"Grandmother's House" follows two teenage siblings who are orphaned and sent to live with their grandparents in their large Victorian farmhouse in California. Soon after arriving, a mysterious woman begins stalking the property, and the teenage son comes to suspect his grandparents might be murderers.
This offbeat flick was produced by Niko Mastorakis, perhaps best known for his utterly grotesque directorial debut, "Island of Death." Peter Rader, who wrote "Waterworld" some years later, directs the film, and it is a surprisingly stylish low-budget effort with higher production values than you might expect. The whole film takes place over a span of two days, largely in daylight, and much of the action is staged in orange orchards and irrigation canals, which make for an unusual but picturesque location for the action to unfold.
The performances here are mixed, with Len Lesser being a notable face as the demented grandfather. Kim Valentine and Eric Foster play the lead teenagers fairly well, and genre favorite Brinke Stevens is unexpectedly sinister as the mysterious woman following the kids' every move. The last act of the film is quite a lot of fun, replete with chase sequences in vintage automobiles, a vicious stabbing, and a firework explosion, though things do start to feel a bit clunky in the last fifteen-twenty minutes. Given that it all takes place in an approximately 48-hour period, the film feels something like an extended "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" episode, though with slightly higher stakes and a truly sick twist ending.
All in all, "Grandmother's House" is a real treat for fans of late '80s or early '90s horror. It ticks all the boxes for the horror flicks of this period, and has a gothic, sleek sheen to it that elevate the proceedings above a run-of-the-mill slasher flick. Despite some clunkiness in the final act, the plot twists alone make this one worth viewing. 7/10.
This offbeat flick was produced by Niko Mastorakis, perhaps best known for his utterly grotesque directorial debut, "Island of Death." Peter Rader, who wrote "Waterworld" some years later, directs the film, and it is a surprisingly stylish low-budget effort with higher production values than you might expect. The whole film takes place over a span of two days, largely in daylight, and much of the action is staged in orange orchards and irrigation canals, which make for an unusual but picturesque location for the action to unfold.
The performances here are mixed, with Len Lesser being a notable face as the demented grandfather. Kim Valentine and Eric Foster play the lead teenagers fairly well, and genre favorite Brinke Stevens is unexpectedly sinister as the mysterious woman following the kids' every move. The last act of the film is quite a lot of fun, replete with chase sequences in vintage automobiles, a vicious stabbing, and a firework explosion, though things do start to feel a bit clunky in the last fifteen-twenty minutes. Given that it all takes place in an approximately 48-hour period, the film feels something like an extended "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" episode, though with slightly higher stakes and a truly sick twist ending.
All in all, "Grandmother's House" is a real treat for fans of late '80s or early '90s horror. It ticks all the boxes for the horror flicks of this period, and has a gothic, sleek sheen to it that elevate the proceedings above a run-of-the-mill slasher flick. Despite some clunkiness in the final act, the plot twists alone make this one worth viewing. 7/10.