Unhinged 1982

Unhinged somehow skipped by me at the video store growing up. Not until a couple years ago had I even heard of it. I managed to finally pick it up (after much contemplation) on dvd, but never got around to watching it for a couple of weeks. In the mean time, I did a little search on it and discovered it made the UK's 'Video Nasties' list back in the 80's. Of course, because a film is on the list doesn't make it an instant success.
Unhinged is like that punk in high school who talks a lot of shit but never really does anything about it. We start off simple enough. Three girls are on their way to a jazz concert when they have an accident. I never knew so many young women were into jazz! Anyway, someone finds them and brings them back to a mansion to mend up. It's the home of an invalid spinster and her 'daughter' where eccentricity reigns with an iron fist.

I don't know, but didn't they have hospital's back in 1982? Were they so deep in God's country that they didn't have the means to take them to an emergency room? The girls vaguely ask to be sent to a hospital as one of the girls is still concussed, but evidently they don't mind the lack of medical attention or sheer disregard for human health displayed by the rich eccentrics.

Don Gronquist (director) actually did a pretty good job involving direction. For the most part, most of the shots were pretty tight. The scenery was great. The wet Autumn laden trees were pleasing to the eye as we get a couple helicopter shots that for the most part, are unheard of in no budget film making. I'll take it and semi-like it. I thought Gronquist built tension pretty well. The movie does run a bit slow, having an even slower bodycount. I guess Gronquist stated in an interview that he was going to give Unhinged the Halloween treatment, giving us a lot of implications instead of gratuitous violence. Still, the death scenes are spectacularly done, with a keen giallo-like feel to it that's unmistakable.

The acting and pace are the culprits here. I'm sure the casting department probably picked up local actors because most of them had this weird nasal accent that's hard not to notice. Needless to say, it's quite amateurish , but picks up a few times along the way. Gronquist probably watched the dailies and realized the acting sucked and laid down the balls, I mean law to the straying actresses.

Unhinged manages to keep a somber ton throughout. It's quite depressing, honestly. The synthesizer score is reminiscent of almost anything from the 80's. Not too bad, but definitely not something you wanna try and find a download for. I've gotta say that I never saw the ending coming. It would be safe to say that it's one of the more shocking endings I have ever seen in a horror film. This ranks up their directly behind Sleepaway Camp's reveal. I was repulsed and literally shocked when I saw what was going on. Is the ending enough to redeem Unhinged as a whole? Again, you tell me. I'll be honest and say it might. Unhinged truly isn't a bad movie. It's a bland movie. There are a few Norman Bates type spying sequences that involves heavy breathing and masturbation. To be honest, it's some disturbing stuff. Too bad that those scenes are few and far between.

If you're the slasher completest and must have every slasher film from The Forest to the Halloween remake, go ahead and grab it. Hell, if you can find it for under 5$, go ahead and pick it up for the disturbing ending alone. It's worth 5$ just for the wake-up call.