For my latest WWC movie review I'm looking at the Arrow Blu-Ray release of "The House that Screamed." The movie is a 1969 film. It was shot in Spain, but it's the first English language movie made in taht country. That said, some of the lips don't exactly synch to the voices, so I'm not sure whether some of the dialog was actually overdubbed. Again, it's not all of them. Some do, and some don't. Perhaps some dialog was changed after the movie was shot and overdubbed. I'm just guessing because I don't know. 

It was released under several titles. In fact, "The House that Screamed" was the title only in the U.S. The Spanish title translates to "The Residence." In other parts of the world the title was "The Finishing School." This disc includes the original full length version along with the American version. I watched the full length version, and the title screen on it says "The Finishing School."

The difference in terms of running time between the two versions is about ten minutes. Apparently they edited the movie for U.S. audiences by cutting some scenes they were afraid would earn it an X rating. I have a hunch it was mostly the shower scene (again, I didn't watch the other version). The thing is, the girls all wear thin gowns in the shower. So, while it probably qualifies much like a wet T-shirt contest, by today's standards the film would probably get at most an R rating, but maybe even PG 13. Any real nudity is very minor and just quick flashes. That said, another scene that perhaps would have been cut is an encounter between two characters in which it's clear that they are having sex, largely because of the sounds we hear, but again, there is no real nudity of any substance there, either. 

On its surface this feels like a Gothic horror tale. it is a period film set in the 1800s and takes place in an old spooky mansion type setting. The scene is a finishing school for girls with troubled pasts. The head-mistress is a severe disciplinarian who at times shows that she has a taste for cruelty. Extreme beatings are among the forms of discipline she uses. 

We find fairly early on that she has a teen-aged son who lives in the house but is generally kept away from the girls. We also learn that he has a voyeuristic side. 

The whole dynamic in the school is dark and strange. There are signs of an almost incestuous relationship between the mother and son. There is a senior student who is sort of a protégé of the head mistress who seems even crueler than her mentor. That side of the equation hints at some lesbian elements, but it's never really fleshed out. There is also a pattern of sexual encounters set up with a young man who delivers wood once a month. Yes, I get the dirty joke angle of that last part, but I'm not sure that euphemism existed then, so it's probably a coincidence. 

The horror in part comes from a sense of menace and general spooky vibe to the whole setting. One girl is killed fairly early, though. The audience sees the killing, but the characters all think that she ran away from the school. This is fairly slow moving for a lot of its duration, but it's also fascinating and intriguing. They sprinkle just enough horror and sense of danger in to keep it creepy. 

Without getting into spoilers I can't go any deeper into the storyline. And, I think I really need to talk a bit more about the story. So, I'm going to wrap this up, and then ask everyone who wants to avoid spoilers to stop reading. . 

The blu-ray includes a number of bonus features, mostly in the form of interviews. Some of those are in English, while others are in Spanish with English subtitles. I found those to be of interest, but not what I would call captivating. I would definitely consider the film to be captivating, and well worth checking out. I would also add that it feels almost Hitchcock like at times. That's all I have for the non-spoiler part of this review. So, if you want to avoid spoilers, please STOP READING NOW. SPOILERS FOLLOW:

Okay, at this point, I assume that those of you who are still reading have either seen the movie before or don't have a problem with spoilers. 

I have to say that I was somewhat surprised to find out that the son was the killer. I could tell that something was a little off with him, but I honestly thought the head-mistress was doing the killing. 

Certainly, there is an Oedipus angle to this. I mentioned Hitchcock earlier, though, and really I felt that the ending was very reminiscent of "Psycho." The whole lead up to it doesn't really prepare you for the brutality of the final moments. 

For those who are still here but have not seen the movie, it turns out that the son has been trying to create a girl like his mother was when she was young. I sort of saw that coming in a way because she keeps telling him that someday he'll meet the girl for him who will be like his mother was when she was younger. I kept thinking, "you don't let him leave to meet anyone, and you tell him that none of the girls at the school are good enough for him. How will he ever meet anyone else?"

So, he kills girls who have traits that remind him of his mother, and then he stitches them all together to create that special girl. When his mother is introduced to her, we share her horror. Of course, she has basically created the horror by twisting the mind of her son all of his life. In a lot of ways, he's innocent. His madness keeps him from even understanding that what he has done is wrong. 

So, the final word is this. The movie is a little slow. It has enough mystery and intrigue to keep you watching, though. The payoff is so shocking and effective that, even if the movie were less interesting, it would still be worth it. I am very glad that I have gotten to experience this movie. Of course, like "Psycho," the shock of the ending will only work once.