Little known Australian horror/thriller. After her mother's death, Linda inherits her country estate, the mansion house of which houses a retirement/care home for the elderly. Soon after she moves in Linda becomes aware of mysterious sounds in the hallways at night, and catches glimpses of strange figures from the corner of her eye in the house and grounds. After one of the residents drowns in the bath Linda finds her late mother's diaries and reads that there have been several bathtub drownings over the years. Her mother was also convinced there was a 'presence' in the house. As Linda tries to investigate exactly what is going on she begins to feel she is in increasing danger.
The film was highly praised at the time for its photography, and its creative shots along the labyrinthine hallways of the mansion have been favourably compared to Kubrick's The Shining. It's very atmospheric. The performances are good (Jacki Kerin as Linda, John Jarratt (later to find fame as star of the Wolf Creek films) as Linda's boyfriend, and Alex Scott (well-known UK TV character actor) as the physician for the care home). Unfortunately the story is pretty underwhelming and doesn't really deliver on the scare-front (outside of a couple of eerie shots - including one reminiscent of Salem's Lot (1979) infamous window scene).
Worth a look, but it's not one I'll watch again. 6/10.
The film was highly praised at the time for its photography, and its creative shots along the labyrinthine hallways of the mansion have been favourably compared to Kubrick's The Shining. It's very atmospheric. The performances are good (Jacki Kerin as Linda, John Jarratt (later to find fame as star of the Wolf Creek films) as Linda's boyfriend, and Alex Scott (well-known UK TV character actor) as the physician for the care home). Unfortunately the story is pretty underwhelming and doesn't really deliver on the scare-front (outside of a couple of eerie shots - including one reminiscent of Salem's Lot (1979) infamous window scene).
Worth a look, but it's not one I'll watch again. 6/10.