Funeral Home 1980

PLOT - A young woman arrives at her grandmother's house, which used to be a funeral home, to help her turn the place into a bed-and-breakfast inn. After they open, however, guests begin disappearing or turning up dead.

For several years I somehow mixed up this movie with Mortuary 1983 (I wonder why...) so this past spring when I went to Monster Mania in Cherry Hill, the second I saw the cover to this baby, I just needed to pick it up.

This movie was released in the year 1980. The same year a certian summer camp re-opened by the name of Crystal Lake and all Hell broke loose. This was a magic time before the slasher boom had fully started, making this movie not fall into the dark abyss so many other movies with unseen killers that were released early on in that decade. Yes it isn't your typical slasher. Of course there's elements that would make you believe it was (A killer who lurks in the shadows, a creepy house, a pretty young girl, and plenty of strange suspects in a small town). But I would have to argue this movie is more of a mystery that had a very settle style that these Canadian filmmakers captured. Of course there's the very clear tips of the hat to Psycho, but I would say they weren't ripping off the 1960 classic. They were just taking some of the best elements and putting it into this very well written storyline. Mind you for some horror fans the lack of blood and slow pace might be a turn off, but I found this movie the perfect film to pop in on a hot summer night. It has a charm to it that feels as if it should have been made for TV, yet pulls some punches and has some creepy moments you have to give credit where it's due for this being a standalone film. The VHS artwork is amazing, the soundtrack haunting and beautiful, and of course the very clever shocking ending.

Five stars in my book!