AMERICAN GOTHIC

Cynthia and her friends, although not clerks, instantly noticed that the middle-aged couple receiving them is very peculiar: their house seems straight from the 20s (no power, no phone), “Pa” only talks in a religious way, and “Ma” treats them as prepubescent children.
At first, the atmosphere was great (they were offered some delicious traditional pie), but then it quickly became strange if not morbid. “Ma” introduced them to their “young” daughter, 30 at the least, 100 kg, white ankle socks, flounced skirts, braids with bow ties… This family, which also has two monstrous “young sons”, turns out little by little to be fanaticised in the utmost respect of the strictest religion: the tyrannical father retains his little family in the most complete conservatism and only has one concern – pulling vice and depravity out from perverted youth… and for him, Cynthia and her friends are the prime example of this!
After a short incursion in whimsical fantasy movies (with Biggles, presented in the presence of its director during the fifth festival), John HOUGH goes back to the genre that built his reputation all in all: horror. He is indeed the author, among others, of the very famous The Legend of Hell House (1973) and The Incubus (1982). And as always, fear which is customary in his movies comes more from the strangeness and deepness of the characters rather than from the violence of the action, still ever-present throughout the movie.
Rod STEIGER is the one who successfully plays the ecclesiastical and paranoid father, Yvonne DE CARLO (The Ten Commandments) is the disturbing mother, and Cynthia, whose shaky personality will give our perfect little family such a hard time, is played by Sarah TORGOV.