Death Weekend (1976)

“excessively violent exploiter” Time Out

“vicious and quote” Blockbuster Video

“violent ugly thriller” Maltin’s

“uncomfortable to watch” Video Movies

“well made” Splatter Movies

Death Weekend was shown in cinemas in the UK upon release but has been purged from existence once the Mary Whitehouse crusade against “video nasties” began to take effect. This film earned itself a fairly notorious reputation which was further enhanced when the British censors withdrew its certificate – thus officially banning the movie from an exhibition in the country. The movie itself is another line of Straw Dogs, Last House on the Left, and I Spit On Your Grave (All still on the banned list though it did precede I Spit by a year or two). It’s a Canadian quickie with a c grade cast attempting to cash in on the considerable success of Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left.

The film begins with a slimy, super-rich dentist on the way to his country retreat with a buxom beauty (Brenda Vaccaro) in tow. The dentist has deceived Vaccaro into the country weekend foray – the sole purpose of the trip (like so many previous ones) is to “enjoy” his latest conquest. On their way, in their souped-up sports car, the couple comes across some low life hillbillies who start harassing the couple and chasing them at high speed in their banged-up excuse of a car. Vaccaro, whose driving, steps on the accelerator and leaves the scumbags licking their wounds – their demented male pride seriously undermined.

In Straw Dogs mode, Don Stroud barks, “Jesus that broad can drive……That pisses me off!” a statement that perfectly captures the film’s tone. As the happy couple go screeching down the countryside to the dentists “debauchery retreat”, the enraged goons vow to exact their revenge and teach the rich city folks some respect. They do this by trashing the dentist’s mansion in an orgy of mindless violence. Then the four goons turn their attention to the good doctor, and once they’re through with him, it’s Vaccaro’s turn for the fun and games. Raped by the retard, the fightback begins with the tables turned, and the hunted quickly transformed into the hunter.

Vaccaro uses a shard of glass to good effect on the rapist before taking on the other scum one by one. One creep is lured to a trap and torched. A quicksand bog swallows up another jerk. Stroud is run over in a singularly unspectacular and disappointingly tame climax scene for a film bearing such a notorious reputation.

The movie is utterly forgettable, devoid of tension, and plays like an uninspired Straw Dogs clone. Perhaps the most surprising aspect is that this movie should have garnered such a fearsome reputation when the violence on display appears decidedly tame compared to what we are treated to on the big screen these days. Undoubtedly the film is a cheap, derivative exploitationer with little or no artistic merit other than a fairly decent effort by Brenda Vaccarro. It’s a poor distant cousin of Last House, but nowhere near as sadistic and violent as the film it draws inspiration from.

Though nasty, violent and decidedly ugly, the film is not at all shocking and hardly merits the ban that it has been slapped with – however, let’s keep in mind that Mr. James Ferman (head of the British Censors for what seemed like an eternity) was in charge at the time. He is the very same dolt who banned Sam Raimi’s epic Evil Dead and the ten times Oscar-nominated Exorcist as well as the admittedly awful (but hardly worth banning) Child’s Play 3.

Death Weekend is a sleazy exploitationer unworthy of the reputation it has earned thanks to Mr. Ferman’s efforts. A film as violent as Pulp Fiction can be passed without any significant cuts and has been watched unflinchingly by every teenager in the land, yet Death Weekend remains on the “nasties” list. Make any sense?

Better sense has prevailed since most of the films listed in the original “Video Nasties” list have now been released uncut to Video and for theatrical release. Death Weekend still awaits a decent DVD release to date.