Elvira's Movie Macabre, Season 1, Episode 3: The House That Screamed

The first three episodes of Elvira's Movie Macabre were a rather radical departure from the later tenor of the series in that they were fairly serious horror movies, complete with sex, gore, and violence, while later episodes became known for the campy movie choices like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Cassandra Peterson herself is known to not be a fan of slasher movies, or extreme violence, so the first three movies: Grave of the Vampire, Silent Night, Deadly Night, and The House That Screamed are unusual. A possible explanation for this is that Movie Macabre was a runaway hit right off the bat, and rather than ask for more money Cassandra Peterson asked for more creative control and licensing rights. It turned out to be a genius move for her because getting away from hardcore horror and graduating to lighter, more humorous movies was one factor that made Elvira's Movie Macabre a legendary hit.

So, The House That Screamed.

Typical Spanish macho sexploitation garbage. Didn't like it. Have never actually been able to sit through it, but my New Year's resolution is to watch and blog about every movie in the Movie Macabre series, and this was the third one.

Lilli Palmer owns and runs a school for wayward girls in France. Her absolute discipline has fostered a social order among the girls with rampant sex, lesbianism and torture the norm. Palmer also has an adolescent son (Moulder Brown) she tries to keep isolated from the young women lest he be tainted by sexual relations; She explains that he must wait for a girl "just like his mother". Meanwhile, girls are "running away" (being murdered) one by one, with their corpses and any evidence of their outcome not to be found.

The House That Screamed? More like the House That Screamed typical Catholic rape fantasy misogyny. One of my least favorite episodes of Movie Macabre. 

Episode 2: Silent Night, Bloody Night

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