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Unhinged (1982) - Don Gronquist



This was another random draw. #15 on the 31 Movies of Halloween brings us Unhinged, a Video Nasty from 1982. Video Nasties were a selection of horror movies that were deemed too graphic and inappropriate. This feature is particularly violent. The story seems interesting enough. I like road trips, I like Video Nasties. It seemed like a pretty nice fit. 

Three girls, ready for a big music festival in New Orleans, are unfortunately sidelined after a car accident on the way. The girls are taken to a strange mansion in the middle of nowhere, where a weird family offers "shelter". The girls begin dying one by one. They are brutally murdered. They try to survive while a mystery begins to unfold. 



This movie definitely has a creepy vibe. The weirdo synth soundtrack. The masturbating voyeur. This is essentially an updated Old Dark House setting. The people staying as guests have to survive the night as an unknown force is murdering them. However, they get to leave the house. But that usually ends up pretty horribly. 



The pacing in this movie is pretty horrible. It drags a lot. The acting leaves a lot to be desired. This is an incredibly low-budget movie. You can tell. The sound is terrible, it's just a really bad transfer. The exploitation feel is there. This is a b-movie through and through.

I enjoyed the movie enough. It was gory and violent but just tended to drag a bit too much. I recommend this to anyone that wants to become familiar with Video Nasties. It's not a family friendly or SFW film, so don't plan on watching this with mom and dad.



Director: Don Gronquist
Starring: Laurel Munson and Janet Penner
Country: USA

Did ya know...
The film had already received notoriety in the UK after being featured on the BBC News as part of a report concerning the availability of uncertified video films. Even though the film had received a cinema certificate by the BBFC this led to it being banned and included on the DPP list of 72 video nasties. The film was eventually passed uncut in the UK in 2005.
Nearly every single person involved with the film was from the Portland, Oregon area.

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