‘Madhouse’ is a horror film from 1981 about a woman who is terrorised by her psychopathic twin sister and her dog on their birthday. I didn’t dislike this film and there’s nothing in particular that I can point out to be really wrong with it, but it doesn’t feel like it fulfilled its potential and that it could’ve done better. Trish Everly’s performance as Julia is what I enjoyed most about it, however, as it’s easy to sympathise with her character due to her sweet, sincere performance. Julia is a teacher for deaf children and her scenes with them do a lot for her character, with one scene where she’s explaining death to them being one of the best in the film. On the other hand, the killer’s performance when they’re revealed is annoyingly over the top and almost cartoonish – and their reveal isn’t as dramatic as it should be.
Some enjoyment can at least be taken from the gory scenes of the film, just because the puppet when the dog attacks looks obviously fake which gives it a certain charm and adds some black humour, especially in a scene towards the end of the film during an attack on Julia’s boyfriend. The make-up used on Mary (Julia’s twin played by Allison Biggers) for the scars caused by her disease also leave a lot to be desired and it’s a little difficult to take her seriously when her face is visible.
There’s not much else to say about this film, because as I mentioned, it doesn’t quite reach its potential with its concept and promising opening scene. It’s a quick watch despite being slow to build up and is never quite as intense as it should be, so it’s not exactly a must-watch but is something to try if you want to kill some time.
Some enjoyment can at least be taken from the gory scenes of the film, just because the puppet when the dog attacks looks obviously fake which gives it a certain charm and adds some black humour, especially in a scene towards the end of the film during an attack on Julia’s boyfriend. The make-up used on Mary (Julia’s twin played by Allison Biggers) for the scars caused by her disease also leave a lot to be desired and it’s a little difficult to take her seriously when her face is visible.
There’s not much else to say about this film, because as I mentioned, it doesn’t quite reach its potential with its concept and promising opening scene. It’s a quick watch despite being slow to build up and is never quite as intense as it should be, so it’s not exactly a must-watch but is something to try if you want to kill some time.
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