Don't Hang Up (1974)

Don't Hang Up (1974). Don't Hang Up: Directed by S.F. Brownrigg. With Susan Bracken, Larry O'Dwyer, Gene Ross, James N. Harrell. In this horror movie, a dutiful grand-daughter goes home to take care of her elderly grandmother. Once there, she finds herself trapped inside the house with a homicidal maniac.

“Over the years, various indie horror filmmakers have cult followings, sometimes for the low quality of the films (Ed Wood and Andy Milligan spring to mind). Probably because of the high profiles of these schlockmeisters, low budget horror films from the 1970s seem, almost without exception, to be synonymous with bad movie making. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movies of S.F. Brownrigg are not part of that group.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYeah, itu0026#39;s all opinion, but come on, look at his work. Or more specifically, THIS work, lensed in Jefferson TX and utilizing one of the most beautiful Victorian houses Iu0026#39;ve ever seen. I wonu0026#39;t spend much time talking about the story because others have already covered that. A young woman returns to her childhood home (where her mother was murdered 13 years before) to care for her ailing grandmother. Sheu0026#39;s menaced by an obscene phone caller. Thatu0026#39;s it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWait a minute. Thatu0026#39;s really just a springboard for something deeper. The plot hardly has any twists (or twists you donu0026#39;t see coming), but look at the various aspects of the production. Brownrigg had a dedicated stock company of actors, who gamely took on whatever role he gave them. The acting runs from competent to excellent–thereu0026#39;s nary a bad performance in this, or any other Brownrigg movie. He had a penchance for casting gorgeous female leads, and Susan Bracken is no exception. Looking like a BABY DOLL-era Carroll Baker, Bracken is not only lovely, but feisty as well. You canu0026#39;t take your eyes off her. Larry Ou0026#39;Dwyer may have only appeared in this movie, but he turned in a performance that ranks up there as one of the creepiest in all of Brownriggu0026#39;s oeuvre. Itu0026#39;s both icky and believable; anyone whou0026#39;s lived in a small town knows somebody who fits this profile. Despite being filmed in Texas, thereu0026#39;s a deep South vibe to this flick, one that lends itself to a suffocating, insane atmosphere. You can almost feel the humidity and deep, dark secrets festering in the shadows of tradition and heritage. And the house . . . Brownrigg utilized The House of the Seasons, an ornate Victorian confection that, as of this writing, is open as a B u0026amp; B in Jefferson. The house boasts a cupola decorated by a stained glass dome, a setting that plays prominently in one action sequence. Donu0026#39;t think this film is competently made? Check out the tracking sequence that follows Brackenu0026#39;s character as she moves up the stairwell into the cupola. Thatu0026#39;s not the kind of thing you see in low-budget 1970s horror, and itu0026#39;s not the kind of shot attempted by a no-talent hack. Brownrigg didnu0026#39;t let budgetary contraints put the kibosh on a creative filmmaking.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd those dolls . . . is there anything creepier? A real historical society museum and doll museum were used as filming locales, and Brownrigg was savvy enough to use some of the dolls in his title sequence. Accompanied by a harpsichord-heavy score, the sequence, a series of pans across the dollu0026#39;s faces on a black background, is suitable unnerving. I was reminded of Tobe Hooperu0026#39;s opening sequence for THE FUNHOUSE (which of course was filmed nearly 10 years later), in which the creepy automatons emerge from sliding panels. Atmosphere is as thick as the air on a mid-summeru0026#39;s Texas day. Good acting, creative camera angles, ingenious use of locals, a looming sense of dread–what more can I say? Way to go, Brownie!”