UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Scott LeBrun Leonard Maltin describes this Pete Walker film as a "lurid melodrama" as if that's a bad thing. Really, this is quite entertaining and appropriately infuriating, as story author / producer / director Walker uses it as a means of giving the Catholic church a scathing indictment. His main character is a priest, Father Xavier Meldrum (Anthony Sharp) who uses the institution of the Church to do such things as tape record confessions (for the purpose of blackmail) and serve up a poisoned wafer at communion! Troubled young Jenny Welch (Susan Penhaligon) becomes the victim of his machinations, while a progressive young priest, Father Bernard Cutler (Norman Eshley) might possibly discover what Meldrum has been up to."House of Mortal Sin", a.k.a. "The Confessional", is a very well made and engrossing picture, telling a story that is certain to push some buttons. Yet, he dares to make Meldrum a more than one dimensional character, one that could even earn some sympathy, despite the basic fact that this guy is a murderer. Of course, Meldrum doesn't quite see himself as the bad guy (although he does feel some guilt, especially after a case of mistaken identity). He naturally believes that he's on the side of Good, and this, coupled with the fact that people give little credence to Jenny's accusations, ensures that Meldrum seems to be untouchable. Walker gives the excellent Sharp and his favorite actress, Sheila Keith (as a nursemaid to Meldrums' bed- ridden mother), some real showcase moments towards the end, and they are riveting. The whole cast is fine, though, with Penhaligon, Stephanie Beacham (as Jenny's sister Vanessa), and Eshley delivering personable performances.This sordid story does flirt with genres such as horror (and gets pretty gory), Giallo (the priest does wear black gloves sometimes), and exploitation (there's a tasteful moment of nudity from Penhaligon), and keeps on track thanks to its storytelling, themes, and uncompromising attitude. Walker does also adhere to at least one trope of the horror genre by having the climactic action take place on a dark and stormy night.The ending is inevitably going to anger some viewers, but it's not exactly that unbelievable.Eight out of 10.

Woodyanders Devout, but deranged and sexually repressed clergyman Father Xavier Meldrum (superbly played by Anthony Sharp) resorts to such foul things as blackmail and murder after hearing a shocking confessional from troubled young lass Jenny Welch (an appealing portrayal by the fetching Susan Penhaligon).Director Peter Walker relates the absorbing premise at a steady pace, does his usual expert job of crafting a macabre atmosphere, grounds the deliciously twisted premise in a believable workaday reality, and stages the brutal murder set pieces with grisly aplomb. David McGillivray's bold script not only offers some spot-on scathing commentary on the abuse of power, religious hypocrisy, and deep-seated repression and thwarted desire, but also pulls off a genuinely startling doozy of a surprise grim ending. The excellent acting by the top-rate casts keeps this movie humming: Stephanie Beachum adds plenty of charm and spark as Jenny's perky and concerned sister Vanessa, Norman Ashley contributes a likable turn as the friendly Father Bernard Cutler, and Sheila Keith makes the most out of her juicy supporting part as sinister one-eyed housekeeper Miss Brabazon. Kudos are also in order for Peter Jessop's polished score and the spirited shuddery score by Stanley Myers. Recommended viewing for both British horror cinema aficionados in general and Pete Walker fans in particular.

udar55 Following a break up with her boyfriend, Jenny Welch (Susan Penhaligon) goes to church to confess her sins. Bad move. She quickly becomes an object of obsession for Father Xavier (Anthony Sharp), who proceeds to stalk her and kill anyone he deems sinful. The plot synopsis isn't really a spoiler as director Pete Walker reveals the killer early on and is more focused on perversity rather than mystery. The first hour or so where Jenny tries to convince everyone that the priest is crazy is a little slow, but the slam-bang ending more than makes up for it. The only thing really hard to swallow here is a Catholic priest being interested in someone of legal age. I mean, a killer priest? I'm down with that. But one lusting after a legal age girl? C'mon I can only suspend my disbelief so far! Once again, Walker has cast an old person as the killer, confirming his mistrust of old folks also seen in FRIGHTMARE and THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW. In fact, here he has two old people are supremely messed up individuals. The flick also has a superb ending where the priest not only kills the male lead's girl, but he gets away with it and continues harassing his sexy parishioner. I love it!

world_of_weird Coming hot on the heels of the sleazy HOUSE OF WHIPCORD and the outrageously gruesome FRIGHTMARE, veteran exploitationer Pete Walker and his puckish screenwriter David McGillivray decided to stir up some more mischief, this time aiming their vitriol at the hypocrisy of the Catholic church, with a blackmailing killer priest who uses the tools of his trade (incense burners, rosary beads and communion wafers) to deal out death to non-believers. Given the hoo-hah the Monty Python team caused with LIFE OF BRIAN four years later, you'd have expected the controversy to rage as Pete and David had hoped it would, but HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN barely raised a murmur - most likely because it's a rather dull and restrained affair compared to their earlier exercises in wonderfully hideous terror. Anthony Sharp is fine in the lead as the crazy cleric, alternating between pompous bumbling and trembling mania at the drop of a hat, whilst Susan Penhaligon makes a memorably vulnerable victim, but the film feels too much of a cut-and-paste catalogue of borrowed elements (the mother fixation from PSYCHO, Sheila Keith basically reprising her WHIPCORD role as Sharp's demented housekeeper, the dysfunctional family business from FRIGHTMARE) to really ring true. The set-piece murders are impressive, and the ending is as bleak and as desolate as you'd expect, but the film contains more padding than a cheap mattress and Walker seems to have confused tension with tedium in several scenes. Still, it's entertaining enough for a slow evening.