Homebodies (film)

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Homebodies (film)
Homebodies, 1974 film, theatrical release poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLarry Yust
Screenplay by Howard Kaminsky
Bennett Sims
Larry Yust
Produced byMarshall Backlar
James Levitt
Starring Peter Brocco
Frances Fuller
William Hansen
Ruth McDevitt
Paula Trueman
Ian Wolfe
Linda Marsh
Douglas Fowley
Cinematography Isidore Mankofsky
Edited byPeter Parasheles
Music by Bernardo Segall
Production
company
Cinema Entertainment
Distributed by Avco Embassy Pictures
Running time
96 minutes
Country United States
LanguageEnglish

Homebodies is a 1974 comedy horror film directed by Larry Yust. The film features a cast of veteran actors, including Ian Wolfe, Ruth McDevitt, Peter Brocco, and Douglas Fowley. The film centers on elderly residents resorting to murder to protect their condemned building. [1]

Contents

Plot

A quiet, elderly group of pensioners discover that their homes are scheduled to be demolished in order to make way for a block of flats. Their attempts to discourage the developers soon escalates from dissuasion to murder as they begin to rid themselves of both the developers and construction workers by any means necessary.

Cast

Production

Principal photography for Homebodies took place in 1973, on location in Cincinnati, Ohio. The film's cast was composed of veteran actors and actresses who, according to Daily Variety's report, "had appeared in nine hundred films, collectively, but were receiving top-billing for the first time in their careers". The film marked the second film production by the Cinema Entertainment Corporation. [2]

Release

Home media

Homebodies was released on VHS by Sony Pictures on June 23, 1994. [3]

Kino Lorber released a Special Edition Blu-Ray version on November 2, 2021. [4]

Reception

Time Out gave the film a positive review, complimenting the film's humor, well controlled tension, as well as Trueman's "saner version of Ruth Gordon" performance. [5] Allmovie called the film "an unexpectedly haunting piece of work", complimenting the film's unpredictability, strong characterization, and direction. [6] On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar gave the film a positive review, calling it "an engaging curiosity". In his review, Sindelar commended the film for its "offbeat and eccentric" premise, and wicked sense of humor. Sindelar also commended the film's acting, particularly Trueman's. [7] Terror Trap awarded the film three out of a possible four stars, commending the film's acting, humor, feeling of urban decay, calling it "a heartwarming horror story". [8] Not all reviews for the film were positive. TV Guide awarded the film 2/4 stars, calling it "a strange little shocker about a murderous group of geriatrics", although the reviewer commended the film for being well shot, and directed. [9]

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References

  1. ↑ Tom Weaver Double Feature Creature Attack 2003 Page 69 "... of his last features (to date) is Homebodies (1974), which has a cast of veterans (Ian Wolfe, Ruth McDevitt, Peter Brocco, Douglas Fowley, more) and a horror/comic plot about oldsters resorting to murder to protect their condemned building."
  2. ↑ "Catalog - Homebodies". AFI.com. American Film Institute . Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "Amazon.com: Homebodies [VHS]: Peter Brocco, Frances Fuller, William Hansen, Paula Trueman, Ruth McDevitt, Ian Wolfe, Larry Yust: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Kino Lorber: Homebodies Blu-Ray
  5. ↑ "Homebodies, directed by Larry Yust". TimeOut.com. GB. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Guarisco, Donald. "Homebodies (1974) - Larry Yust". Allmovie.com. Donald Guarisco. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  7. ↑ Sindelar, Dave. "Homebodies (1974)". FantasticMovieMusings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "Homebodies (1974)". Terror Trap.com. Terror Trap. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "Homebodies - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 18 May 2018.


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