3 Seattle couples board a private plane en route to Jackson Island, a resort in the pacific northwest intended for rich yuppie types. During the trip, the plane's engine sputters and the pilot is forced to land on another island short of their destination. The island appears to be deserted at first, but upon further exploration, the travelers stumble upon an old cabin in the middle of the woods. The inhabitants of the cabin turn out to be an old, deeply religious couple that go by the name of "Ma" and "Pa". Also inhabiting their house are their three deranged children, all of them who appear to be at least in their forties but who don't act a year older than 10. Ma and Pa appear at first very kind, inviting the travelers for dinner and to stay the night. The travelers soon find out that there is a great price for this hospitality however, as Ma and Pa's "children" turn out to have an insatiable appetite for murder.

American Gothic doesn't waste any time getting started, as the travelers land on the island only about ten minutes into the movie. Once the first murder occurs, the pace flies by as some of the travelers get dispatched with ridiculous ease. From then on the movie turns into a revenge flick as the sole survivor turns the table on the murderous inbred family. Most of the murders sadly happen off screen and there is not much in the matter of grue (which is not unusual with 80's slasher fare). Yes, there is a small amount of blood but we only get to see it after the murder, once the victim is lying dead on the ground. One of the most obvious flaws in the movie is that we're never sure when Cynthia, one of the travelers recently released from a psych ward, is sane or not. Most scenes with her in it left me wondering whether she had become totally insane and joined the ranks of Ma and Pa's family or if she was simply playing along so she could escape. It would be nice to know but instead the viewer is left guessing.

I found American Gothic effectively chilling but not for the obvious reasons. There are no jumps or surprises or traditional horror movie scares. The spookiest part is watching so many characters fall into utter depths of insanity. The idea of parents raising their children on a deserted island their entire lives and never letting them leave in fear that they may be "contaminated by the outside world", all in the name of religious blasphemy, is something I found to be quite chilling. The acting was also surprisingly effective, especially the over-the-top performance of "Pa", played by Rod Steiger and by Fannie of the 3 "children". I don't imagine it's easy playing a 40-something with the mentality of a murderous 10 year old and trying to keep a straight face through it all. American Gothic is a decent film for those looking for a stylistic 80's slasher with great scenery and a barrel of laughs both intentional and unintentional.


Ma & Pa Kettle Meet Norman Bates   September 28, 2005
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

This dark satire of the Religious Right in rural America demonstrates how dogmatism can erase the thin line that separates sanity from insanity.

Recovering from an emotional breakdown brought on by the bathtub drowning of her child, Cynthia (Sarah Torgov) goes on a camping trip with her husband and two other couples. Mechanical problems strand the campers on island near Seattle, where the troupe eventually runs up against Ma & Pa (Yvonne De Carlo & Rod Steiger), the demented backwoodsy parents of three murderous but mentally infantile adults.

There are some Gein-like goodies, including implied necrophelia, as the homicidal hillbillies pick off the campers one by one, but the film really focuses more on Cynthia's descent into madness in the face of it all. Lots of subtle humor, not the least of which is the double-entendres in the names of Ma & Pa's progeny, make AMERICAN GOTHIC a fun way to waste a few hours. And over-the-top performances strengthen the entertainment value, especially those of Steiger, De Carlo, and Michael J. Pollard (who portrays Teddy, one of the psycho sons). Targov is also wonderfully whacko when her character, Cynthia, finally loses all ties with reality.

The DVD from Trinity Home Entertainment offers the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The transfer looks a bit grainy at times but is definitely watchable. Alas, the disc contains no bonus features, yet it's still worth the very reasonable price of admission.


American Gothic   September 27, 2002
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

A group of annoying yuppies charters a plane for a camping getaway, only to find themselves making an emergency landing on an isolated, forest-covered island. They are taken in by the only inhabitants, the rabidly religious "Ma and Pa" (Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Steiger), who seem trapped in a Norman Rockwellian time warp and are invited to stay the night. This proves to be every bit as unpleasant as it seems - especially after the hapless campers are introduced to the psychotic, middle-aged "children" (Michael J. Pollard and Janet Wright) who both appear to be pushing 50. Before long the loopy, scripture-spouting old couple and their even loopier kids take sharp objects in hand and start killing the tourists, but wait ... one of the "victims" (Sarah Torgov) is the looniest one of all and reveals her own homicidal potential when she goes completely berserk.

With a great cast, a reliable formula, and an interesting twist, how could you go wrong? The wacky family all put in great performances and the flick has some nice scares. One fo the best of the 80's slasher films. Definitely worth checking out.


The Greatest Horror Movie Ever Made...   April 15, 2001
 9 out of 11 found this review helpful

I saw this movie when I was in fourth grade and even back then I thought it was great and it is greater today! It stars Rod Steiger, Yvonne DeCarlo, Janet Wright, and Michael J. Pollard. When 3 couples land their plane on a deserted island, they meet one heck of a crazy family. Ma, Pa, Woody, Teddy, and my personal favorite, Fanny, who loves dollies. The kids are over 50 and they still think that they are 12. Woody and Teddy are rough old boys (in Fanny's words) who's favorite game is cowboys and indians. This film is right in the middle of the 80's slasher films and by far just happeens to be the best. This movie gets a 6 out of 5. I highly suggest that you take your 90 minutes and watch a great film!


Alot more than I expected!   January 6, 2002
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

Here is a total shocker, I didn't expect this to be a good film but it was. I was not waiting for this movie to finish or looking at the clock, I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Heres the story : Three couples are stranded on an unkown island when their plane breaks down, the island is inhabited by a strange demented family, they take shelter in the families home and what happens after is something they never expected! The characters in this are creepy and very weird! This is a good movie, it's not your every-day horror movie, this is something totally different! Oh, and YES there is blood!