If HOUSE OF SCREAMING GLASS had opened in 1974 it would have played in drive in across the South on the bottom half of double bills. It would have developed a cult reputation. It would have been released on VHS by Wizard in an over sized clam shell case. It would have bounced around other home video companies before getting a 50th anniversary release from Blue Under Ground, Vinegar Syndrome or Shout Factory. Its a film a generation of horror fans would have watched every time it played at 2am.
That my friends is a rave.
Elizabeth Cadosia (Lani Call) inherits her grandmothers school. It comes with her collection of occult books and objects. As she investigates them she finds her drawn into reading the spells and incantations....opening doorways that should remain closed.
Thanks to a tour de force performance by Lani Call this is a creepy film that sucks you in and carries us along. Call is the only person on screen for almost the entire film but she holds are attention so tightly that we can't help but travel into hell with her. If she wasn't as great as she is this film never would have worked.
This film is deliberately paced. It takes it's time going where it's going but it's so perfectly done we don't care. We want to see where this is going.
This is also a film about mood and tone. There really aren't jump scares, just unending dread. I would not have had to drive home from the drive-in had I seen it on a double or triple feature. This is a film that you want to watch late at night with all the lights off. I would hate to see this on a 2am double feature on TV with SKINAMARINK.
Under the right circumstances this film is as scary as they come.
Highly recommended
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