Yes, let's keep it going here. As you saw in
my last post, I was able to procure a copy of 1976's
Death Weekend which I've been meaning to watch for some time as I gradually make my way through Will Fruet's genre filmography. Here goes.
A weekend getaway for a womanizing dentist (Chuck Shamata) and his new girlfriend (Brenda Vaccaro) turns deadly when they are set upon by a group of ne'er-do-wells.
I thought this movie slapped. While it could be said that - much like 1977's Rituals is likened to Deliverance - Death Weekend is the Canuck version of Straw Dogs, I feel it goes beyond mere homage. True, the story beats are similar, but this movie has two main strengths that stood out to me, the first of which were the stunts. Starting off with some really good car stuff that rivals most of the tax shelter canon, we also get some solid boat stuff and a good body burn too. Oh, and as soon as I saw the summer house, I was immediately, “oh I've seen this place before!” It's Eaton Hall, but it's certainly not as remote now as it was here, you can probably see the roller coasters at Canada's Wonderland from its balcony now.
The highlight of this picture though, is Vaccaro as Diane. From the get-go it is apparent that she is no bimbo. She's headstrong and not one to be pushed around. Hell, even her voice conveys confidence. Despite being in an environment where is she is surrounded by creeps - even her date Harry peeps at her through a two-way mirror in her bathroom - she is almost never a damsel in distress. I'm actually quite shocked that this character and performance is not mentioned more when cinephiles talk about exploitation heroines.
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| Brenda Vacarro as Diane in Death Weekend |
Diane is also smart and resourceful beyond 99% of the women who populate these movies. When she's hiding in the night, she throws on a dark coat to hide her white sweater. When she tries to make it back to the car, she stays low in the cover of the tall grass. And most importantly, when she inevitably finds the dead body of her companion, she doesn't scream out in surprise. These things all probably sound like common sense, but in the world of genre film, they are exceedingly rare. If Diane's behaviour had been held up as a benchmark, we could have avoided so many of the soon-to-be stereotypes the horror genre would get lambasted for over the next twenty years. But, I digress.
I mentioned Straw Dogs before - it should also be said that Diane has a thousand per cent more agency than Dogs' Amy ever did - but there are also shades of Craven's Last House on the Left, if you swap out the keystone cops for some drunken gas station attendants. The distributors obviously clocked it too, as it was released as the similarly titled The House by the Lake in some markets.
Anyway, I'm pretty chuffed that Death Weekend lived up to the hype. I'd be interested to know how such a grounded and gritty start somehow morphed into pictures like Spasms & Killer Party just a decade later. If only Fruet wasn't such a recluse, I could find out! Check back next week for my thoughts on George Mihalka's Eternal Evil aka The Blue Man.
