The Confessional

The word 'exploitation' has been linked with Pete Walker films, but he has questioned its meaning. After all, as he reasons, just about every film made now is exploitation-al in that nudity, sex and violence – often far stronger than in Walker's films – feature as a matter of course and without much comment. Pete Walker retired from directing films after 1979's under-age sex drama 'Home Before Midnight', but was tempted back to direct his last, 'House of Long Shadows' in 1983. His films were frequently lambasted by critics; indeed, he sought to provoke controversy ('rubbing them up the wrong way,' as he called it) by deliberately featuring salacious themes throughout. And yet, as with many things, there is a new appreciation for his work now. He was independently releasing British horror films at a time when Hammer, Tigon and Amicus had long since given up on the genre and for that alone, deserves a great deal of merit. We join this film with Jenny Welsh (Susan Penhaligon) enduring severely testing times. Regularly jilted by her live-in boyfriend, she has no-one to talk to of her woes and enters into a confessional at her local Church. The vicar Father Xavier Meldrum (a tremendous Anthony Sharp, who made a career playing vicars and librarians for many years) turns out to be somewhat perverse, so she flees, only to find she left her keys in the confessional booth. Breaking into the shop where she works with her friend Robert, she leaves him alone momentarily to buy some cigarettes, and when she comes back, she finds he has been attacked by a 'mysterious' stranger. When it is revealed that Father Meldrum is a schizophrenic murderer caring for a disabled, housebound mother and intimidated by a bullying one-eyed housekeeper Mrs Brabazon (the incomparable Sheila Keith), it's no great surprise. We are in familiar Pete Walker 'Frightmare' territory, revisiting themes of respectable establishment figures berating the young for their lapse morals, whilst turning out to be perverts and psychopaths themselves. This is cited as Pete Walker's favourite directorial experience, with professional actresses like Penhaligon and Stephanie Beacham needing less time-consuming guidance than some of his female protégés. 'House of Mortal Sin' is a typically enjoyable experience, although in common with his other projects, it is highly unlikely that his villains would get away with their burgeoning crimes for such a long time. It tends to drag in places, another of my problems with his earlier projects. Cutting 10 to 15 minutes might well have improved matters. Calling for God's forgiveness before strangling Beacham with rosary beads, methodically reading the last rites to his senile old mother before poisoning her (whilst Mrs Brabazon looks on with a sneer) and ending the film with the lunatic vicar still very much at large – all this may well have been deliberate provocation on behalf of Pete Walker to attract controversy. Judging by his comments in interviews ever since, that controversy never really happened, much to his disappointment.

I just watched House of Mortal Sin again this evening. Pete Walker is one of my favourite directors, and his mid-1970s movies are high up on my list of classic British films. House of Mortal Sin is perhaps not as disturbing as the director's two previous movies, House of Whipcord or Frightmare, but makes up for it with flamboyantly entertaining murders and some mesmerising performances from (the ever dependable) Sheila Keith, Anthony Sharp and Stephanie Beacham. What I love about Walker's films is their seedy, sordid quality - I don't mean "T&A", but the overall sense of degeneracy and decay. There's no need for supernatural terrors in a Pete Walker film because he shows us that real life is grottier and more horrible than any vampire or ghost. In House of Mortal Sin, Susan Penhaligon's character goes into church in a fit of pique and unwittingly triggers a chain of events that, in a "spiralling descent", destroys not only her life, but the lives of everyone she touches. Her helplessness in the face of others' disbelief, her inability to convince anyone that she's not just an overwrought and silly girl, and the way that the "Establishment" closes ranks to protect its own is plausibly frightening, especially in light of recent revelations about institutionalised abuse routinely covered up by the Church. As the tortured priest, Anthony Sharp brilliantly veers between whining, childish self-pity and stone-faced, stone-hearted bombast, characterising the hypocrisy that Walker sees in the Catholic Church. Happy to leave his mother to the depredations of Sheila Keith's vicious housekeeper, manipulating the young people who come to him for help, and blaming his actions on other people, Meldrum is a monster. Producer/director Walker and scriptwriter McGillivray make the most of the priestly theme, having Meldrum commit his murders with holy paraphernalia like an especially twisted Avengers villain. The script is full of witty incidents and clever flourishes, and it's a shame that McGillivray's punning working title, Mass Murder, was dropped. Another cracking movie from Heritage, certainly worth seeking out. The scratchy print used in the recent Anchor Bay DVD release is past its prime, but is part of a superb package of Pete Walker movies. If only all horror films were made with this level of conviction and commitment.

Devout, but deranged and sexually repressed clergyman Father Xavier Meldrum (superbly played by Anthony Sharp) resorts to such foul things as blackmail and murder after hearing a shocking confessional from troubled young lass Jenny Welch (an appealing portrayal by the fetching Susan Penhaligon). Director Peter Walker relates the absorbing premise at a steady pace, does his usual expert job of crafting a macabre atmosphere, grounds the deliciously twisted premise in a believable workaday reality, and stages the brutal murder set pieces with grisly aplomb. David McGillivray's bold script not only offers some spot-on scathing commentary on the abuse of power, religious hypocrisy, and deep-seated repression and thwarted desire, but also pulls off a genuinely startling doozy of a surprise grim ending. The excellent acting by the top-rate casts keeps this movie humming: Stephanie Beachum adds plenty of charm and spark as Jenny's perky and concerned sister Vanessa, Norman Ashley contributes a likable turn as the friendly Father Bernard Cutler, and Sheila Keith makes the most out of her juicy supporting part as sinister one-eyed housekeeper Miss Brabazon. Kudos are also in order for Peter Jessop's polished score and the spirited shuddery score by Stanley Myers. Recommended viewing for both British horror cinema aficionados in general and Pete Walker fans in particular.

Leonard Maltin describes this Pete Walker film as a "lurid melodrama" as if that's a bad thing. Really, this is quite entertaining and appropriately infuriating, as story author / producer / director Walker uses it as a means of giving the Catholic church a scathing indictment. His main character is a priest, Father Xavier Meldrum (Anthony Sharp) who uses the institution of the Church to do such things as tape record confessions (for the purpose of blackmail) and serve up a poisoned wafer at communion! Troubled young Jenny Welch (Susan Penhaligon) becomes the victim of his machinations, while a progressive young priest, Father Bernard Cutler (Norman Eshley) might possibly discover what Meldrum has been up to. "House of Mortal Sin", a.k.a. "The Confessional", is a very well made and engrossing picture, telling a story that is certain to push some buttons. Yet, he dares to make Meldrum a more than one dimensional character, one that could even earn some sympathy, despite the basic fact that this guy is a murderer. Of course, Meldrum doesn't quite see himself as the bad guy (although he does feel some guilt, especially after a case of mistaken identity). He naturally believes that he's on the side of Good, and this, coupled with the fact that people give little credence to Jenny's accusations, ensures that Meldrum seems to be untouchable. Walker gives the excellent Sharp and his favorite actress, Sheila Keith (as a nursemaid to Meldrums' bed- ridden mother), some real showcase moments towards the end, and they are riveting. The whole cast is fine, though, with Penhaligon, Stephanie Beacham (as Jenny's sister Vanessa), and Eshley delivering personable performances. This sordid story does flirt with genres such as horror (and gets pretty gory), Giallo (the priest does wear black gloves sometimes), and exploitation (there's a tasteful moment of nudity from Penhaligon), and keeps on track thanks to its storytelling, themes, and uncompromising attitude. Walker does also adhere to at least one trope of the horror genre by having the climactic action take place on a dark and stormy night. The ending is inevitably going to anger some viewers, but it's not exactly that unbelievable. Eight out of 10.

Well... Mortal Sin opens with a pretty gruesome scene. Young chick comes home crying... runs up to her room, reads the bible, and we're off on the adventure. Then our star "Jenny" (Susan Penhaligon) meets up with her old school buddy (Norman Eshley) who is now a priest. Lots of talking, drinking tea, confessions in the church, and of course, eerie, creepy music. Anthony Sharp is Father Xavier, and plays a large part in our story. Some of the scenes don't really make sense, but I guess you have to buy into it. Next thing you know, her school, priest friend is now shacking up with Jenny. Holy guacamole, batman! Lots of odd things and nasty things. Not for the young 'uns. An entertaining viewing, but SO predictable. All of it. Recommended on the Frank Dicaro show (XM radio), this is one of the campy horror flicks which didn't start out to be that way. Written, directed, and produced by Peter Walker, British director. Acc to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Walker_(director) , he had made films that fell under various categories in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, frequently using the same cast of characters.

A rip-roaring Pete Walker special and definitely not to be missed. A scary yarn of a mad priest's reign of terror amongst his parishioners in a 1970s London suburb, this is tightly plotted, economically written and well acted by an ensemble of veteran English actors.Stephanie Beacham, Mervyn Johns (Welsh!), Ivor Salter, Hilda Barry, Sheila Keith (of course)among others. Top honours go to Anthony Sharp for his demented and tormented loony cleric and also to the gorgeous Susan Penhaligon as the object of his desires. There is a scene when she clambers out of bed during the night at the sound of a disturbance. You might want to use the freeze-frame before she puts on her dressing gown. Stunningly beautiful!! Well worth your time and a great addition to Pete's portfolio.

This is another decent directing effort by Pete Walker with a captivating premise that is well executed and maintains a dark & macabre interest throughout (mostly), although the pacing does lag in a few places, but the brooding atmosphere & intriguing performances does enough to keep you interested until the chilling climax. The film's tone is relentlessly bleak and grim, yet the effective and really quite compelling, with some decent & chilling death scenes throughout. The cast here are pretty-stellar with standout performances by Anthony Sharp as the demented and fantastic performance as the unhinged and repressed Father Meldrum with his layered performance that's well-written for his tortured character. Pete Walker's mainstay Shelia Keith also gives a standout performance as the overbearing housekeeper with a sinister presence. Norman Eshley & Stephanie Beacham adds some much-needed warmth with their blossoming relationship & both have decent chemistry together, despite the movie's overwhelming gloom. Then there's Susan Penhaligon who plays the troubled Jenny who becomes the object of the priest's obsession. She does a fine job, but could have been given more to do, as she's pretty much absent from the climax. On the whole this a really cracking and tense horror/thriller with some cool Giallo elements that although the pace may drag a bit at times, its still worth a watch.

The events in "House of Mortal Sin" make it more than clear: repressing your sexuality can have serious consequences!! This third collaboration between controversial director Pete Walker and scriptwriter David McGillivray is lesser known than "Frightmare" or "House of Whipcord", and maybe also not as good, but it still is very inventive exploitation with some twisted themes and exhilaratingly horrific sequences. Walker and McGillivray openly assault the Catholic Church here and associate the "holy institution" with hypocrisy, sexual perversion and even murder. Walker's intention clearly was to shock audiences and to stimulate an angry reaction from the Church. Perhaps he couldn't achieve all this, but "House of Mortal Sin" nevertheless remains an enjoyable and schlocky horror movie, surely worth purchasing in case you're into unhinged 70's cinema. The story follows a troubled young girl who hesitatingly goes to confession at her local church. The priest, Father Meldrum, is quite out of his mind and starts stalking the girl and even killing the so-called sinful men in her life. No matter who the girl turns to for help, Father Meldrum stays above suspicion at all times because he's a respected man of the Church and she's just a mentally unstable blonde. The main storyline gets a little tedious at times but there's a delightfully insane sub plot involving the priest's seemly 273-year-old senile mother and the disturbing housekeeper played by Sheila Keith! Eccentric characters and the downright oddball relationships between them are still Walker's greatest specialty and also the unhappy ending is present. The gore and violence is less outrageous than in "Frightmare" but the priests' killing methods are quite ingenious and, of course, religiously themed, like poisoned sacred wafers and rosary strangulations. Recommended!

Tense, horrible, and funny at the same time, made without frills, for both practical and aesthetic reasons, this is my favorite of Pete Walker's trilogy because it is the strongest-centered, in the characters of the priest and his main victim (the actors have a lot to do with this). It's a study in how to generate suspense with a minimum of resources. Rather than a would-be giallo, I'd identify it as an updating of 19th-century melodrama. The director plainly worked best on minuscule budgets, using them to maximum effect, but he couldn't entirely disguise their restrictions (e.g., where is everybody? don't these people ever go anywhere?).

Disappointing Pete Walker film which flirts with a variety of good ideas but manages to fumble all of them. Story has vulnerable young woman (Penhaligon) going to Confession, where she is harassed by the priest whose fatherly concerns have a sinister element. He turns out to be a crazed killer, stemming from his mother (yawn!!) who still lives with him in a semi-vegetable state. Plot goes into a poor-mans 'Rosemary's Baby' scenario, Penhaligon unable to convince anyone of the truth, with the Priest above suspicion because of his position. Film labours its point that religious restrictions have fashioned Father Meldrum into a killer, while the younger Priest who tries to help is too wet for the audience to respond to. All this leaves Stephanie Beacham as the best thing here. At least the film doesn't cop-out at the end, but by then we are past caring. A film students favourite, but more interesting to study than to watch.