Classic Horrors Club

James Cameron once claimed that producer Ovidio G. Assonitis hired only American directors so that studios would finance his movies, then claimed they were incompetent so he could fire them and direct the movies himself. He’s entitled to that opinion; it happened to him with Piranha II: The Spawning (1982) and it also happened to Roberto Piazzoli with Beyond the Door (1974.)

I’m more interested in the lack of originality in Assonitis’s films. Beyond the Door was a take on The Exorcist (1973) and, although I love it, Tentacles (1977) was a take on Jaws (1975.) This is also why I’m interested in Madhouse (1981.) It’s a take on not one, but several other slashers, like a greatest hits compilation. The strange thing is that combined, they make a unique, if not sometimes familiar, experience.

The basis for the plot, twin sisters, one good (Julia Sullivan, played by Patricia Mickey) and one evil (Mary Sullivan, played by Allison Biggers), is immediately reminiscent of Sisters (1972.)  The evil sister’s vicious dog does Mary’s bidding, which is reminiscent of  The Omen (1976.) Mary’s escape from the hospital and countdown to Julia’s birthday is reminiscent of Halloween (1978.)

Oddly, some scenes are familiar now only because they are similar to those in two slashers that were released two months after Madhouse. Which came first? Did a crazed killer stick a blade through a mattress, or did Jason ram a spear through a mattress in Friday the 13^th Part Two? Was there a birthday party attended by dead bodies in Madhouse or in Happy Birthday to Me?

While there are probably others, the similarities soon diverge. The twins are played by two actresses, the appearance of Mary explained by a severe skin disease. The dog bursts through a door like Jack Nicholson, but meets a gruesome fate in a shot that made Madhouse one of the notorious “video nasties” in the U.K. (Pet-lovers, beware!) And it’s a regular hospital, not one for the criminally insane, from which Mary escapes.

There’s no explanation for why Mary torments her sister once she escapes, other than she’s just plain crazy, . She’s apparently been cruel to Julia their entire lives. 

I’m going to punish you for ruining my birthday! She’s apparently been cruel to Julia their entire lives. 

Plus, there’s no explanation whatsoever for the strange behavior of their uncle, Father James (Dennis Robertson.) What first seems like bad acting soon becomes a demonstration of what a wacky character he’s going to transform into by the end of the movie. Spoiler alert! He seems to be in league with Mary, but she unexpectedly turns on him, so who’s the real villain?

If what happens to the dog is taboo, consider that one of Julia’s students at the school for the deaf where she teaches, a young boy named Sacha (Richard Baker) also becomes a victim. While appropriate, but not common, for a slasher to kill a child, it’s a pivotal plot point here. Julia can no longer go to San Francisco with her boyfriend, Sam Edwards (Michael MacRae) because she’s needed at the school to console the children.

There’s  gore and jump scares, but nothing as creepy as the opening music by Riz Ortolani, a distorted version of the nursery rhyme “Rock-a-bye Baby.” It sets a tone that’s hard to forget and propels Madhouse forward. It’s fun recognizing the familiar scenes. They provide the tasty ingredients for the recipe of a twisted story that I ultimately enjoyed.