HouseofWhipcord

House of Whipcord (1974)

This sleazy little gem is from English director Pete Walker. The movie opens at a party where we meet a beautiful young French model. She has recently been arrested for public nudity while participating in a photo shoot, but only received a slap on the wrist as punishment. But there are some that feel like her punishment was inadequate for her crime and she is kidnapped and brought to a special private prison to be properly dealt with. Suddenly she finds herself locked up, beaten, and tortured by the twisted matron and her guards. Eventually she realizes that escape is the only option, but is it worth incurring the wrath of the Matron, which includes summary execution!

Other than Frightmare this has got to be my favorite Pete Walker movie. The story is paced well and entertaining. There isn’t ever a slow or boring part and everything happens for a reason. Additionally the movie doesn’t ever feel like it goes over the top, but does manage to be very unsettling and disturbing. The characters are well written and realistic, which makes the whole movie very creepy. If the Matron and her guards were written over the top and kitschy then the movie wouldn’t be nearly as effective. Of course this then also takes me to the performances, which are all excellent. The cast takes this movie and their parts seriously. This makes the disturbing story even more powerful and twisted. I’m not joking when I say that the Matron, played by Barbara Markham, is one of the creepiest characters I’ve ever watched in a movie. She is evil, but in a realistic way that will make your skin crawl. Plus something happens to one of the main characters that I never expected. After watching as many genre movies as I have it takes quite a bit to surprise me like House of Whipcord did.

The movie looks great. The lighting and camera work with the story to help create the atmosphere and tension. I can’t say enough about how well the scenes and characters are light. When you watch this movie pay special attention to the lighting and I’m sure you will find it just as unique and effective as I did. Additionally I’m not sure where they shot the movie, but whoever found that location should pat them self on the back. There isn’t really any gore in this movie, but there is a lot of nudity if you like that sort of thing (which I do!).

If you haven’t checked out any Pete Walker movies then I suggest picking up the British Horror 4 pack from Shriek Show. It contains not only this movie, but also Frightmare, Die Screaming Marianne, and The Flesh and Blood show as well. Frightmare and this film make the $14 cost well worth the price. I highly recommend House of Whipcord.

3 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer