MADHOUSE

Ovidio G. Assonitis was an intelligent and opportunistic filmmaker in the 70s and 80s, combining his penchant for showmanship with the ability to gauge the tastes of audiences. Lacking the visual flare of many of his contemporaries, this celluloid carnival barker nevertheless managed to stamp his own unique style and sensibility on a handful of underground exploitation classics. Assonitis was best at taking story elements from other successful movies and reassembling them into new plots. He could be the poster child for the charge that many Italian horror films were nothing than remakes of successful American product. While this is certainly true in Ovidio's case, the producer-turned-director stamped his own bizarre sensibility on his movies, injecting them with more exploitative elements than their counterparts. If he also added unintentional humor and convoluted plots, than the sheer energy and atmosphere that continue to set his movies apart makes up for it. Perhaps one of his better efforts, Madhouse is bleak and gory sensationalistic fun. Not trying to be anything other than entertaining, it also manages to be surprisingly suspenseful.

This rambling but intense story combines numerous red herrings and 'jump' scares with pseudo-psychology. Madhouse is first and foremost an exploitation picture, with trouble on its mind and dirt in its soul. The gritty plot focuses on Julia, a naïve and sweet teacher for deaf children, who is convinced by her Priest Uncle to visit her dying sister. Trouble is, her sister likes playing with butcher knives and hates Julia. When Julia gives in and visit's the horribly disfigured Mary, the nutter threatens her. Soon after she escapes and adopts a vicious rottweiler before taking up residence in Julia's apartment (which is almost deserted -- isn't that convenient?). As their shared birthday approaches, the bodies pile up, leading to a confrontation that promises to be messy.

Madhouse is shocking, tense, and sleazy in its depiction of graphic violence. It is also irritatingly obtuse, uneven, and illogical. Characters and plot points are often inconsistent, and logic takes a back chair to shock value. Yet this isn't pretending to be Peeping Tom or Psycho. This is an Assonitis funhouse, complete with characters you love to hate, hyper violence, and all of the Slasher hysterics you knew from the 80s. Characters are shown little mercy and taboos are crushed, with no favouritism given to either children or animals. The very tone and atmosphere is sordid, making it more disturbing than many of the more polished Slasher films of its era. Ovidio had a hand in writing, producing, and directing this wet thriller, and it is clear that he modelled the story not only on the Slasher but the Giallo as well. Both structurally and in theme the story borrows from the Italian murder mystery, including psychologically sick character motivations and its stylistic approach to victimization. While the surprise ending isn't all that shattering, the overall impact of the creepy performances and uninhibited murders more than make up for it. As a feast of titillation, Madhouse fills you up!

Dark Sky Films brings Madhouse into your living room with a lush transfer in anamorphic 1.35:1 widescreen. Grain is at a minimum, the visuals clean and clear. Likewise, colors are lush and vibrant. Audio is featured in 2.0 Dolby Digital English and is free of background distortion, keeping the dialogue and score clean. Extras are fun if not substantial. Besides a Still Gallery we get an Interview with Ovidio G. Assonitis, wherein he discusses why he began to direct his own films, the elements he looked for when creating a story, and his disdain for new directors.

Review by William Simmons