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Mr_Ectoplasma A London couple are imprisoned after committing a string of cannibalistic murders in 1957. Years later, they are freed, but the wife is not quite as reformed as one may think. The couple's now-adult daughters, one of whom was raised without them, come to realize their mother's murderous impulses and hunger for flesh are ever-present.This twisted horror tale is as demented as it is absurd; companions to "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" are inevitable given they were released within weeks of each other, but they share little in common aside from a cannibal subplot; where "Chainsaw" was a venture into a living nightmare, "Frightmare" is more of a macabre family drama with a slasher underpinning; in some ways, it's more of a psycho-family drama than it is a horror film.This is not to say the film is not grotesque or disturbing-there are some great special effects and shockingly violent murder scenes, one of which entails a hot firepoker that is particularly difficult to stomach (no pun intended). For every few minutes of these primal terror sequences though, there is about fifteen minutes of wordy dialogue that floods the film to the point of weighing down the tension. This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that the performances are quite good; Sheila Keith is appropriately unhinged, while Rupert Davies makes a strangely likable counterpart who covers up her crimes. Deborah Fairfax and Kim Butcher also play the couple's adult daughters very nicely.Overall, "Frightmare" is a patently demented horror film with a macabre concept and stand-out performances, but is somewhat weighed down by its own loquaciousness and extended family drama hi jinx. Still, there are moments to be had in the film that are truly immediate and disturbing, which make it worth a watch for genre fan, and its downbeat ending packs a punch. 6/10.

Scott LeBrun One of Pete Walkers' crowning achievements in horror & exploitation (the other being "House of Whipcord"), the unrelentingly sinister "Frightmare" is ultimately a depressing tale of madness crossing generations. It's extremely well acted, particularly by Walkers' favourite actress, the late, great Sheila Keith. A palpable atmosphere hangs over many scenes; this is one film that's certain to creep out some viewers. Of course, like many films, it's always had its detractors. It was excoriated during its release, which only added to its legendary status among some fans of British horror. Even today, there's not much of it that dates. It still has the power to chill.Keith stars as Dorothy Yates, convicted of murder, declared insane and sent to a mental hospital for 15 years. Finally, she and her husband Edmund (Rupert Davies) are released, having convinced authorities that they have regained their sanity. The truth, however, is that nothing has changed. Edmunds' daughter Jackie (Deborah Fairfax) has tried to shield the truth from the now teenaged girl, Debbie (Kim Butcher) that Edmund and Dorothy had together. But things start unravelling when Dorothy's psychoses can no longer be hidden - for one thing, she suffers from "pathological cannibalism" - and young Debbie shows signs of a psychotic nature.Keith has a powerful presence. One can't help but keep their eyes on her in this film, and she's the main reason to watch it. However, that's not to diminish the work by Davies as the loving husband who stands by his wife's side no matter what she does. The gorgeous Fairfax and pretty Butcher lead a strong supporting cast that also includes Paul Greenwood as Graham, Jackie's boyfriend, and special guest stars Leo Genn as Dr. Lytell and Gerald Flood as Matthew Laurence. Peter Jessop's lighting is very good throughout at setting the mood and keeping the viewer on edge. Stanley Myers' music score is likewise full of foreboding and dread. As part of the plot (screenplay by Walkers' frequent collaborator David McGillivray, based on a story idea by Walker) revolves around Dorothy working as a fortune teller, you can't help but get the chills when that death card keeps being selected, and want to scream at any and all potential victims to get the hell out of there.All in all, "Frightmare" is well worth your time if you have an interest in cult horror titles from decades past.Eight out of 10.

Red-Barracuda You've got to hand it to Pete Walker; he was one of the few British exploitation horror directors to make any impact back in the 70's. The ridiculously stringent censorship climate in the U.K. back in those days most probably put other film-makers off taking a chance in pushing the envelope. But Walker seemed to get his films out anyway, not only this but they do seem to have a bit of quality about them. Both Frightmare and House of Whipcord are good examples of well made exploitation movies with some originality and good acting.In 1957 Edmund and Dorothy Yates are tried and convicted of murder and sent to an asylum. They are released 'cured' several years later but Dorothy soon starts luring unsuspecting folks to her remote farmhouse for tarot readings that end rather grimly.Frightmare really feels like a British variant on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It seems pretty likely that their similarities are something of a coincidence seeing as they were released at the same time but they are both quite specifically about cannibalism and the family. Walker's film may not have as iconic a character as Leatherface but it does have Dorothy Yates. And it does have to be said that she is a seriously inspired creation. Sheila Keith portrays her perfectly in an awesome performance. Keith is one of the truly under-rated horror performers and this must surely be her pinnacle. To be fair though, there are other fine performances, most notably from Rupert Davies as the loyal husband Edmund and Kim Butcher is feisty as their tearaway teenage daughter.There is an impressively bleak atmosphere maintained throughout. This is continued right up to the nihilistic ending. Walker's films seem to share this. They also unusually often share a penchant for elderly villains. In this one they literally eat the younger generation. I have also read Walker also say that he was somewhat conservative when it came to nudity and preferred not to include it – a film like House of Whipcord, for example, would have played up its sexploitation angle much more in other hands. With Frightmare he finally had a chance to not include any sleaze at all, which pleased the director. What he could not avoid though was the mind-blowingly awful British fashion sense of the 70's. In some respects the clothing on display is much more frightening than death by power drill or pitchfork. No, but seriously, this is an excellent movie and one of the best British horror films from the 70's.

dbdumonteil With very few special effects ,because of a shoestring budget,without any stars and the gory side kept to the minimum ,"frightmare" is an estimable horror movie.When today's screenplays consist of two pages of murders which come back every ten minutes ,"frightmare" has echoes of the Greek mythology (Saturn eating his children),a rather well-constructed story and great scenes when the monstrous mother reads tarots - these scenes are really scary without anything really disgusting- Before these horrible movies (late seventies /early eighties ) the likes of "Cannibal Holocaust" ,cannibalism was a subject which was quite rare in the cinema."Suddenly last Summer"(1959) was the only important movie which included anthropophagy.People who liked it should try Harrington's "Whoever slew Auntie Roo" (1971)starring Shelley Winters.