Search - Grindhouse Double Feature: House of the Living Dead (1973) / Terror at the Red Wolf Inn (1972) on DVD

Terror At Red Wolf Inn

VertigoXpress | USA | 04/15/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this for "Terror At Red Wolf Inn", and this is one of the only places you can actually still get this film on home video. The VHS editions are long out of print. The film appears on several budget multi-movie packages, but the print and transfer are the same.

"Terror At Red Wolf Inn" is also known under several other titles. The original production is from 1972 and was titled "Folks At Red Wolf Inn", but in 1976 the movie was cut from its R-rated print and redubbed "Terror House". This is the PG-rated print, and the violence is very tame. The plot involves several young girls, one of whom is our ditzy heroine, who are lured to a remote seaside manse and then systematically killed and butchered by the elderly couple who operate the place, with the assistance of their somewhat-deranged young "grandson". Each girl is served for dinner each night and devoured by the remaining guests, who of course have no idea they're eating human flesh.

Despite how it sounds, this movie is more of a horror spoof than a horror movie, and it has more in common with a David Lynch film. The script and direction are filled with bizarre sequences that somehow make sense within the context of the movie, but also are way into the realm of the absurd. For instance, one long passage of the movie consists of nothing but shots of people eating a big meal; not just eating, but gorging themselves, on what we know to be human flesh. There are also some subtle elements that were referenced in later cannibalism films like "Texas Chain Saw Massacre", although do not expect ANYTHING as frightening as that film to be present here. This is more like a very dark comedy.

The print and presentation here are simply passable. It is taken from a former VHS edition of the film, and the transfer is about what you'd expect from a budget label. By no means definitive, especially since there are about ten minutes that have been cut from the film. Hopefully one day we will get a proper release for this film, but for now, this one will have to suffice. It's worth seeing at least once."

Poor quality picture

Jay Holder | 02/17/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"More Alpha poor picture quality, especially HOUSE OF THE LIVING DEAD. Story was good. Haven`t watched TERROR AT RED WOLF INN."