American Gothic (1988)

Director: John Hough

Starring: Sarah Torgov, Rod Steiger, Mark Erickson, Janet Wright, Caroline Barclay

After their seaplane malfunctions, a group of travelers make an emergency landing on an island in the Pacific Northwest and stumble across an isolated and psychopathic family.

Well now, this was a nice surprise. How did I miss this one?

Cynthia and Jeff’s baby drowned in their bathtub whilst being left unattended by Cynthia. Having finished her therapy to cope with the tragedy, Jeff recommend they go away for a while. Their friends Rob and Lynn, and Terri and Paul join them, but on their way to an island vacation, they run into plane trouble and have to make an emergency landing on an unknown island.

Unable to fix the plane, they decide to explore the island, and stumble upon an old house – still furnished as if in the 1920’s, with no modern amenities. The house is owned by a mysterious old couple, simply known as Ma and Pa (with very good performances by Yvonne de Carlo as Ma and Rod Steiger as Pa). Then there’s Fanny, who is nearly 50 but believes she is about to turn 12, and has all the characteristics of a young girl. In time we also meet her dysfunctional brothers, Woody and Teddy, and learn of the disturbing reality of her baby.

The young people are invited to stay at the house while they wait for help, but it soon becomes evident Ma and Pa along with Fanny has more sinister plans for their guests. The family gave me the same uneasy feeling as the family in ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’; only not as intense. Cynthia surfaces as the film’s protagonist, which makes her an interesting hero considering her frail state of mind, and I found this to be very effective.

‘American Gothic’ is a good addition to the 80’s horror slasher genre. It is tame in comparison to other slashers of the era, but then again, it definitely has more substance than most.

Yvonne de Carlo won a Best Actress award.

Would I watch it again? Yes.