There Was a Little Girl (1981)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Ovidio G. Assonitis

Writers:

Ovidio G. Assonitis (writer)
Stephen Blakely (writer)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Julia thinks she lives alone... she doesn't!

Plot:

Julia, a teacher in a school for the deaf, has a hideosly disformed and deranged twin sister that resides in the local looney bin...

Plot Keywords:

Twins | School | Power Drill | Dog | Birthday Party

Cast

Trish Everly	...	Julia Sullivan
Michael MacRae	...	Sam Edwards
Dennis Robertson	...	Father James
Morgan Hart	...	Helen
Allison Biggers	...	Mary Sullivan
Edith Ivey	...	Amantha Beauregard
Richard Baker	...	Sacha Robertson Jr.
Don Devendorf	...	Principal
Jerry Fujikawa	...	Mr. Kimura
Doug Dillingham	...	Golden
Joe Camp	...	Hospital Guard
Janie Baker	...	Sacha's Mother
Huxsie Scott	...	Secretary

Also Known As:

And When She Was Bad (USA)
Flesh and the Beast (USA) (video title)
Madhouse (UK) (video title)
Scared to Death (USA)

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M (cut) | Norway:18 | Germany:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Trivia:

The film was originally listed (as "Madhouse") as one of the official UK DPP 74 video nasties. It was released fully uncut in 2004.

Hyped-Up Italian Horror Film, Not Shocking

There were two sisters: one good, one evil. One normal, one deformed. And one that went completely insane. Years later, on her birthday, she has escaped and people start dying. Sort of like "Halloween", you say? Not exactly. This is more like the left-handed, red-headed little step-cousin through marriage. That is to say, a much lesser breed.

In the world of Italian horror, the name Ovidio G. Assonitis doesn't get floated around much. I mean, did you ever see the film "Tentacles"? Probably not. If you have seen one of Assonitis' films, it was most likely this one. And even then, it was probably on accident unless you searched it out for being on the Video Nasties list.

I am a fan of critic Jim Harper, and his analysis of this film is well-stated. Harper describes the film, aside from the notorious dog scene (which wasn't 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 isn't 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.

Harper understates the score of Riz Ortolani as "annoying". While annoying is accurate, 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.

As a fan and collector of Italian horror, I took delight in watching this one, actually saving it for just the right occasion. And it was very much along the lines I expected -- poorly scripted, low budget and with minimal plot. 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 decent horror fare or a positive introduction to Italian horror, this isn't it. Try some Fulci or Argento from this period first.