acky

The greatest thing about this movie is in the opening credits where it is announced that the midgets were provided by "Bob Olsen's Midgets."(I think that is the name.) That and when the pert midget women sings "I wanna be loved by you."

This movie could have been typical 70's exploitation porn but director Peter Walker turns it around and makes it a grimy desadean attack on the ruling classes. The scene in which the blind judge continues making a solemn speech well after the prisoners have all left the room is worthy of Bunuel. It's all a bit heavy handed and obvious and it seems as though this movie should have been more shocking for it too really work but the bizzare grimy sepia tone of the whole thing really makes it much better than anyone could have expected.

I was suprised that this movie got such a low rating, to me it's one of the better horror films I've seen in some time. Uli Lommel allows the horror in this story to gradually build until it erupts in very frightening and disturbing and occasionally blackly comic ways. The boogeyman's appearances in the film are effectively kept very brief, he doesn't become a silly charactor of the freddy/jason mold. Uli lommel keeps the location barren and banal and uses them in inventive ways.The scenes in which the disturbed deaf brother paints over every mirror in the house is brillinat and forshadows a lot of scenes in clean-shaven.