Every late 70s and early 80s horror film seemed to have a prologue to explain away a killer’s motivations and to pick a nature/nurture side.
Don’t Go in the House is no different, with young Donny’s abusive mama threatening to “burn the evil out” of him on the stove.
With such an ugly upbringing it’s no wonder Donny grows up to be a sociopath, standing idly buy while a co-worker immolates in a horrible workplace accident.
Donny, it seems, has PTSD/mommy and pyromania issues. Cue The Simpsons‘ “Don’t do what Donny Don’t does!”
Don’t Go in the House stars Dan Grimaldi, who fans of The Sopranos will recognize as Philly/Patsy Parisi.
The film gained notoriety as a Video Nasty as a killer exercising his childhood demons by setting people alight certainly caught the censors’ eye.
Don’t Go in the House is a movie that out-burns The Burning, at least as far as that’s concerned. And like fellow mama’s boy, Frank Zito from the superior Maniac, Donny stashes and stages his victims.
It’s really depraved stuff.
The best “Don’t” warning horror film remains, Don’t Answer the Phone! Don’t sleep on that one.
*** (out of 5)
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