MORTUARY

Young Christie has suffered a hard blow after the death of her father, apparently drowned in the pool, and is now subject to frequent nightmares and sleepwalking. From this moment on, she will discover that she is being followed and spied on by a mysterious and gloomy hooded individual who will attempt to attack her one night. Who could that mysterious individual be? What does he want from young Christie? The girl, with the help of her boyfriend, will try to find out until she uncovers a horrible truth. "Mortuary – Obitorio" is an example, not very successful, of a thriller/horror from the first half of the 1980s (1983 to be exact) that, although made for regular cinematic distribution (even if in our country it only arrived in video stores), has a rather poor and television-like style. Unfortunately, the film cannot boast of a particularly intriguing and well-devised subject because it is impossible not to notice a thinness of content that, in addition to being a bit shaky, is also assembled in a rather unprofessional and unconvincing manner. In the unsuccessful "Mortuary", a key role is played by the weak screenplay written by Howard Avedis (who also attempts to direct) that does not manage to recreate the narrative times well, thus showing deep shortcomings in several aspects. The most relevant screenplay flaw, perhaps, is not being able to sufficiently delve into some situations that at first seem to play an essential role for the film's conclusion and which, subsequently, will be totally abandoned or, in any case, little explored (this is the case of the séances held in the basements of the morgue). Other screenplay problems are found in a narrative construction that exceeds in some slowness (but never bordering on boredom) and in the unfortunate decision to reveal the killer's identity and motive from the middle of the film onwards, thus generating a lack of tension or suspense and risking losing the viewer's interest. Very effective, however, is the aesthetic representation of the killer who, thanks to a simple white mask and gloomy and gloomy clothing, manages to emit a good sense of unease, proving particularly suitable for the realization of a horror film. Well-chosen and innovative is the weapon used by the killer to commit his crimes, namely a long and sharp blood aspirator... one of those used in morgues to embalm corpses. It is also a pity that the crimes, although never left off-screen (which is good), are not very bloody because a more carefree use of bloody sequences would have certainly played in favor of the overall result. Good cast composed of more than valid actors like an excellent Christopher George ("Paura nella città dei morti viventi", "Grizzly – l'orso che uccide") and a young and still inexperienced Bill Paxton ("Frailty", "Twister"). In conclusion, this "Mortuary – Obitorio" is a film of little importance and characterized by multiple flaws but that, all in all, manages to entertain and not displease. Notable and unexpected is the enigmatic ending.