Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Rainey Dawn "Don't Hang Up" AKA "Don't Open The Door" The first hour of this film felt like two hours or more worth of watching... it dragged and dragged. By the time there was 1/2 hour left I really didn't care who lived or died - I wished they would all just die. I wished a big meteorite fell on top of the house with all of them in it and it was over with... but it didn't happen that way so I fast-forwarded the film to see this "great ending" (please note the sarcasm).Most of the film is just about this Amanda Post girl that hardly ever checks on her sick grandma - the supposed reason for going to the house to begin with. At one point, the doctor came and asked how long has the grandma been asleep and airheaded Amanda says "Oh since I've been here... about 12 hours" then she realized she really hasn't checked on her grandma in all that time - she's been too busy enjoying the house, answering the phone and talking to people that keep running in and out of the home.Really just a stupid movie with an airhead as the so-called star of the show - she's cute but a real airhead.1/10

christopher-underwood Not quite as good a low budget effort as Mr Brownrigg's earlier, 'Don't look In The Basement' but still well worth catching. This starts rather slow and predictably but soon develops into a real creepy affair with an excellent central performance from Susan Bracken as she spends the entire movie fending off the crazies. Whilst she may not be surrounded by folks quite as crazy as in the earlier film none of them are the sort you would wish to get too close to and as the film progresses a most unpleasant tone begins to permeate the picture. Bracken does plenty of wide eyed screaming, particularly as she really begins to lose it towards the end and with her red outfit and the dark shadows and is certainly a sight to be seen.

Coventry There certainly were a lot of "Don't …" horror movies made during the 70's and early 80's. If you obey all these titular commands, you're really not allowed to do a lot of things. Don't be afraid of the dark, don't turn out the light, don't look in the basement, don't look now, don't open the door … Another famous one is "Don't Answer the Phone" but, strangely enough, that's an early 80's movie and this gem is a mid-70's one, so the title wasn't taken yet. If I would have been in writer/director S.F. Brownrigg's shoes, I would have named my screenplay "Don't Answer the Phone" because there are lot of ringing phones and practically no doors that need opening. Anyway, that concludes my totally irrelevant rant as I'm sure you couldn't care less what the movie is called and why.Based on my pleasant viewing experience of Brownrigg's other obscure 70's shocker – "Don't Look in the Basement" – I had fairly high expectations for this one too, but sadly it isn't half as refreshingly original and morbidly engaging as the first. One could righteously claim that "Don't Open the Door" is an influential predecessor of stalk-thrillers like "Scream", but the plot itself is already a shameless variation on the quintessential 70's psycho-stalker classic "Black Christmas" and – let's face it – the subject matter is really too limited to revolve a whole movie on. The opening credits raise the (regretfully) false impression this will become a creepy movie with old and broken dolls, but they quickly turn out to be irrelevant scenery in a story focusing on a young woman returning to her town of birth after 13 years. Amanda receives an anonymous call to inform that her grandmother is dying, but when she arrives in the parental mansion she doesn't exactly get a warm welcoming. Two eminent town members, a judge and a doctor, almost refuse to talk to her and another one, the local museum's curator, just behaves plain awkward. Shortly after, Amanda receives creepy phone calls that gradually increase in length as well as in level of perversity. The voice on the other end of the line even claims responsibility for the death of Amanda's mother; a crime that never got solved."Don't Open the Door" is overall very atmospheric and occasionally even downright frightening. This is largely the courtesy of simple and cheap, yet effective exploitation tricks, like primitive photography and truly moody set-pieces. The phone conversations are long and quite often tedious, but I can't deny the hoarse voice and the slow talking rhythm sounded memorably haunting. Susan Bracken gives away a likable performance as the dame in distress but – as nearly all the other reviewers already pointed out – would it have hurt her to show a little bit of naked flesh? It's just not natural to take a bath in an empty house and keep the towel tight around your waist until the very last second you kneel down in the tub. Personally I much preferred "Don't Look in the Basement" (though admittedly I'm a sucker for horror set in mental asylums) but "Don't Open the Door" is definitely worth seeking out as well in case you're into unexplored 70's cinema. It comes particularly recommended to transvestites, terminally ill grandmothers, paranoid single women, bored museum curators and collectors of mannequin dolls.

SlasherReviewer I enjoyed this movie and you have to give it credit as well as it was made in the mid 70's. Black Christmas is a way better movie but that was from a movie genius Bob Clark. SPOILERS AHEAD...This movie revolves around a stalker who has hid himself in a house and makes obscene phone calls from inside the house. One obscene call I liked was "I wish those breasts were pushed up against me". No it's doesn't have the harsh language that Black Christmas did like "Little pink pus%@". If it wasn't for this movie Scream and the Ghostface killer in the late 90's would of never been thought of. Slasher reviewer gives this one a thumbs up and says if you a true slasher fan you will check this original flick out. Some minor gore as well to satisfy gorehounds but tame. Worthwhile 70's slash and hack!!!