Madhouse (1981) User Reviews

Not deserving of its 'nasty' label.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 20 December 2008]

Madhouse stars Trish Everly as Julia Sullivan, a teacher at a school for the deaf, whose hideously disfigured and sadistic twin sister, Mary, resides in a nearby mental hospital. Four days before Trish's birthday, Mary escapes in order to arrange a special party for her unsuspecting sister...

In the United Kingdom in the 1980s, movies released on home video became the target of a hate campaign led by Britain's über-vigilant defenders of moral decency: the press, bored housewives, and Conservative politicians. As a result, a list was compiled of the films they deemed to be most offensive; these titles became known as 'Video Nasties' and were seized from shops before they had a chance to work their evil influence on an unsuspecting public.

Ovidio G. Assonitis's Madhouse was one such 'nasty'.

Featuring a bloodthirsty rottweiler, a frenzied axe attack that reduces the victim's back to a bloody pulp, and a messy canine lobotomy by electric drill, it quickly found itself added to the list of titles most likely to corrupt and deprave. It didn't matter much to the moral crusaders that the film was also a well-crafted psychological chiller that delivered plenty of atmosphere, memorable performances, and some lovely cinematography; no... this film featured a dog receiving a drill-bit between the eyes, and we can't have people watching that kind of stuff, can we?

Two decades on, and Madhouse is now available uncut on DVD; it seems that the people of the UK have since developed to a stage where they are able to handle such horror without it turning them into murderous lunatics (either that, or the authorities have actually realised they were wrong and the film was never that disturbing in the first place). Oh well, better late than never, I suppose...

Ironically, Assonitis's film is perhaps a little too slow and lacking in gore for today's casual horror viewer, but for seasoned fans of the genre, it offers plenty to enjoy: there's the mystery of the identity of a second killer (not too hard to guess, but fun nevertheless); a great OTT performance from Dennis Robertson as Father James, Trish's nursery-rhyme singing uncle; a likable heroine; a brief performance from Morgan Hart as very tasty, blonde rottweiler fodder, Helen; and a ghoulish final scene that is remarkably similar to that of a Canadian slasher, Happy Birthday To Me (who stole from whom is debatable, since both films were released in the same year).

Underrated 80s fun

[dopefishie · 7/10 · 14 March 2022]

This is a fun 80s horror movie. It's a bit unpredictable because it doesn't make sense. But it has such a zany energy that it's forgivable imo. Dennis Robertson's performance stands out as being memorable. I will reiterate - you'll have to turn your brain off to enjoy this one. It's creepy and well-made. And it will not answer the questions it raises. It doesn't care about logic.

A mixed bag.

[Hey_Sweden · 5/10 · 4 October 2014]

As co-written and directed by Ovidio Assonitis ("Beyond the Door", "Tentacles"), "There Was a Little Girl" (a.k.a. "Madhouse") is a mostly tedious affair running through the standard slasher paces adequately but without any real style. For its first two thirds, it actually plays more like a drama with some horror moments than an out and out horror film. It's too bad it got labelled as a Video Nasty, as it's never really that gory, at least not until the end. The good thing is that the performances are better than expected, and things do get marginally more interesting in the final third, with a plot development that some horror fans may see coming and some may not.

Trish Everly stars as Julia, a teacher in a school for deaf children whose birthday is nearing. In the days leading up to it, her deformed, demented twin sister Mary (Allison Biggers) escapes from the hospital. It seems that Mary had dominated and terrorized the meek Julia during their childhood, and now Julia is more than a little concerned. Mary had had a spooky canine companion when the two women were young, and now there's a bloodthirsty dog adding to the weirdness.

For around an hour or so, this is just a little too dull, although Assonitis succeeds in building some atmosphere. But the story becomes more fun upon its one true big reveal. Eventually, this bears some strong resemblances to the Canadian slasher "Happy Birthday to Me", although it's hard to say whether one movie ripped off the other or not. The beautiful Everly does an okay job in the lead, the equally lovely Morgan Most is fine as her friend, and Michael MacRae is acceptable as Julias' psychiatrist / lover, but the person who steals the show is Dennis Robertson as the friendly Father James. The animal work is good; trainer Joe Camp plays the ill-fated hospital guard. However, during the finale, when the crazed dog comes through a door, a special effect is employed, and it's laughably horrible.

Overall, a decent shocker redeemed to a degree by its last act.

Five out of 10.

Enough Decent Moments to Make It Worth Viewing

[Michael_Elliott · 3 August 2017]

Madhouse (1981)

** (out of 4)

Julia (Trish Everly) suffers from various mental issues due to the abuse that she suffered from her twin sister. Years later the sister is deformed with a skin virus but before their birthday someone shows up at Julia's school and begins killing her friends.

Director Ovidio G. Assonitis will always be remembered for THE EXORCIST rip-off BEYOND THE DOOR as well as TENTACLES and to a lesser extent for firing James Cameron on PIRANHA PART TWO. Before he fired Cameron he was directing this film, a bizarre mix of American slasher and Italian giallo. I must admit that I wasn't overly familiar with the picture until Arrow Video announced its release and afterwards I'm a bit confused about what I watched.

For the most part if you're a horror fan you'll want to check this film out, although it falls well short of what I'd consider a good movie. I'm really not sure what the film was trying to do other than to show off some gory death scenes every fifteen-minutes or so. The story itself is, I think, supposed to be some sort of mystery but it's pretty easy to figure out what the twist is going to be. With knowing the twist, that pretty much takes away any suspense or mystery. Another problem with the picture is the fact that the death scenes are so spread apart. It's too bad there either wasn't much more of a story or perhaps the body count jacked up.

I thought Assonitis managed to create a nice setting and there's some nice cinematography as well. The film kept me mildly entertained through the first hour but things just really started to drag during the finale. I won't spoil who the killer is but I must say the murder of the killer is quite excellent. It's too bad the rest of the film wasn't as good. I did also enjoy the subplot dealing with the murderous dog. CUJO didn't have anything on this mutt! Again, MADHOUSE isn't a great movie or even a good one but there are enough interesting moments to make it worth sitting through.

Nicely shot, but clichéd and rather tedious

[tomgillespie2002 · 4/10 · 13 December 2011]

Julia (Trish Everly), a disturbed young woman haunted by memories of her abusive and mentally ill twin sister Mary (Allison Biggers), works with blind children near her Savannah home. She learns from her uncle, Father James (Dennis Robertson), that her sister is suffering from a rare skin disease that is killing her, and is persuaded to go and see her for the first time in years. While there, Julia is attacked and abused by Mary who threatens that she is going the kill her. Mary does escape, and Julia finds her friends and co-workers being murdered and mauled by a killer dog that is very similar to the one Mary had when they both children.

Added to the Video Nasty list due to some rather gruesome scenes, Madhouse does stand out amongst the others due to its apparent higher- than-you-would-expect budget. I assume this due to the pretty nice cinematography, which makes full use of its sets and features some effective colour patterns. The scenes where Julia is followed through her seemingly gigantic house, almost evokes the likes of Polanski (due to the claustrophobic indoor locations) and Argento (characters running through endless corridors and doors building suspense). Sadly, Madhouse generates little of the actual atmosphere conjured up by these two geniuses and these scenes eventually becomes slightly tedious.

Although it looks like a John Carpenter, it is at its heart a by-the- numbers slasher that follows traditions and clichés seen a thousand times. The main appeal is the play on the killer - here being a colossal Rottweiler rather than a man in a mask. This provides the opportunity for some nasty throat removals that feature plenty of blood, but a rather unconvincing fake dog being shaken above the screaming body. The rather macabre climax almost rescues the film, but then descends into a frustratingly slow stalk-and-slash. The fact that its a bit of a slow- burner makes a nice change from usual set-piece-heavy horrors, but horror fans would do good sticking to Argento, Bava and Fulci for their operatic slashers.

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This isn't a classic or all time great horror movie but was an above average addition to the genre

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 2 May 2021]

Madhouse (1981) is a movie I recently watched for the first time for free off Tubi. The storyline focuses on a sister going through psychological evaluation and trying to mentally stabilize as her birthday approaches. Little does she know her sister, currently locked in a mental asylumn, is about to escape and come home to wish her a happy birthday as well. This movie is directed by Ovidio Assonitis (Piranha II) and stars Morgan Most (The Man Who Wasnt There), Michael MacRae (Summer School), Edith Ivey (Robocop 3) and Jerry Fujikawa (Chinatown). The storyline for this is fun to watch unfold and there were some kill scenes I couldn't wait to happen, like the repair man, and some that were plain outstanding, like when the dog gets killed. The dog only growling and never barking was a funny aspect of the movie. The ending was worthwhile and brings the movie full circle. This isn't a classic or all time great horror movie but was an above average addition to the genre. I'd score this a 6/10 and recommend giving it a viewing.

It tries and isn't a complete mess, but it's not enough...

[markovd111 · 5/10 · 18 September 2020]

The movie is well shot and really tries to be good, but sadly it doesn't succeed. Exposition of the killer(s) ruins the atmosphere, as do the jump scares, which are very common. There are some creepy scenes, but those are ruined with showing too much. Ending is also very unsatisfying. Actors are doing the best they can and some female characters are more capable than they usually are in horror movies, but that's really not enough to carry the whole movie which just feels sub-par. 5.8/10! I don't recommend it, even to fellow horror movie fans.

Better than expected.

[Thom-P · 6/10 · 16 January 2002]

Okay, I admit this film isn't a masterpiece by any stretch, but slasher aficionados should find it enjoyable. I certainly did and was rather surprised by all the negative reviews I'd previously read. Granted, it's slow going in places, but the murders are genuinely creepy, as well as performances by Dennis Robertson as the twisted Father James and Allison Biggers as the deformed sister, Mary. Some ample doses of blood (in the unrated version) also add to the proceedings. While the film may not appeal to erstwhile horror fans, anybody with a taste for slashers will surely appreciate this entry in the genre.

Note: Some reviewers have condemned this film for lifting a scene out of HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, but the the fact of the matter is that both films were released in the same year (1981), so it's debatable as to who stole what from whom. Personally, I preferred the scene as it was staged in this film, regardless of which came first. See it for yourself and you be the judge.

Forgettable video nasty slasher

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 1 September 2018]

MADHOUSE is a forgettable slasher movie from Italian director Ovidio G. Assonitis, the man priorly responsible for such B-movie fare as BEYOND THE DOOR and TENTACLES. This film unusually ended up on the video nasty list, which is bizarre as it's gory, certainly, but little more so than most slashers from the era. This Italian/American co-production involves a dullish young woman who finds herself pursued by an evil doppelganger which turns out to be her own twin. A string of gory murders ensue, but the violence is only really exceptional at the beginning and at the end. For the most part this is sluggishly-paced and poorly written. Assonitis has seemingly watched THE BEYOND and THE OMEN before making this, so we get a lot of dog attacks and the like, but as slashers go this one's rather forgettable.

Hyped-Up Italian Horror Film, Not Shocking

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 22 December 2008]

Julia, a teacher in a school for the deaf, has a hideously deformed and deranged twin sister that resides in the local loony bin. She escapes to gate-crash a surprise birthday party for Julia. Sort of like "Halloween", but not exactly. This is more like the left-handed, red-headed little step-cousin through marriage. That is to say, a much lesser breed. (Some have gone so far as to call it a ripoff of "Happy Birthday to Me", but that is unfair.)

In the world of Italian horror, the name Ovidio G. Assonitis doesn't get floated around much. I mean, did you ever see the "Jaws" ripoff "Tentacles"? The one where Shelley Winters wears the giant hat? If you have seen one of Assonitis' films, it was most likely one of these two. And even then, it was probably on accident unless you searched "Madhouse" out for being on the Video Nasties list.

Critic Jim Harper's analysis of this film is well-stated. Harper describes the film, aside from the notorious dog scene (which is not as shocking as you may think), as "not quite so interesting". He deems that the movie "can't be considered a total failure", which is a bit of a forced compliment. Really, the plot is not much to work with, and the only thing that distinguishes this film from other Italian films of the same period is the superior video quality (which looked great in 2008 and looks even better in 2017 thanks to the Arrow 2K restoration).

Harper understates the score of Riz Ortolani as "annoying". While annoying is an accurate summary, this doesn't really highlight the full extent of its inanity. What you will hear is an odd group of space sounds that would fit perfectly on an Atari game, such as "Asteroids", but has no place in a movie of this kind -- or maybe any kind. What is called "music" is little more than sound effects poorly strung together. This is a shame as Riz Ortolani was also the composer of "Mondo Cane" and "Cannibal Holocaust", among many others, so he can clearly do better.

Fans and collectors of Italian horror or slashers will take delight in watching this one. Yes, it is poorly scripted, low budget and comes with minimal plot. But, frankly, this is something that makes the slasher film enjoyable. If this is what you're looking for, give "Madhouse" (or "There Was a Little Girl", as it is sometimes called) a try. If you're looking for superior horror fare or a positive introduction to Italian horror, this is not it. Try some Fulci or Argento from this period first.

The Arrow Blu-ray features audio commentary with Justin Kerswell, author of "The Slasher Movie Book", and his friends. We have a new interview with actress Edith Ivey (who recounts the way the director had to direct through an interpreter). There is also a new 18-minute interview with cinematographer Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli, who may perhaps be the one who knew the director best. And, surprise, a brief interview with Ovidio Assonitis himself (and his English is actually very good). The only thing missing is a chat with the lead actress (Trish Everly), who never appeared in anything else before or since. Where is she?

Low Scoring Because Of Its Woefully Bad Ending.

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 3/10 · 2 June 2017]

This film is crying out for a remake and with today's special effects it could really make this as special as it should be. Though it's the story that writer and director Ovidio G Assonitis along with writers Stephen Blakely, Roberto Gandus, and Peter Shepherd crafted which needs better representation than this film was given, surprisingly enough from Assonitis, who's direction especially at the end turns this into a nearly unwatchable farce instead of a horrific psychological thriller.

This is the tale of twin sisters, Julia who is played by Trish Everly (The Good Sister) and Mary Sullivan played by Allison Biggers (The Bad Sister). During their childhood, it was Mary who was the dominant sibling and tormented, teased, and tortured Julia whenever she could. This behaviour sent Mary to the psychiatric hospital where Julia chose to forget about her. After developing a severe skin disease Mary asks to see her twin and Julia grudgingly agrees, after some cajoling from their Uncle, Father James. The meeting goes as expected with Mary getting angry and attacking her sister while cursing her that she'll make her sorry. After she escapes the institution she and her faithful pet Doberman start to invite Julia's friends to their birthday party... by killing them.

When the climax arrives and everything is revealed you will need to hold onto your sanity and accept the unbelievable in the incredulity of a twist which was only manufactured to shock. Though for spoiler reason's, I cannot say what this is, you won't and cannot miss it. If this twist had been written and filmed better than it would have made an otherwise okay and average movie better... and not worse, as it did.

The acting is pretty standard and average until you get to the finale then you enter the lunatic and stupid, which I will put down to Assonitis' direction. Though I think Dennis Robertson as Father James should have won an Oscar for the "Most-Over-The-Top Acting Role In A Movie... EVER!" It is really gleefully bad.

Assonitis also has trouble with pacing the film and this gives the work a disjointed feeling.

However, the evil Doberman is the best thing in the film and some of the attack scenes are even better as they used a real dog as well as a prop set of jaws (which can look a little awful).

I would only recommend this film to lovers of bad B-Movies but be warned you do need to stay to the finale to see the best scene.

Fun Southern-lensed Italian thriller

[carolinephillips-47427 · 8/10 · 13 March 2017]

Madhouse is thematically (and sometimes visually) similar to the Canadian slasher Happy Birthday To Me, but it goes about telling its story of sibling slashing in a very different way.

Shot in Georgia, but using an Italian creative team, Madhouse has a strange sense of time and place. Where is this exactly? It it in the past? Is it now? It's one of those things you'll only get when you mix and match crews and locations like this.

The acting from lead Trish Everly is quite good and she makes for a sympathetic heroine who just wants to be left alone by her sociopathic, deformed sister who just escaped from a loony bin and has brought her vicious dog with her.

At this point, pretty much everyone in our heroine's life is fodder for her sister's knife blade and dog's sharp teeth, which leads to some very creepy moments of victims wandering around a spooky Georgia mansion and getting picked off one by one. It all culminates in the nastiest corpse birthday party since...well, Happy Birthday To Me. The ending even got a real jolt out of me.

If I had any complaints, it would be that the reveal of a 2nd killer mid way through the film is accompanied by a lifeless, suspense-free chase scene that goes on far too long. It's also at that point that the film becomes a bit too campy due to both the killer and victim's performances.

The visuals are stunning, the music score is super weird, and there's enough gore to satisfy gore hounds, but not turn off more sophisticated viewers. Definitely worth your time!

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary....

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 19 February 2013]

Not to be confused with the 1974 Vincent Price/Peter Cushing movie entitled "Madhouse" (a fun, underrated film, by the way) and certainly not with the 1990 John Larroquette/Kirstie Alley comedy sporting that same name, the 1981 Italian horror outing called "Madhouse" is another story entirely. I say that the film IS Italian, although the average viewer might never realize it. Despite being an Italian production, with an Italian crew and composer, the picture was shot in English, features an American cast, and was filmed in Savannah, Georgia, although the filmmakers could certainly have included more of that city's picturesque charm, had they chosen to do so.

In this film (perhaps inspired by Brian De Palma's 1973 classic "Sisters"), the viewer makes the acquaintance of a very pretty redhead named Julia Sullivan (very well played by Trish Everly). A teacher at a school for the deaf, Julia is thrown into something of a tizzy when she learns, a few days before her 25th birthday, that her twin sister Mary has just escaped from the hospital/sanitarium where she had been ensconced for the past seven years. "It's not the dead that scare me...it's the living," Julia remarks early on, and with good reason, as it turns out! Although her hunky doctor boyfriend, Sam (played by Michael MacRae), and her uncle, a priest named Father James (memorably portrayed by Dennis Robertson), don't believe her, she is convinced that Mary, and a killer dog who she has long been the master of, are responsible for some of the horrible things that begin to transpire around her. And as future events prove, Julia is only partially correct in this surmise....

Suspenseful and at times shocking, "Madhouse" is well named (the title is much more appropriate than the two other names this film has sported: "And When She Was Bad" and "There Was a Little Girl"), featuring as it does some truly sick and twisted characters. OK, I'm going to spoil things a tad for those who haven't seen the film by revealing that Mary DOES have an accomplice (besides that killer dog!) in her wrongdoing, and the revelation of this character truly is startling. The film dishes out any number of violent set pieces, including three throat-ripping canine attacks (the one in which a cute little deaf kid is murdered is mercifully not shown on screen) and three truly surprising homicides via knife. But surely, the scene that most gorehounds will appreciate the most is the one in which Sam goes up against that killer dog armed "only" with an electric power drill! The house where Julia resides is a beautiful old mansion that is in the process of being renovated, its only other occupant being Julia's ditzy landlady, and this darkened, unfinished abode is a suitable backdrop for some truly maniacal goings-on, culminating in one of the grisliest birthday parties ever shown on film. Director Ovidio G. Assonitis, whose work on the 1974 Devil possession flick "Beyond the Door" had recently impressed me, and who others might appreciate as the director of the 1977 "Jaws" rip-off "Tentacles," does a good job here of ratcheting up the suspense, while composer Riz Ortolani, whose work on such gialli as "Don't Torture a Duckling" and "Seven Deaths in a Cat's Eye" was so integral, provides still another memorable score. Here, the lullaby "Rock A Bye Baby," backed by gorgeous strings, is used to good effect, while electronic bleeps and echoes in other spots add greatly to the eeriness on screen. But best of all, perhaps, is Trish Everly herself, a truly photogenic actress with a winning screen presence. How odd that "Madhouse" seems to be Ms. Everly's only film appearance. With her super good looks and fine acting chops, a career would have seemed assured...at least, as a so-called "scream queen." Wonder what ever happened to her....

The further good news regarding "Madhouse" is that it now can be had on DVD from the always reliable folks at Dark Sky, with an excellent-looking print and some fine extras. In one, director Assonitis is interviewed in 2008; if only I could understand more than half of what he is saying! If I'm reading the man correctly, he seems to feel that his best film will always be his next one, and that he is not content with the way ANY of his pictures has turned out. He might be a little too harsh in his dismissal of "Madhouse," however. Despite its low budget, the film is a fairly gripping and memorable affair. I learned on my last birthday that my credit card had been hacked for $1,000, but I cannot imagine a birthday worse than the one poor Julia goes through in "Madhouse"....

Good horror story

[hellholehorror · 5/10 · 3 February 2019]

It looks quite soft. There is a lot of distortion from the wide angle lenses they used. But overall I liked the cinemascope aspect ratio and the movement was pretty. It reminded me of The House of the Devil (2009) to look at. It was quite an empty soundstage with little atmosphere and sparse music. Plenty of dialogue which was thankfully well dubbed. The music was a bit retro eighties bad. The level varied wildly between scenes. It had a really good horror story and a good tone. It is a slasher movie but with a cool story. If the technical aspects were better I would score this higher.

Above average 80's slasher movie

[MADMANMARZ · 11 March 2003]

Ovidio Assonitis best known for "Beyond The Door" does a good job with this slasher tale of two sisters. One is a teacher for deaf children, the other is a dangerous psycho who just escaped from the hospital. The evil sister starts killing people who know her sister, including the landlord, the oriental handyman, one of her students(!) and her friend as well. Many of the victims face the jaws of a very scary looking drooling dog! Solid acting and script makes the viewer actually care for our main character. There is a great twist where a second killer is revealed and a good climax as well. Overall "There Was a little Girl (AKA Madhouse)" is a great horror movie. When the second killer is revealed you will find yourself saying "what a psychopath"! That is a sign of an acting and directing job well done.

Decent budget not used well

[Groverdox · 5/10 · 8 May 2019]

For a slasher movie nobody's ever heard of, "Madhouse" actually has a decent budget, and it's surprising to see how believable the scenes within a school for the hearing impaired are. I wonder if one of the filmmakers had some sort of involvement with such an institution in real life.

Unfortunately, they don't really do much with either positive. The plot is really hard to follow, and there's not much to remember or recommend about "Madhouse".

A strange thing is that some of the kills feature a rottweiler. Something I don't think I've seen before in a slasher, is a killer with a pet who does the killing for them. "Madhouse" perhaps provides a reason why that isn't done too often: it doesn't really work.

The story is something about a teacher at a school for the death who has an evil, deformed twin sister, who breaks out of jail. Some people start getting killed by the rottweiler, and maybe by someone in a mask, and you know we're poised for a reunion between the two sisters.

The movie does have one surprising twist, and at least one scene that was almost scary, so it's not a total waste.

Atmospheric slasher mired by an anemic conclusion

[drownsoda90 · 6/10 · 2 April 2017]

"Madhouse," also released under the titles "And When She Was Bad" and "There Was a Little Girl," focuses on Julia, a teacher in Savannah, Georgia whose twin sister, Mary, has spent most of her life in a psychiatric institution. After an overdue visit to see her, Julia becomes increasingly paranoid about her sister's ominous warning that she will take revenge on her, and as their mutual birthday approaches, people in Julia's life start dying.

Co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Ovidio G. Assonitis (who several years prior directed the fever-dream "Exorcist" ripoff "Beyond the Door"), "Madhouse" is a halfway decent slasher film that draws on a confluence of contemporaries, but doesn't quite manage to live up to what it sets out to do. The film has been credited by genre fans for its atmosphere and photography, and that is most definitely where I feel the film excels as well. The house it's set in is wildly eerie and the Georgia setting lends an additional layer of Southern Gothic atmosphere that is at times intoxicating.

At times the film feels like a straightforward slasher; at others, it seems like it's edging into the territory of the supernatural, and this lack of transparency keeps the audience on their toes for the first half. The film begins to lose this balancing act though in the last thirty minutes with a premature slipshod reveal and a conclusion that feels uninspired and lazily unfurled. It doesn't necessarily go where you expect it to—I'll give it that— but it's less about the nature of the revelation and more about how it's broached in the narrative. The film was notoriously banned in the UK during the "video nasty" era, and it does boast some considerable gore, though I did feel the bulk of the killings relied a bit too much on the canine dispatch (which itself seems to be a riff on "The Omen" and "Suspiria"). The cast is mostly made up of unknowns, but the performances are decent for a film of this type.

Overall, I found "Madhouse" to be a bit underwhelming, mainly because it sets itself up for greatness, and then handles its conclusion in a way that feels lazy and uninspired given all that precedes it. As sluggish as the last act is, I do have to praise the film for its curation of atmosphere and the moody cinematography. There are some truly unnerving scenes in the house that are memorable, and the film does manage to establish a sense of foreboding before it nearly undoes itself. 6/10.

WARNING- The DVD case will clog your toilet

[handbledzoin · 1/10 · 17 May 2011]

Didja ever watch a movie and afterward get the uncontrollable urge to track down the people who made it and, when they answered their door, to just punch 'em right in the head?

Just asking.

ME: Your Honor, I present the following evidence in my defense.

Exhibit A: Exploiting a genetic condition and equating it with mental illness.

Exhibit B: Characters who do stupid time-wasting things while waiting to get killed.

Exhibit C: Characters who talk to each other as if they were talking to 2-year-olds.

Exhibit D: Killers who sing nursery rhymes while killing.

Exhibit E:

JUDGE: (Bangs his gavel) That's enough. Sentenced to time served. You are free to go.

Little CREEPY girl!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 6 December 2005]

"There Was A Little Girl" is an underrated Italian horror gem and definitely the best film directed by Ovidio G. Assontis, who previously made the ludicrous Exorcist rip-off "Beyond the Door". This is genuinely uncanny and surprisingly well-scripted terror that more people should discover urgently! Julia is a lovable and beautiful teacher in a school for blind children who successfully erased the traumatizing childhood from her mind. Her twin sister Mary used to hurt her on their birthday but now she's locked up in a mental hospital for good. Yet, with another birthday coming up in just a few days, Mary escapes from the hospital and macabre events begin to occur near Julia's apartment. The opening credits are already very scary and atmospheric, with the classic "Cradle Will Rock" lullaby and the image of a little girl mutilating the face of another girl with a rock (irrelevant, but still very creepy!). "There Was A Little Girl" once was included in the infamous Video-Nasties list but it doesn't really belong there. Even though there are some very graphic murders and one shockingly suggestive drama, most of the film revolves on suspense and mystery. There are some dull moments too, but mainly this is compelling and fairly original 80's horror. Not very easy to come across, but definitely worth purchasing.

A slasher movie that doesn't leave a mark so much as it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

[mwilson1976 · 4/10 · 17 March 2020]

Ovidio Assonitis throws good taste to the wolves to deliver this crass, insensitive, offensive and down right unpleasant slasher effort from 1981, that also went by the titles There Was A Little Girl, and When She Was Bad. Julia (Trish Everly) a teacher at a school for deaf children, has her life thrown into turmoil when her twin sister Mary escapes from a mental institution in time to ruin her birthday. She starts killing off all of Julia's friends with the help of her giant pet dog and the girls demented priest uncle (Dennis Robertson), who stalks his victims singing children's nursery rhymes. It's the kind of movie that contributed to the slasher genres negative reputation. Assonitis chucks in scenes of animal cruelty (a dog gets a power drill bored in to its skull), and has one of Julia's pupils murdered (at least it happens off screen, and the director refrains from bringing the kids corpse back for the climatic birthday party scene), then has his classmates reminisce about him. The movie has a similar plot to the much more enjoyable Happy Birthday To Me, made roughly around the same time.

An okay time-waster

[acidburn-10 · 6/10 · 29 April 2011]

The plot = Julia (Trish Everly) a school teacher who works with deaf children, is haunted by memories of her twin sister Mary (Alison Biggers) who has since been institutionalised several years ago, and Julia hasn't seen her sister in seven years, but when her uncle persuades her to see her sister as she has been stricken by a rare and possibly fatal virus that has caused her face to become horribly deformed. Julia visits Mary in her hospital room, but Mary is sent into a jealous rage at the sight of her sister, who isn't suffering the same disfiguring ailment as she is. Mary threatens to make Julia suffer like she did in the past and reminds her that their birthday is only days away. However Julia's fears are confirmed when Mary escapes and starts killing off all her friends.

I have recently watched this movie after reading rave reviews for it online and when I got round to seeing it, well I was a bit half and half. Madhouse does start off rather slow but uses elements of the standard slasher formula along with a few unique touches. One of the most obvious innovations is the use of a trained Rottweiler as a weapon, which is something different I suppose, but the effects weren't really up to that much, like the scene when the dog starts ripping the door apart, you can tell it's a stuffed toy and looks ridiculous and laughable which takes the tension right out of the scene. Not that any of this makes it a bad movie, there are good elements to this movie like The main location, the mansion where Julia lives, provides the essential creepy backdrop for the film's proceedings. And what I liked about this movie is that it's rather unsettling and doesn't hold back, rather mean spirited, I didn't like the fact that a deaf buy gets killed in this but other than that no-one is safe even the land-lady gets it, thank god as I found her a terrible actress and rather annoying, her chase scene had no suspense whatsoever, I just wanted her to die quicker. The finale Julia's nasty surprise party was done effectively, a morbid set piece that is very similar to the birthday party scene in Happy Birthday To Me, which was made in the same year. It is a disturbing sequence which is only lessened in intensity of maniacal laughter which I found rather unsettling.

All in all an okay time-waster, a definite must see for all fans of slasher movies.

Insanely Mundane

[mcjensen-05924 · 2/10 · 23 February 2021]

Never has a cast been assembled that seems to purposely take delight in being incredibly stupid and annoying. This insults the viewer at every turn. You'll be amazed by the amateur idiocy of this tripe. Even by the low standards of the era and genre this film fails to deliver any entertainment. Even the dog seems to overact. Nothing but disappointment here. Beyond lame. Much better fare out there.

Pretty good shocker.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 24 February 2004]

Ovidio G.Assontis "Madhouse" is a pretty good shocker which offers plenty of mood and bloody violence.This obscure little gem appeared on the infamous 'video nasties' list,but personally I don't know why.The film features some really gruesome moments,but nothing too shocking or memorable.The killings are actually pretty tame,but the power-drill scene is quite nasty.The finale is very gory and should satisfy fans of splatter.The score by Riz Ortolani of "Cannibal Holocaust" fame is decent as it provides some chills.The film is pretty tough to find,but if you like Italian horror give it a look.8 out of 10.

Slow Middle, but Great Everything Else

[johnbaxter-83212 · 7/10 · 20 July 2020]

Madhouse lays on the mood early on and never lets up. It's peppered with a few shocking moments of violence including the (off screen) death of a child. I'd say the first 45 minutes to an hour are pretty excellent and seem to be building towards something really exciting. Then comes the twist which isn't a bad one in and of itself, but the way it's revealed is so clunky and leads to about the most poorly paced and unexciting chase sequence in horror history. After surviving that scene, Madhouse gets back on track and does deliver the exciting conclusion you'd hoped for.

Really stupid B movie

[dacmoviebuff · 4/10 · 8 February 2021]

Calling this a slasher movie is an insult to slasher movies. This is a totally lightweight, silly waste of 93 minutes. The acting is terrible and the special effects are laughable. It has a promising premise, but it never plays out. There is no motive or explanation for what happens. Don't waste your time.