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

Directed by
John Hough

Writing credits
Burt Wetanson		(screenplay) and
Michael Vines		(screenplay)

Produced by
Christopher Harrop	....	producer
Raymond R. Homer	....	executive producer (as Ray Homer)
Terry Lens	....	line producer
Michael Manley	....	executive producer
John A. O'Connor	....	associate producer
John Quested	....	producer
George A. Walker	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Alan Parker

Cinematography by
Harvey Harrison

Film Editing by
John Victor-Smith

Casting by
Lindsay Walker

Production Design by
David Hiscox

Costume Design by
Keith Denny

Makeup Department
Sydney Silvert	....	assistant makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jono Drake	....	assistant director
Sean Dromgoole	....	second assistant director
Ty Haller	....	assistant director
Michael Metcalf	....	assistant director
Tom Zapata	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Kevin Brown	....	prop buyer

Sound Department
Chris Munro	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Allen Benjamin	....	special effects

Stunts
Dorothy Fehr	....	stunts
John Wardlow	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Dennis Brock	....	gaffer
Trevor Coop	....	camera operator
Chris Helcermanas-Benge	....	camera operator: additional photography
Chris Helcermanas-Benge	....	still photographer
Phil Hersee	....	still photographer
Dean Morrish	....	assistant camera

Other crew
Jean Ovrum	....	location manager: Los Angeles
Arthur S. Rabin	....	location manager: gowan island
Barbara Ann Schoemaker	....	production coordinator
Doreen Soan	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Brent Walker PLC
• Gerrard and National Leasing
• Manor Ground
• Pinetalk

Distributors

• Vidmark Entertainment (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Arcadia Digital (2005) (Greece) (TV) (Cyprus) (DVD)
• Virgin Vision (1987) (UK) (theatrical)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Look Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Stax Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Trinity Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Vestron Video International (1988) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Virgin Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services

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:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Touch of Satan (#10.8)" (1998)

Not as bad as I thought it would be.

The theme of religious fanatics who live in complete isolation and consider any contact with the outside world "contamination" has been done to death in the horror genre, but here they give it another go. Apparently they decided that wasn't enough, so they also threw in the "adults-behaving-as-kids" theme, which also has been done before (check out the REALLY twisted 1973 film "The Baby"). The result is a campy, silly, demented and thoroughly unpleasant horror film, but the production is fairly polished, the direction is competent and Rod Steiger gives a deliciously embarrassing performance as "Pa" (what the hell was he thinking when he decided to sign on for such a movie?) (**)