Don't Go in the House (1979-1980 film)

Can't tell any of the fiery death that awaits in there, can you?

So, here we are, at the second to last article for Don't Week.  It's been an interesting journey, through zombies and madness, but there's a small light at the end of the tunnel.  But is it a light we want to approach, or is it something a bit more dangerous?  We find out here, not all lights are safe!  We meet Donald, a mother's boy with a dark secret.

The film starts at a waste disposal facility, where Donald is watching the flames in one of the furnaces.  One of his co-workers sees him and pulls him away from the open furnace door, warning him to wear his mask, then moves to another furnace and starts raking the coals, not realizing an aerosol can is inside, in the middle of the flames.  As it cooks, it suddenly explodes, coating Donald's coworker with flames.  Donald stands there, watching the flames dance over the asbestos suit, as others run in and put the flames out.  Later, Donald's boss, Vito, grabs him in the locker room and asks him what his problem was, why he just stood there, until Donald breaks free of his grip and rushes out.

Donald leaves, driving home and calling out to his mother that he was home and making her tea.  After putting it all together, he brings her tea up to her room and finds her dead in her chair.  At first, Donald reacts with sorrow, then starts hearing a voice in his head, telling him that he's free, he's now able to do everything his mother would never let him do.  He starts by putting on music and cranking up the volume, then jumping on a chair downstairs in the living room before lighting up a cigarette and putting it out on a small, white statue.  Suddenly, Donald's mother's voice comes calling from up the stairs, scolding him, so he hurriedly puts everything back.  The other voice returns, telling him that it'll protect him, that it'll help him.  He goes back up the stairs to his mother's room with a lighter to burn her... just like she burned him to punish him for so many years.

The film follows him building a special room in the house... a room with metal walls, where he'll take women to burn the evil out of them, just like his mother did to him.  But will his insane plan, born of his trauma, bear fruit, or will he cave under the weight of his madness?

This was an interesting one, and I was glad to add it to my collection.  I saw it in one of my Horror Hound magazines and looked it up online, wondering what the film was about.  When I conceived the idea of Don't Week, this was definitely one of the films in the forefront of my mind.  This was definitely a good addition to my site.

Playing Donald was Dan Grimaldi, and he brought the perfect blend of slight creepiness and insecurity to the role.  This was his first listed film role (he'd done stage acting beforehand), but he's been in a lot of stuff since, including playing the Parisi twins on The Sopranos.

All in all, I give this one a 4 out of 5.  It was entertaining, but it wasn't the best film out there.  For my next article, we'll get kicked out of the last remaining area left after the other titles... Don't Go in the Woods!  See you there soon!  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!