‘A murder a day keeps the landlord away!’
Homebodies is a 1974 American black comedy horror film directed by Larry Yust from a screenplay co-written with Howard Kaminsky and Bennett Sims. It was distributed in the United States by Avco Embassy Pictures.
The film features a cast of veteran actors, including Ian Wolfe, Ruth McDevitt (Kolchak: The Night Stalker), Peter Brocco (The Killing Kind), and Douglas Fowley. The plot centers on elderly residents resorting to murder to protect their condemned Cincinnati building…
Reviews:
“This film is one part social commentary and one part horror film. The murderous impulses of these octogenarians are at once comical and repulsive and the graphic depiction of the gruesome acts, while minimal is effective. The deeper, melancholy message about how we dispose of our aged is also on full display.” The Obscurity Factor
“This quirky film doesn’t quite hit all the marks, but still remains a unique example of a multi-layered black comedy in a market that was increasingly dominated by teenage body count movies and flicks about demented hillbillies.” Brian Albright, Regional Horror Films, 1958 – 1990
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“The subsequent mayhem is depicted with humour, nicely controlled tension, and – somehow – with dignity. Towards the end, the group’s leader (76-year-old Paula Trueman, a saner version of Ruth Gordon) gets carried away into excess, and the film goes off the rails with her. But on balance it’s remarkably convincing.” Geoff Brown, Time Out London
“By making the old folks multiple murderers the film sacrifices credibility as a morality tale, but it gains instead a wit and irony that would have perhaps amused Hitchcock, and should certainly appeal to those who appreciate black comedies such as Arsenic and Old Lace and The Ladykillers.” Stephen Thrower, Nightmare USA
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” …topnotch production values (on what appears to be a modest budget), an inventive script which manages to combine grisly black humour, gripping suspense and genuine pathos, crisp direction and superb character performances all round.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
Cast and characters:
- Peter Brocco as Mr. Blakely
- Frances Fuller as Miss Emily
- William Hansen as Mr. Sandy
- Ruth McDevitt as Mrs. Loomis
- Paula Trueman as Mattie
- Ian Wolfe as Mr. Loomis
- Linda Marsh as Miss Pollack
- Douglas Fowley as Mr. Crawford
- Kenneth Tobey as Construction Boss
Filming locations:
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Wikipedia | IMDb | Image thanks: The Obscurity Factor | Temple of Schlock
