cora. Maurice Sherbanee ("Charlie Wilson's War") is the horny, seedy gardener; La Wanda Page of 'Sanford and Son' fame is priceless as the maid who just might be the smartest character in this whole thing. And that's Bill Vail, Kirk from the original "Texas Chain Saw Massacre", as the final incarnation of the demon.

"Mausoleum" is a hoot and a half, a film very much of its time that can barely be considered scary, but is awfully damn entertaining much of the time.

Seven out of 10.

My review was written in May 1983 after a Times Square screening.

Filmed in 1981, "Mausoleum" is engag+ing minor film concerning demonic possession, presenting variations on "The Exorcist" format. Not the stab 'n slab genre picture one might infer from its title, film should please aficionados of old-fashioned B-horror films, but lacks the scares to yield more than modest returns in the current fright market.

A beautiful blond actress Bobbie Bresee (vaguely resembling Susannah York) toplines as Susan Farrell, a 30-year-old woman who has been possessed by a demon at age 10 after strolling into the family mausoleum, carrying on a centuries-old family curse affecting the first-born. Twenty years after, the demon has finally taken over, going on a killing spree that arouses the suspicions of her husband Oliver (Marjoe Gortner). Friend and psychiatrist Dr. Andrews (Norman Burton) is enlisted to help Susan and ultimately bests the demon.

The filmmakers (it's not entirely clear, who did what, since the press kit information does not agree with credits on screen) have adhered to traditional horror film motifs, updated with tantalizing displays of Bresee's physical charms plus modern makeup effects and gore. Too slowly paced and decorative rather than suspenseful, "Mausoleum" is nonetheless a well-told tale.

Bresee is extremely seductive here in the femme fatale role, complete with stock victims such as the shady gardener, unwary delivery boy, etc. Star Gortner's role is written for a bland Kent Smith type, never tapping the actor's evangelical background despite the opportunities in "Exorcist" country. LaWanda Page is hilarious as their maid, exclaiming: "There's some strange s--t going on here" and evoking fond memories of the fun generated decades ago by Willie Best in similar situations.

Lensing in a handsome mansion and on California locations is attractive, replete with Steadicam work and unusual overhead tracking shots in the mausoleum. Makeup effects, especially the varied monster masks for Bresee, are solid for a low-budgeter and her glowing green eyes' effect during telekinesis scenes is quite realistic. A nice little picture.

I haven't got the slightest idea what the hell the story of "Mausoleum" was all about, but it sure was fun to watch! This is another imbecile and over-the-top cheesy 80's horror flick about demonic possession with an awfully bad script and hilarious special effects. Around her 30th birthday, beautiful Susan starts to suffer from the ancient family curse that also caused her mother to die when Susan was ten. Now and whenever she feels demonic, Susan can light her eyes funky green and whatever poor soul she's focusing on dies a very unpleasant death. The script foresees absolutely no logic or suspense, and the only enjoyable sequences (apart from Bobbie Bresee's many nude-scenes) are the imaginative murders. Her elder sister, for example, is lift up over a balcony and her body is torn open while floating around! Quite gory, but not at all scary. The origin of the family curse remains vague and the whole climax is very, VERY lame. Not even an exorcism or a battle between demonic forces. There are about a million better films handling about demons and possession, but if you have a soft spot for low-budget 80's cheese, you might find "Mausoleum" mildly entertaining.