American Gothic (1987)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

John Hough

Writers:

Burt Wetanson (screenplay) and
Michael Vines (screenplay)

Release Date:

May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The family that slays together stays together.

Plot:

On a lonely island in the Pacific Northwest, a group of travelers find themselves targeted by a crazed, homicidal family.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Eccentric | Cult Favorite | Necrophilia | Skipping Rope

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Rod Steiger	...	Pa
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Ma
Sarah Torgov	...	Cynthia
Janet Wright	...	Fanny
Michael J. Pollard	...	Woody
William Hootkins	...	Teddy
Mark Ericksen	...	Jeff
Caroline Barclay	...	Terri
Mark Lindsay Chapman	...	Rob
Fiona Hutchison	...	Lynn
Stephen Shellen	...	Paul
Terry Kelly	...	Psychiatrist

Also Known As:

Hide and Shriek

Runtime:

USA:90 min | Canada:85 min (Ontario) | Argentina:89 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:R (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Brent Walker PLC

Trivia:

The poster art, and all related media were based on the famous painting by Grant Wood.

Quotes:

Rob: [taking Terri under his arm] Okay, where do we sleep?
Pa: ...Just a second...you hitched?
Rob: Huh?
Pa: Hitched! Hitched! Hitched! Hitched! It means married, that's what it means!
Rob: Nope
Pa: Well then, where do you think you're going?
Rob: Goin' to bed, get our 40 winks.
Pa: No you're not. There will be no devil's play in this house...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: American Gothic" (1998)

A Good and Original Horror Movie

Cynthia (Sarah Torgov) leaves a mental institution, where she stayed after losing her baby in a bath accident. Her husband decides to join a group of friends and fly from Seattle to a camping in a small hydroplane. The craft has a problem and it lands in a lonely island in the middle of nowhere. There, they are hosted by Ma (Yvonne de Carlo) and Pa (Rod Steiger), a very religious couple, who lives like they were in the beginning of the Twentieth Century. When the group meets the two sons and the daughter of Ma and Pa, they realize that they are in the middle of very demented persons, who start hunting them. This movie was a great surprise. Although having a low rating in IMDB, it is indeed a good and original horror movie. The scary story has many funny situations, and the direction and performance of the cast are very good. The contrast in the behavior of such a nice Ma and Pa when the secret of that weird family is disclosed, is really frightening. Highly recommended for fans of horror movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `Os Anfitriões' (`The Hosts')