The more and more I continue my odyssey into the depths of pulp and exploitation cinema, the more and more I discover film-makers who are supposedly held in high regard as masters of smut and gore. One of these is British director Pete Walker. One of his most famous films was Frightmare, an exploration of mental illness and cannibalism. It features an old British couple who were committed to an insane asylum for many years due to the wife's psychotic need to kill and eat people. After being declared sane, they were released back into society. Unsurprisingly, the wife almost immediately relapses and starts to continue her cannibalistic ways. She also has to contend with her daughter and step-daughter. The former is a fifteen year old rebel who supports her mother's psychosis, mainly due to her hatred for authority. The latter acted as a surrogate parent for the biological daughter, earning her scorn. This film is...okay. The effects are crude and the acting is occasionally wonky. I can see why this film was so critically reviled, though. The idea of the polite veneer of British society masking such despicable actions would be inflammatory. Does it stand up? Just barely. It works more as a museum piece of British exploitation.
5/10
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