Mausoleum (film)

Mausoleum
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Dugan
Produced by Robert Barich
Robert Madero
Written by Robert Barich
Robert Madero
Story by Katherine Rosenwink
Starring Bobbie Bresee
Marjoe Gortner
Norman Burton
Music by Jaime Mendoza-Nava
Cinematography Robert Barich
Edited by Richard Bock
Production
company
Western International Pictures[1]
Distributed by Motion Picture Marketing[1]
Release date
  • April 29, 1983 (1983-04-29)[2]
Running time
 96 minutes[3]
Country United States
Language English

Mausoleum is a 1983 American supernatural horror film directed by Michael Dugan and starring Bobbie Bresee, Marjoe Gortner, Norman Burton, and LaWanda Page. The plot follows a young woman who becomes possessed by the same demon that killed her mother.

While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 during the "video nasty" panic. The film was released theatrically in the United States in the spring of 1983, and later won the Special Jury Prize at the 13th Paris Film Festival of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films in December that year.

Plot

Susan was ten years old when her mother died. Now thirty, blonde and beautiful, she is heiress to the family fortune. But for the women of the Nomed family there is another legacy that no one wants to remember, an ancient and evil curse. Possessed by powers that overtake her, Susan's life becomes a nightmare of lust, terror and murder until even her husband finds himself confronting the face of evil. Only one person can help her cast away the evil, but he will have to face the prince of darkness to free Susan from the grip of Satan.

Cast

  • Bobbie Bresee as Susan Walker Farrell
  • Marjoe Gortner as Oliver Farrell
  • Norman Burton as Dr. Simon Andrews
  • Maurice Sherbanee as Ben
  • LaWanda Page as Elsie
  • Laura Hippe as Aunt Cora Nomed
  • Sheri Mann as Dr. Roni Logan
  • Julie Christy Murray as Young Susan

Release

The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by Motion Picture Marketing (MPM) on April 29, 1983.[2] It was subsequently released on VHS by Embassy Home Entertainment.[4] It was later passed in the United Kingdom by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) for video release in March 1998.[5]

The film was released on DVD by BCI Entertainment as part of their Exploitation Cinema double feature line alongside the film Blood Song.[6] This version is currently out of print.

Mill Creek Entertainment announced the re-released of the movie alongside with Blood Song on DVD.

Critical reception

Bill O'Connor from the Akron Beacon Journal gave the film a poor review, writing, "What is irritating about this movie is its absolute lack of logic. In order for a horror movie to scare us, we need to understand the parameters of the world we're watching".[7] Variety's film review guide called it an "engaging minor film concerning demonic possession."[3] Howard Reich from the Chicago Tribune described Mausoleum as "one of the weakest horror films one is likely to see".[8]

The 1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Guide awarded the film one star out of five, deeming it "schlocky and silly."[9] Eleanor Mannikka of AllMovie awarded the film one-and-a-half stars out of five, though ultimately deemed it a "modest but well-wrought occult horror film."[10]

Accolades

  • Won: Special Jury Prize, 13th Paris Film Festival of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films (December 1983)[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Young, R.G., ed. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 396. ISBN 978-1-557-83269-6.
  2. 1 2 "Mausoleum (1983)". American Film Institute Catalog. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Elley, Derek (ed.). Variety Portable Movie Guide. Penguin. p. 798. ISBN 978-0-425-17550-7.
  4. ↑ Mausoleum (VHS)|format= requires |url= (help). Embassy Home Entertainment. 1984. 0-4299-52087-3-3.
  5. ↑ "Mausoleum". British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Mausoleum / Blood Song (Double Feature)". DVD Empire. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Mausoleum". The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. May 28, 1983. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Mausoleum". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. August 3, 1983. p. 57 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Movies and Videos, 1998. Island Books. 1997. p. 788. ISBN 978-0-440-22419-8.
  10. ↑ Mannikka, Eleanor. "Mausoleum". AllMovie. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  11. ↑ Speed, F. Maurice; Cameron-Wilson, James (1984). "Film Review". W.H. Allen: 158. ISBN 978-0-862-87169-7.
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