DON’T
OPEN THE DOOR (1975)
Directed by S.F. Brownrigg
VCI Entertainment DVD
THE FILM
Ugh, you’d think I was a schizo
or something. I’m going from
major ants in my pants (bored),
to clutching the couch (tensed)
to checking the weather outside
(annoyed). S.F. Brownrigg strikes
again.
If you’re up for some trippy
psycho-sexual-slasher oomph, then
Don’t Open The Door
might make your list. That is, if
you can withstand the first 50 minutes
or so. And why not? S.F. Brownrigg
is an extremely talented low budget
director, infusing his films with
frantic close-ups, odd camera placements,
and loads of grit. With only a handful
of films completed during his lifetime,
his exceptional work manages to
stand apart despite a lack of proficiency.
Unfortunately, it ain’t all
roses. As talented as he is with
a megaphone, Brownrigg hits the
skids when it comes to script chops,
often filling the minutes with an
overload of reject soap opera leanings.
Just like Don’t
Look In The Basement, (S.F.’s
lukewarm debut), this film offers
up loads of near-perfect moments,
only to cross-check ‘em with
pace-deadening mediocrity. Stop
with the bubble baths, enough with
house exploring! I want more mannequin/doll
creeps.
As a young girl, annoying Amanda
Post (“Oh, c’mon buster!”)
witnessed her mother being murdered.
Thirteen years later, an anonymous
phone call summons her back to Allerton,
Texas, where the evil deed was done.
See, Grandma’s real sick and
somebody’s out to make sure
she doesn’t recover. I think.
Despite the nine character cast,
the main plot points are a mess.
All I can say is this: there’s
a bizarre china doll/mannequin museum,
a killer pervert on the horn, a
judge with the world’s tiniest
combover, and some warped phone
sex. The characters have as much
charm as a family of skunks and
everyone’s perspiring buckets
(you’ll recognize most of
them from Basement -- another
sweaty one). The last half hour
explodes with screaming, tripped-out
hallucinations, some bloodshed,
and a vague ending. That just makes
things all the more frustrating.
Kind of like an early George Romero
film with bad acting, an even worse
score (harpsichords, flutes, and
tupperware drums, anyone?), and
more experimentation, Don’t
Open The Door should have been
a trash classic. As it stands, the
film is a missed opportunity with
several shining moments and some
fresh photography. I’ll keep
on the Brownrigg hunt; I just know
this guy was onto something.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Hello ‘75. The anamorphic
widescreen transfer looks amazing,
full of juicy 70s film stock grain
and over-saturated colors. The print
is a little dirty at times, but
nothing to get all choked up about.
The mono sound was completely in
the red and a bit hard to make out
at times.
EXTRAS
Short, but sweet. There’s
a theatrical trailer for Door,
which gives everything away; a well
informed, yet brief, Brownrigg bio;
highly exploitive theatrical trailers
for Kiss Of The Tarantula and Ruby,
both of which are available from
VCI.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I didn’t want to damage the
TV, so I threw a sock...and that’s
kind of how I felt. Don’t
Open The Door has everything
in place for a sinister, low budget
classic, then ends up a sabotage.
Equally tense and frustrating, but
definitely worth a watch...especially
for the mannequins.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 07.20.05 |
Tres Moderne
Chatter teeth
Hanging on the tele
Steak knife surprise
|
