19 March 2024
Keep My Grave Open (1976)
78 min.
Directed by S.F. Brownrigg.
With Camilla Carr, Gene Ross, Stephen Toblowsky, Ann Stafford, Chelcie Ross, Annabelle Weenick, Bill Thurman.
This clunky low budget horror is bestowed on us by the director of Don't Look in the Basement (1973) and Don't Open the Door (1975).

The story goes like this: Lesley Fontaine (Carr) lives with her husband Kevin out in the country. (Of course, we never actually see Kevin, so right off the bat, you know something's wrong here).

The two are wealthy, eccentric and apparently very anti-social, as evidenced by the prominent 'Keep Out' sign that graces the front gate of their estate.

And when anyone trespasses onto their land, a shadowy figure with a longsword appears out of nowhere and slices the unfortunate wanderers up pronto!

So, it comes as no real surprise that the mentally unstable Lesley is the psycho at large.

But exactly what's really driving her to kill - and figuring out if there's actually a Kevin upstairs or not - well, these questions go unanswered.

As far as lazy drive-in terrors go, this one has a few redeeming points. It possesses a certain sleepy summer charm, thanks to its rural Texas locations.

And it's kinda fun to watch Carr think that Lesley is a 'meaty role,' as she attempts to channel the best of Patty Duke, then Lady Macbeth, then Salome, and everybody in between.

But where this goes terribly wrong is in the lazy editing; even with its short running time, there's just too much filler.

Carr's kooky nut act begins to get tiresome (see the weird "I'm sexy" scene she does alone in her bedroom).

Add to that the contrived ending - which leaves even more plot questions unresolved - and you've got one loopy, half-baked midnight pie.

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