Frightmare (1974)

British director Pete Walker is a great person for horror movie fans to check out. If you haven't yet done so, now is as good a time as any to start exploring his filmography. Often working in the genre with the writer David McGillivray, Walker would often use his horror outings to deliver both twisted darkness and some scathing commentary on aspects of British society in the 1970s (commentary that is sadly as relevant today as it was back when the movies were first released).

Frightmare is the tale of Dorothy and Edmund Yates, an elderly couple who have recently been released from a mental health facility after being sentenced for a grisly crime that included murder and cannibalism. Jackie, Edmund's daughter from a previous marriage, does her bit to help the couple re-adjust, pretending that she has been killing people to supply Dorothy with some illicit food (actually just specific animal parts passed off as bits of human), but it soon becomes apparent that Dorothy is struggling to resist her deadlier impulses. Despite having to keep up a horrible charade, Jackie is mainly a decent person with a strong sense of morals, which is more than can be said for Debbie, the daughter that Dorothy and Edmund had just before their incarceration. The family may be separated, but bonds of blood grow stronger as things move towards a disturbing third act.

Starring the fantastic Sheila Keith in the role of Dorothy (and she also collaborated with Walker more than once or twice) alongside Rupert Davies as Edmund, this is a potentially daffy tale that is lifted by those excellent central performances. Deborah Fairfax is also pretty good as Jackie, which makes up for the comparatively weak turn from the suitably-monikered Kim Butcher in the role of Debbie. Paul Greenwood, Edward Kalinski, Fiona Curzon, Leo Genn, and Gerald Flood are among the smattering of supporting players, and eagle-eyed viewers should recognise Andrew Sachs in a small role.

In case you didn't notice what was under scrutiny here, Walker and McGillivray take aim at a system unable to help those with serious mental health issues. All it can do is keep them away from the public for a while, but that's no good when they are declared ready to re-enter society and effectively ditched by the authorities without any real support or care for their rehabilitation. Perhaps I was being unfair with my criticism of Butcher, who is saddled with the least interesting parts of the screenplay, because both writer and director are very much focused on packaging their scathing critique in a Trojan horse of murder and cannibalism.

Enjoyably gruesome at times, and able to remain consistently entertaining because of these dark deeds being committed by people you would be more likely to see enjoying a quiet afternoon tea than a grisly feast of human flesh, Frightmare is a real highlight from a director who was at the height of his powers throughout this decade. I am not sure if I would pick this as my outright favourite from him, but it's always a strong contender (alongside House Of Whipcord and House Of Mortal Sin).

8/10

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