This controversial American film is one of the first to openly deal with the subject of necrophilia in a pretty graphic way, and has therefore rarely seen the light of day since it first slipped out on completion. A grim and depressing tale with one or two surprising twists along the way, this is a slow-moving but sometimes chilling story which maintains a surreal edge to it throughout. The film bizarrely mixes between sappy romance and cutting edge horror, and the end result is somewhat flawed but very interesting to watch. It involves your typical blonde-haired housewife who visits all the local funerals and caresses the corpses at every opportunity. She's noticed by a long-haired guy who works at the funeral parlour and who invites her to join his necrophiliac sect, a group of would-be Satanics who strip off at every available opportunity and have sex with the dead. Initially revulsed, she eventually comes around to the idea which leads to tragic events for her husband.
For the most part, this seems like "safe", straightforward atmospheric horror but on occasion it's shocking and downright nasty. The murder of the rent boy near the beginning of the film is very gruesome, as it involves him being strapped to an operating table and messily drained of blood. Later on a guy's stomach is cut open and we get to see inside. Although these are the only moments in the film which contain brief hardcore gore, the effect is startling: you're left feeling unsettled for the rest of the viewing and unsure of what may transpire. Although obviously made on a low budget, the film has pretty realistic production values and strong direction by Jacques Lacerte, who handles things admirably. The casting is pretty good aside from the leading lady, Mary Wilcox, who I found grating in the extreme. Her idea of (over)acting reminded me of the girl who played Barbara in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, another actress that rubbed me up the wrong way, and therefore her presence is an irritant. Apart from this, nobody puts a foot wrong, especially in the case of the creepy and murderous bad guys.
The romantic aspects sit glaringly with the horror content and I think were inserted to provide a contrast with the nastiness going on - Lacerte seems to be saying "look, here's normality", then later moves on to some of the nastiest perversion of mankind as the very opposite of normal. The film maintains a non-exploitative approach (aside from the ample nudity) and the music is sombre and at times melancholy, instead of being crass with over-the-top chords to shock. The finale contains a nice psychological twist which is a long time in coming but makes sense of the leading character's actions and motivations, so its worth sitting through if at times you find yourself frustrated. An intriguing oddity with a cold heart but original premise.
For the most part, this seems like "safe", straightforward atmospheric horror but on occasion it's shocking and downright nasty. The murder of the rent boy near the beginning of the film is very gruesome, as it involves him being strapped to an operating table and messily drained of blood. Later on a guy's stomach is cut open and we get to see inside. Although these are the only moments in the film which contain brief hardcore gore, the effect is startling: you're left feeling unsettled for the rest of the viewing and unsure of what may transpire. Although obviously made on a low budget, the film has pretty realistic production values and strong direction by Jacques Lacerte, who handles things admirably. The casting is pretty good aside from the leading lady, Mary Wilcox, who I found grating in the extreme. Her idea of (over)acting reminded me of the girl who played Barbara in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, another actress that rubbed me up the wrong way, and therefore her presence is an irritant. Apart from this, nobody puts a foot wrong, especially in the case of the creepy and murderous bad guys.
The romantic aspects sit glaringly with the horror content and I think were inserted to provide a contrast with the nastiness going on - Lacerte seems to be saying "look, here's normality", then later moves on to some of the nastiest perversion of mankind as the very opposite of normal. The film maintains a non-exploitative approach (aside from the ample nudity) and the music is sombre and at times melancholy, instead of being crass with over-the-top chords to shock. The finale contains a nice psychological twist which is a long time in coming but makes sense of the leading character's actions and motivations, so its worth sitting through if at times you find yourself frustrated. An intriguing oddity with a cold heart but original premise.