Residencia, La (1969)

Director:

Narciso Ibáñez Serrador

Writers:

Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (writer)
Juan Tébar (story)

Release Date:

1 January 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Only the killer knows why and how and who is next!

Plot:

Lilli Palmer owns and runs a school for wayward girls in France. Her absolute discipline has fostered a social order among the girls with rampant sex...

Plot Keywords:

France | Murder | Girl | Lesbian | Mental Illness

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lilli Palmer	...	Mme. Fourneau
Cristina Galbó	...	Theresa
John Moulder-Brown	...	Luis
Mary Maude	...	Irene
Cándida Losada	...	Mlle. Desprez
Tomás Blanco	...	M. Baldie
Pauline Challoner	...	Catalina
Teresa Hurtado	...	Andree
Conchita Paredes	...	Susana
Víctor Israel	...	Brechard
María José Valero	...	Elena
Ana María Pol	...	Claudia
Blanca Sendino	...	Cook
Paloma Pagés	...	Cecilia
Sofía Casares	...	Margarita
Mari Carmen Duque	...	Julia
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Juana Azorín	...	Lucia
Gloria Blanco	...	Regina
Frank Braña
Clovis Dave	...	Enrique
María Gustafson	...	Ingrid
Maribel Martín	...	Isabelle
Elisa Méndez	...	María
Luisa Sala
María Elena Arpón	...	Uncredited (uncredited)
Loreta Tovar	...	Alumna (uncredited)

Directed by
Narciso Ibáñez Serrador

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Narciso Ibáñez Serrador		writer (as Luis Peñafiel)
Juan Tébar		story

Produced by
Arturo González	....	producer
Jose M. Maldonado	....	assistant producer

Original Music by
Waldo de los Ríos

Cinematography by
Manuel Berenguer
Godofredo Pacheco		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Mercedes Alonso
Reginald Mills

Production Design by
Víctor María Cortezo
Ramiro Gómez

Art Direction by
Ramiro Gómez

Set Decoration by
Víctor María Cortezo

Makeup Department
José Echevarría	....	assistant makeup artist
Carmen Martín	....	makeup artist
Carmen Rodríguez	....	assistant hair stylist
Julián Ruiz	....	wig maker
Carmen Sánchez	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Manuel Pérez	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mahnahén Velasco	....	assistant director
Jaime Villate	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Rafael Ablanque	....	assistant set decorator
Rafael Pérez Murcia	....	assistant production designer

Sound Department
Luis Castro	....	sound effects
Enrique Molinero	....	sound engineer

Special Effects by
John Beaton	....	special effects
Don Deacon	....	special effects
Wilfred Thompson	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Juan Antonio Aguilar	....	focus puller
Salvador Gil	....	second camera operator
Antonio Luengo	....	still photographer
Luis Pena	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carmen de la Casa	....	wardrobe
Manolita Iglesias	....	assistant wardrobe

Editorial Department
María Luisa Hernández	....	assistant editor
María Dolores Laguna	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Waldo de los Ríos	....	conductor

Other crew
Marisol Carnicero	....	production secretary
Margarita Pardo	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Anabel Films
• Anabel Films S.A.

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1971) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• CBS Television (1973) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Astral Films (1971) (Canada) (VHS) (dubbed) (as "House That Screamed")
• CVL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Divisa Home Video (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• J.F. Films de Distribución S.A.
• Regia-Arturo González Rodríguez
• Shocking Videos (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The Boarding School (International: English title)
The Finishing School (USA)
The House That Screamed (USA)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP

Filming Locations:

Comillas, Santander, Cantabria, Spain

Company:

Anabel Films

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987) (V)

Naughty Girls go to Boarding School Hell!

Ever since I beheld a masterpiece called "Quién Puede Matar A Un Niño" ("Who Can Kill a Child?"), I've been on a constant lookout for THIS Spanish gem that also spawned from the clearly gifted mind of writer/director Narciso Ibáñez-Serrador. Thanks to the help of a good friend, I'm now the proud owner of this film on DVD and I can finally do my share of recommending this genuinely frightening film to other fans. "The House that Screamed" differs a lot from the aforementioned film, but it's a genre highlight all the same. "Who Can Kill A Child", which got released during the mid-70's, depended a lot on brutal shocks and one truly disturbing theme whereas "The House that Screamed" (dated 1969) teaches us a lesson in pure tension and atmosphere. There's very little on screen bloodshed here, but the film features – without exaggerating – a constantly high level of suspense. Literally every sequence bathes in an atmosphere of sheer eeriness and it feels like ominous events lurk behind every corner of every set piece used in the film. As far as I'm concerned, only brilliant directors such as Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Alfred Hitchcock can achieve such a depiction of subtle emotional terror, and now Ibáñez-Serrador is one of the elite. The story is set around the year 1900, in a Southern French boarding school for girls only. These girls supposedly all have discipline problems and the utterly strict headmistress Mme. Fourneau keeps them on a short leash. She has her hands quite full, as her students continuously plan escapes and she also has to prevent her own teenage son from having contact with the wayward girls. When more and more girls disappear without leaving a single trace, the girls righteously begin to fear that the boarding school also homes a vicious killer. The plot is occasionally slow and predictable, yet you easily forgive all this just because our director puts so much effort & dedication into building up the tension and the drawing of his characters. The climax, albeit implausible, is pretty sensational horror stuff! The acting performances are FAR above average, with Lilly Palmer in the most memorable role of her career, and the decors are very convincing. This isn't a movie for the nowadays horror audiences (too little action, I presume), but its themes and plot-twists were very ahead of time back in 1969. If you truly love horror and if you can find a decent copy, I strongly suggest purchasing "The House that Screamed".

Note: This comment is dedicated to fellow IMDb-user G.B, for helping me to obtain this fine movie!