The Murder Mansion

Director - Francisco Lara Polop (Exit: Dead End, Perversion)

Starring - Evelyn Stewart (The Psychic, War of the Zombies), Analia Gade (Exorcism's Daughter, Four Nights of the Full Moon), Lisa Leonardi (All the Colors of the Dark, The Case of the Scorpion's Tail)

Release Date - 1972

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Welcome to home bloody home"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When Vinegar Syndrome announced the third volume of their Forgotten Gialli series I started looking them up one by one.  The first film, Autopsy, is one I had heard about but I had never had the chance to check it out.  However, the second film in the set, The Murder Mansion, really peaked my interest.  I absolutely loved all the posters that I found online and it looked extremely interesting.  After I watched Autopsy I immediately tossed in The Murder Mansion and was not disappointed. 

     The film follows several people who find themselves unable to travel at night with a thick fog rolls in.  They all find themselves at an old mansion where a young woman lives alone.  She welcomes them in and tells them a story about the history of the mansion and how the locals years ago believed that the inhabits were vampires.  As the night rolls on they go to their own rooms and one by one they fall victim to something supernatural presence roaming the home.

     I've enjoyed the previous Forgotten Gialli releases for the most part but there was some of the films I liked more than others.  With that being said, I believe that The Murder Manson was probably my favorite out of all the releases so far.  I loved the sets, the atmosphere, and the characters.  It really was a solid giallo.  The acting in this one is pretty solid.  The characters are painfully generic with nothing memorable brought to the screen.  However, the story has just enough to it to hold your attention.  The cast does their best with what they had but you will not remember the characters over the story.  The story for this one is a fun mystery fueled haunted house type film that keeps you guessing who the killer is...or what they are.  It really is a giallo through and through which is mostly a murder mystery with style.  I really enjoyed the story and how it all ended.  I was not expecting the reveals and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Finally, the film has several deaths.  We get plenty of blood but the practical effects are pretty laughable.  If the kills were a little more memorable then this film would be among the best.  Overall, The Murder Mansion isn't going to make the top of anyone's giallo list but I really enjoyed this one.  The blu looks fantastic as well from Vin Syn.  A solid entry in the Forgotten Gialli series.