if anyone ever assemble a compendium on modern american horror that be truly worth it salt and there will have to be an entry for sf brownrigg ubiquetous exercize in asylum horror . every time i watch this movie i be impress by the complete economy of the film and from the compact and totally self contain plot with a puzzling beginning and an all too horrible end and the engaging performance by what be essentially a group of non professional actor and and a prevading sense of dread and claustrophobia that effectively consume the narrarive with a certain inevitability which be all the more terrifying because the viewer know what be go on long before the hero [ e ] and with the only question be when be they go to wake up and smell the coffee . shot on a dental floss budget in brownrigg native texas at an old palatial manor that nicely serve a the setting for a private sanitorium and dont look in the basement be another intriguing twist on the good old edgar allan poe tome about inmate take over the asylum just before an otherwise normal outsider unwittingly join the rank without realize until it be far too late that not all be what it seem and they be totally cut off and beyond any outside help and and inevitably find their own sanity question a the madness spin out of control the original star trek tv series have a go at this with their whom god destroy episode from 1968 and juan moctezuma give the proceeding a peyote fuel mexican psychedelic trip in dr. tarrs torture dungeon in 1972 and and tangentially relate be fernando di leo asylum erotica or slaughter hotel and which inject the element of an unknown killer and an end that can only be define a splatter cinema brownrigg may not have see or be think of slaughter hotel and but he sure come up with some similar idea . legaliciuos former playboy playmate rosie holotik play charlotte beale and rn in clinical psychology and who have just leave her nice job a a supervisor at a major hospital to travel way out into the middle of some god forsake waste right out of a peckinpah movie to work with a dr. stevens at his private sanitorium . dr. stevens have pioneer a new form of therapy base upon basically encourage the emotionally and psychologically scar to face their inner obsession and bring them to the surface and hopefully rid the patient of whatever have fry their sense of reason . nice idea and but arm a 6ft 250 pound utterly insane man with an axe and tell him to pound out his aggression and then turn your back on him probably isn not the smart idea and and dr. stevens be dispatch before ms. holotik even appear onscreen with a good whack to the low portion of his skull . this event leave the sanitorium effectively in the hand of one geraldine master [ actress annabelle weenick and who also serve a the script supervisor and production manager ] and a woman of startlingly professional demeanor who quickly defuse the situation with the help of sam and the film wonderfully unlikely hero and a lobotomized african american boheomouth play by an actor name bill mcghee who be sadly rob of a support oscar nomination for his turn a a mass of muscle with the brain of an 8 year old boy . sam one wish be to have someone help him put his prized toy boat in the water and and his continual asking of the various female cast member to do so [ and his nonstop consumption of chocolate popsicle ] a some kind of underlying theme and though we will avoid such here because the kid might still be up . there be also a quick subplot about a staff member who have decide to leave after be threaten by one of the patient and but i will leave the detail of that to your discovery . ms. holotik arrive just a dr. stevens have be effectively lay to rest and be quickly win over by the snappy professionalism of ms. master and who reluctantly allow the leggy young nurse to stay on in spite of the tragedy that have just happen and oh and twenty minute ago and which you must admit be rather sport of her . holotik nurse beale begin to demonstrate symptom of not be the sharp meat cleaver in the drawer and however and when inform that she share live quarter with a bunch of maniac and there be no lock on the door and doesn not trudge off for the near ace hardware store to pick up a hasp and padlock to secure herself and and we be treat to a couple of truly creepy scene where some of the inmate sneak into her room and do stuff like smell her hair and try to kill her with butcher knife and caress her neck with axe head . but that all a part of work in such a radical psychiatric health care environment and ms. master inform her and and she go about her oddly defined round that consist of wear a leg define a nurse outfit a you can find in a 42nd street fetish boutique and get to know the inmate . allysson be a obsessive compulsive nymphomaniac with homicidal tendancies who like to take off her shirt and provide the film with some t and a between fit of histrionics while harriet be a young former mother who let her child die in a stupid accident and now dot on a beat up old doll that she be also homicidally protective of while the seargant be an actual seargeant [ and implied vietnam vet ] who negligence lead to the death of his platoon and and now watch from the window with binoculars for the approach of an unseen enemy while jennifer be a phish fan who couldn not score a ticket to the new year eve show and go insane and like to scarf down nembutols and other barbituates when nobody be look and and likewise have hide homicidal tendancies link to her inability to find a bra while judge cameron be apparently a homicidal pervert who become obsess with his own sense of power and now like to chop thing up with ax while ms. callingham be an aged poet who serve a a sort of soothsaying old hag from macbeth before the cat get her tongue while and danny be an insane idiot who be include in the cast a the random element that the plot can not control and and who antic serve a the real catalyst for the series of tragedy and murder that ultimately take place in this dark and old and creepy house in the middle of nowhere . the house itself be a wonderful set and with a threadbare early 1970 decor that be remarkable in it unremarkableness and with a fantastic use of color achieve by subtle ambient lighting . the house be a series of hallway and room with shiny brown wooden floor and twist and confine stairway and secrete closet and passageway lead to the different large area and and of course the basement mention in the title visit only once and but boy it sure prove to be a doozy . i love the frosted old freezer where sam keep his stash of popsicle and the utterly plain exterior that remind me of a summer home our family use to visit every year and force u to swelter in the heat represent everyone be cover with bead of persperation and look exhaust and and even the ever cheerful sam at one point begin to suspect that bad thing be happen and though he can not understand what it all mean and rosie h. be too firm in her belief of her profession to even suspect what have really happen and and while ms. holotik limitation of an actress may have diminish the effectiveness of her big revelation scene and she a great screamer when all hell start to break loose and and brownrigg indulge of some nice camera shot of her in various suggestive pose or stage of undress that show off what a pretty lady she be without expose anything more than her contract stipulate . too bad . the real show stealer be sam and however and and fan of what i have be teach to refer to a splatter cinema will not be disappoint by the rather shock finale and and there be something move about how sam run to the protection of his friend and brutally kill everyone within arm reach in a matter of second that either suggest he be one mean motha before his lobotomy and or the film be cut . in any event you would not be prepare for the end the first time you see it and even though you a the viewer know what the score be long before anyone else in the film have put it all together . except for one person represent rhea macadam uproariously stereotype old coot mrs. callingham [ who seem to be inspire by the donald sutherland old woman character from the michael reeve 1964 christopher lee film castle of the living dead and in addition to a rather nasty death by round spike to the eye ] and who not only predict the future and but have the film most laugh out loud amuse bit of dialogue while on a walk in the garden with ms. holotik that run something like this it really beautiful out here . do you get out much and mrs. callingham . ask holotik and to which the old woman repliesit you who need to get out . hilarious and and one of those thing you get ta kind of see for yourself to get . dont look in the basement be available on at least a half dozen bargain bin codefree dvd release by company like brentwood home video and diamond entertainment and vci and platinum disc corp. horror classic series while i kind of like alpha video sexily gorgeously decorate $ 6 release from 2003 representdig through those bargain bin . but make sure you get one with the 89/90 minute print contain therein while an old 83 minute version be downright confuse due to some of the trim and and you really need to see the end credit as intend to bring this sick and twisted and surprisingly entertaining yarn to it end . masterpiece . maybe not compare to the exorcist or rosemarys baby and but it be a very uniquely american horror film and and a genuine classic of the drive in age that deserve to be rediscover by anyone look for something make with more than just a little bit of brain juice and and not a penny more than they absolutely need . half out of .