American Gothic (1987)

In "American Gothic", the story revolves around Cynthia, a young woman mourning the death of her baby daughter, for which blames herself (and she really should!). Following her psychiatrist's advice, Cynthia and her husband, Jeff, go on a trip with some friends, but their trip is cut short when they find themselves stranded in a deserted island. During a walk around the woods, the group finds a wooden cottage and they decide to break in (of course they do!). While the guys and girls are snooping around the place, going through the drawers and even dancing the Charleston like complete imbeciles, the owners of the house arrive. The householders are an elderly couple who call themselves "Ma" and "Pa". Jeff apologizes for the intrusion, but Ma tells him not to worry and invites them to stay for as long as they need. Later, we find out that Ma and Pa have a "child" named Fanny, a middle-aged woman who thinks she's 11-years-old. Fanny has two "little" brothers, named Woody and Teddy.

Up until this point, we can assume that this is a very peculiar family, to say the least, but the truth is that Ma and Pa are religious fundamentalist who condemn and punish everything that is disapproved by the Bible, and they have trained their "children" to be that way too. As it is expected, the young friends and their modern lifestyle don't quite fit with the family's traditional values and it doesn't take long for the carnage to begin.

"American Gothic" is one of those films where it's very hard not to like the killers more than the victims. The family members are judgmental and self-righteous, which are two qualities that many people dislike, but it is also evident that they simply don't know any better as a consequence of living in seclusion and having been trained to strictly obey the Bible. At first, Ma and Pa actually seem to mean well, since they offer shelter without expecting anything in return. However, this so-called act of kindness could also be explained through the Bible, which they seem to follow unconditionally ("Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless"). It is uncertain whether Ma and Pa were being nice out of kindness or if they were only obeying the book, but regardless of their primary motives, they help the young friends nonetheless. On the other side, these ungrateful bastards show no respect, they laugh at the family's lifestyle, make fun of the obviously mentally ill "children" and expect the family to adjust to their lifestyle, so in the end, one sort of expects them to die horribly. A modern audience would most likely relate to the young friends and their lifestyle, but at the same time, it is easy to understand why the family members are angry at them. It is evident that the family doesn't kill just to please the Lord; they also get pleasure from the act of killing other human beings, but in the end, they are somehow immune from prosecution due to insanity and their actions end up being less offensive than the young group's. The other reason to like the family of lunatics more than the young friends, is that the family members are actually strangely likable due to their hilarious level of insanity. Crazy characters tend to be more appealing, at least compared to these nasty and generic young friends. I wouldn't exclusively blame "American Gothic" for providing unlikeable victims, as this is a common thing in slasher films. Perhaps, in some cases, it is intentional and we are supposed to root for the bad guys or even take these films as a cautionary tale with some kind of moral, like in this case "Don't be a disrespectful jerk to those who have different values" or "don't barge in and expect the others to adjust to your own ways".

"American Gothic" provides a few funny moments and lines, which in some cases seem intentional and in other cases not. For instance: I think the family members, especially Fanny, are supposed to be somewhat humorous. I refuse to believe that these over-the-top characters were not deliberately written to provide a few laughs. The acting on the other hand, is one of the things that had me chuckling once or twice and I don't think this was supposed to happen. The beautiful Yvonne De Carlo plays the part of Ma and she does it very well. Rod Steiger on the other hand, mostly gave a solid performance, but I also found his acting to be over the top sometimes, which provides this film with a nice campy nature. Actress Janet Wright basically steals the show with her performance of Fanny, the daughter. Not only she manages to be deliberately funny, she also portrays a character that is somehow likable in a condescending way (sort of like a mental patient claiming to be Napoleon, maybe?).

As for the gore, there really isn't much and towards the last minutes, we get a lot of murders in a very short period of time, but it seems rushed and it is hard to appreciate them. I think this is a little bit disappointing, as gore and creative murders are usually expected in films like this. The low amount of gore doesn't ruin an otherwise entertaining film, but it sure gives the feeling that something is missing.

This film goes to a safe place by using the classic formula of a group of moronic friends becoming stranded in a deserted place and ending up dead. "American Gothic" goes out of its way to avoid being too generic and makes a noble effort to stand out, by offering a very colorful family of villains and it works pretty good, even if it's unintentionally funny for moments. We also get a far-fetch twist towards the end, which I won't spoil, but I will say that I found it a little bit unnecessary and rushed, although not enough to ruin a film that is mostly fun and respectable.

3 couples fly away for a holiday but encounter engine trouble and are marooned on an island with a dysfunctional and deadly family.

There are some stupid decisions made including one which almost pulls you out of the film but it's all so crazy and is played straight enough to elevate this far above what it could've been. I'd say it feels a bit like a feature length Tales from the Crypt episode, with a slightly more serious tone and strong Wes Craven feels.

Well worth watching for the brilliant performances of the island family and many bizarre and amusing scenarios.

**_Young castaways encounter a strange family on a remote island in the Great Northwest_**

Three couples from Seattle take a small plane trip to celebrate the anniversary of the pilot & his wife. Unfortunately, mechanical problems force them to land at an isolated isle in Puget Sound where they meet some backwoods kinfolk (with Rod Steiger playing the patriarch). Will any of them make it back alive?

“American Gothic” (1987) combines the odd yokels of “Deliverance” (1972) with the basic set-up of “Humongous” (1982) and the religious legalism of “Carrie” (1976). The first act suggests an adventure in the manner of “Out of Control” (1984), but the second act takes a horror turn, although it’s sort of atypical of 80’s slasher. Yet there are similarities to “April Fool’s Day” (1986).

Some eye-rolling bits mar the proceedings, like when Jeff suddenly puts his hand on his wife’s shoulder, even though he knows she’s in an extremely fragile mental state, not to mention stuck in an unknown house on a godforsaken island.

Another possible negative is the emphasis on the inbred rednecks’ adherence to the Bible, but I didn’t take this to be anti-Christian since the Messiah plainly told some religious Judeans who knew the Scriptures like the backs of their hands that they were children of the devil (John 8:44). In other words, anyone can SAY they’re believers but that doesn’t mean they’re genuine. For instance, if I stand in a garage and SAY I’m a car, does that make it so?

So, this is more accurately a negative commentary on isolationism, willful ignorance, religious legalism and maybe inbreeding.

Statuesque Caroline Barclay stands out on the feminine front as blonde Terri while Sarah Torgov is effective as the main female, Cynthia. Fiona Hutchison is worth a mention, although her character, Lynne, is a bit of a (convincing) biyatch. Yvonne De Carlo is also on hand as the matriarch of the island clan.

It’s pretty good, but both “Humongous” and “Out of Control” are superior IMHO.

The film runs 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot in Vancouver (substituting for Seattle) and Bowen Island, which is just northwest of Vancouver. The sanitarium scenes in the opening were done at Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, which is east of the city.

GRADE: B-