Une affaire de famille

A group of twentysomethings are stranded on an island off the coast of Washington and find refuge with an odd couple named Ma and Pa (Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Steiger). Things get odd quickly as the family introduces a trio of infantile adult offspring (Janet Wright, Michael J. Pollard and William Hootkins) that like to play and kill. With a cover riffing on the famous Grant Wood painting, you can pretty much expect this one to be tongue-in-cheek. And while the story isn't anything beyond cliché, it is worth seeing for the performances of Steiger and his demented family. I mean, how can you not appreciate a film that casts Michael J. Pollard and William Hootkins as retarded brothers? Or features Steiger whipping Hootkins with a switch; not because he killed a girl but because he killed her and then had sex with her. Wright is the stand out as the creepy Fanny, who is in her forties but thinks she is Shirley Temple and dresses accordingly. Gross. Director John Hough gets good use out of the forest (British Columbia) location. Like I said, worth seeing for all of the actors as the villains.

When a group of friends land their plane on a presumably deserted island they stay with couple Ma and Pa and their over grown children until; they can get their plane fixed. Just too bad the while family is insane and our victims start dying off one by one. A lock of gore allows the viewers to concentrate on more important things like atmosphere and character developement. Although all the performances in this often chilling and sometimes amusing chiller are sound it is Rod Steiger who gives an goulishy creepy performace as Pa. Although it is often predictable and a lot of what happenes goes unexplained you'll be to entertained to care.

AMERICAN GOTHIC is a bit of a surprise, especially if you're expecting just another movie about inbred hillbillies on a rampage. The main antagonists, Ma and Pa (Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Steiger) are an interesting pair of hyper-religious maniacs. Their brood of homicidal offspring add even more madness to the proceedings.

A group of young people arrive in order to be terrorized and killed. These unfortunate visitors, while fairly dumb, aren't as annoying as most such human prey.

There are some cool twists and disturbing circumstances throughout. This all leads up to a scorched-earth finale with a big surprise for Ma and Pa.

Recommended for those looking for something off-the-wall and refreshing in the genre...

Yvonne DeCarlo's death a few days ago brings to mind her varied career. She may be best known for playing Lily on the comic-horror TV series "The Munsters", but in the movie "American Gothic", she went for straight horror. The movie portrays some young people flying out over the Puget Sound - on either a sunny or overcast day; the setting kept changing - and having to land on an island when their plane conks out. The island turns out to be inhabited by a family. Ma (DeCarlo) and Pa (Rod Steiger) are practically Amish, their daughter Fanny looks only a little younger, and sons Woody (Michael J. Pollard) and Teddy don't do much. But this family isn't what they seem. Every member seems like s/he has some nasty plans, and the outsiders had better not trespass.

There were some pretty gross scenes here, but I liked how they played everything out. Especially what Cynthia did at the end. I couldn't have predicted that even if I'd tried! So, it's mostly your average slasher flick, but still quite enjoyable. I wonder what Grant Wood would have thought had he known that the name of his famous painting would one day get used for this sort of movie.

I couldn't sleep the night I watched "American Gothic" for the first time. (I've seen it twice more since.) Unlike "Nightmare on Elm Street" which could only happen in a nightmare, this movie was so real...highly unusual, but real.

It's possible to be stranded on an island and meet strange seemingly "backwards" people who seem innocent enough, but have a twisted view of what's right and wrong, and an insane idea that they are in charge of other people's actions. I've known people like Ma and Pa, who you wouldn't want to mess with if you pulled off the faux sheep cover.

Every inch of this movie could have happened to any one of us, the insanity, the self-righteousness, the hideousness, the out-of-this world notions--well maybe not every piece. I mean, what parents would allow their adult children to behave that way?

The most amazing way that this movie affected me, was that I cheered Cynthia on in the end---and that scares me, because, like I said-- "It could have happened to me....or you!!"

If you want to be baffled and scared to death, watch "American Gothic". It will make you think twice about the people you come in contact with.