DON'T
OPEN THE DOOR (1975)Director: S.F. Brownrigg
VCI
DON'T
OPEN THE DOOR (1975)Southern-fried horror director
S.F. Brownrigg has never been well-represented by home video until recent years.
Brownrigg may be the definition of a cult director: his films have strong followings
among a handful of viewers, but most likely won't be appreciated by the general
cinemagoer. He directed a quartet of quirky horror films geared for the Southern
drive-in audience, and thankfully their criminally low budget worked in their
favor. Beginning with the simply brilliant DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT and culminating
with the obscure KEEP MY GRAVE OPEN, Brownrigg's horror films rely on atmosphere
and strong performances rather than shocks and gore. Not recommended for the
easily bored or distracted, his horror quartet has yet to be completely released
on DVD, but VCI has done good by releasing the most obscure entry of the four,
DON'T OPEN THE DOOR, for the very first time in widescreen.
Susan Bracken is Amanda Post,
a lovely blonde who is called back to her sleepy hometown by a mysterious phone
call that warns of her grandmother's life at stake. Upon arriving, she is set
upon by town museum owner Claude Kearn (Larry O'Dwyer), Dr. Crawther (Jim Harrell,
who was a popular Hollywood character actor for years), and Judge Stemple (Gene
Ross, who played a judge in BASEMENT and appeared in all of Brownrigg's horror
films). All of them figure into the mysterious illness of Grandmother (Rhea
MacAdams, "Mrs. Callingham" in BASEMENT). To make matters worse, Amanda
is harassed by a strange series of breathy phone calls advising her to leave
town. And with her boyfriend Nick (Hugh Feagin, "Sergeant Jaffe" in
BASEMENT) out of reach, Amanda finds herself alone in her shadowy Southern mansion,
plagued by the phone calls and a killer who has let himself 
into
the house....
Upon inspection of the plot synopsis,
most horror fans won't be too enticed to venture forth into the world of Brownrigg
with this film. Even as a Brownrigg fanatic, I found this to be his weakest
film. Bracken is a fine actress, but her character, meant to be strong and intelligent,
comes across as bossy and shrill. One can only imagine what Camilla Carr could
have done with this role (it's strange that she didn't appear in this film,
she was in every other Brownrigg horror film). Gene Ross is always a treasure,
and he also went on to a lengthy career as a Hollywood bit player. Annabelle
Weenick ("Dr. Masters"' in BASEMENT and frequent Larry Buchanan actress)
makes a cameo here as the mysterious woman who calls Amanda.
The key to the success of Brownrigg's
films relies in both the strong performances and technical excellence. In his
two masterpieces, DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT! and SCUM OF THE EARTH (retitled
as POOR WHITE TRASH PART 2), the two elements come together perfectly (SCUM
is sorely missed on the DVD scene). KEEP MY GRAVE OPEN falls somewhere in-between.
And DOOR succeeds only in the technical aspects. The color pallette is the strongest
Brownrigg would ever use; used to filming dull wardrobes and sets, the character
of Amanda is allowed to break loose by wearing bright red dresses and sharp
yellow blouses. And a scene of multiple colored windows reflecting a myriad
of shades on Amanda's face is one of Brownrigg's strongest setpieces. The camerawork
is typically breathtaking; cameraman Robert Alcott should have graduated to
bigger and better films. Thankfully this did happen for lighting technician
Robert Dracup, who, after acting in DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT and serving as
art director for 1966's THE BLACK CAT, hit the big time as a gaffer in Hollywood.
Composer Robert Farrar contributes another wonderful flute-and-
harpsichord-based
70s score.
VCI has done some top-drawer remasterings
in their catalog, but DON'T OPEN THE DOOR isn't one of them. Considering how
incredibly rare the title is, the job should be seen as commendable. It's still
strong enough to appreciate how well-made the film is, colors are very bold
throughout most of the presentation, but blacks are often greenish, there is
plenty of dirt and the grain is neverending. The 1.85:1 aspect ratio also seems
quite tight on the top and bottom (I wonder if Stacy Brownrigg, S.F.'s son,
oversaw the transfer?). But if there really room for complaint here? All earlier
video incarnations have been disgusting in comparison. Too bad the mono audio
is so low...
Extras on a Brownrigg film can't be too extensive. He died in 1996, and apparently no one seems too interested in tracking down any of the original cast, even though Ross, Weenick, and Feagin are still around (it's a shame, the films of Brownrigg are prime material for a book, a project I once considered undertaking). The original theatrical trailer offers the film with a 1979 copyright tag, but I believe the film was originally shot in 1975 or sometime closer to that date. I changed the year on the Internet Movie Database and the info has also been carried over onto the disc (yet the back cover still lists 1979 as the year of production). The bio on the disc is the most extensive information I've ever seen about Brownrigg, and writer William Wilson should be congratulated on a job well-done. He has my admiration. Some stop-motion menus and trailers for VCI's releases of RUBY and KISS OF THE TARANTULA round out the package.
Those of you who want to see the higher tier of 70s drive-in horror films should seek out a film by Sherald Brownrigg. Unfortunately, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR should be the last film of his filmography a fan should seek out. VCI has also unleashed DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT, Brownrigg's first and best flick, I strongly advise the curious check that one out before diving into DOOR. If you're interested in going further into the oeuvre of Brownrigg, good luck finding DOOR! VCI is infamous for their low-profile, elusive DVD releases and DOOR is no exception. (Casey Scott)