Home for the Holidays (1974)

That was an excellent one.

Better Late Then Never

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Yours truly is a man of many silly traditions, and one of them is that I insist on watching one Christmas-themed horror movie per year during the Holiday period! Since I've been doing this for many years already, it's getting more difficult each year to select a worthwhile holiday-horror title each year. At first I was thrilled to have stumbled upon this "Home for the Holidays", but in all honesty it's only a very standard and numeric whodunit TV-thriller and there just happens to stand a Christmas tree in the entrance hall of the house where most of the film is set. Apart from the tree and the holiday reference in the title, "Home for the Holidays" isn't at all what you expect from a Christmas horror flick. There aren't any maniacal killers dressed up as Santa or demonic elves, and even the typical Christmassy circumstances got overlooked. For example, there's a thunderstorm raging outside instead of snowflakes tumbling down. Joseph Stefano, who also wrote the screenplay of the legendary "Psycho", delivered the script to TV-producer Aaron Spelling and multi-talented director John Llewellyn Moxey. Impressive names, to say the least, and the cast list is also stupendous, but the movie itself is less than memorable. Benjamin Morgan begs for his four adult daughters to return home because he's convinced that his second wife Elizabeth is slowly poisoning him to death. The daughters believe him, because Elizabeth's first husband also died under mysterious circumstances, but still they're reluctant to help their father. For you see, Benjamin always was a tyrant and the daughters feel that he drove their beloved mother to commit suicide. Shortly after, a murderous psychopath dressed in a raincoat and waving around a pitchfork makes it clear that nobody of the Morgan family is supposed to survive this Christmas. The mystery/whodunit factor of this film is probably one of the weakest and most predictable ones I've ever seen. One good glimpse at all the faces of the lead players is enough to guess who the killer is, and when and his/her motivations get revealed at the end, it makes little to no sense. The main reason to track down and watch "Home for the Holidays" is undoubtedly the female top-cast! Jessica Walter, Jill Hayworth, Eleanor Parker and Julie Harris all give away superb performances. But the girl standing in the spotlights the most here is Sally Field as the youngest and most innocent daughter Christine. Sally was 26 years old around the time of release, but here she looks like an adorable angel not a day over 15.

"Home For The Holidays", originally a made-for-television horror movie, is a neat little horror mystery that came a little before it's time. The plot centers around the Morgan family. Benjamin Morgan (Walter Brennan), an dying man, summons his four estranged daughters back home on Christmas Eve. The sisters include Alex (Eleanor Parker), the oldest of the group who is already staying at her father's house; Frederica (Jessica Walter, of "Play Misty For Me"), a pill-popping alcoholic who blames her father for their mother's suicide; Joanna (Jill Haworth), a somewhat stuck-up party girl; and Christine (Sally Field), the innocent one, and the youngest of the family. When the girls arrive, their father reveals to them that his current wife, Elizabeth (Julie Harris, of "The Haunting"), who was suspected of her previous husband's death, is poisoning him slowly, and that he essentially wants his daughters to murder her. But it seems that the Morgan sisters have a surprise visitor - and it's not Santa Claus. A pitchfork wielding maniac in a rain slicker begins to stalk and murder the sisters - but who could it be? With the phones dead and the roads washed out due to a heavy rainstorm, the sisters are trapped there while the unseen killer begins to pick them off one by one.I was really surprised at how good this film turned out to be. Originally aired on ABC in late November 1972, "Home For The Holidays" is a solid and suspenseful little made-for-TV movie. Probably the very first holiday-horror film, this one predates "Black Christmas" and all the other Christmas-set horror films that followed. The story is absolutely wonderful. Not only is it original (especially if you consider the time it was written), but it also provides a good amount of shocks and some great mysteries for the audience to try and solve themselves, along with a solid sustainment of suspense. It's no surprise that the writing is so good though, considering the film was written by Joseph Stefano, who wrote Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film classic, "Psycho". The script is excellent and there are some great horror set-ups (including a pretty lengthy chase scene with Sally Field through the woods), plus some nice plot twists that will keep you guessing.The cast is made up of mostly female actresses, and they really are all great. Sally Field pulls off the innocent youngster of the girls (and the main heroine) well - her performing skills were wonderful, even in her early career. The great Julie Harris plays the mysterious, 'wicked stepmother', and does it precisely. We aren't sure if we should consider her a suspect or not, although quite a few things are pointing in her direction. Jessica Walter is the frantic, pill-popping sister who resents her father, and is also very good. All in all, the cast is great, and there are very few corny moments. Atmosphere is a big part of this film as well. The setting is a secluded mansion, perfect place to set a murder mystery. While the film takes place during Christmas, there are rainstorms rather than snowstorms - a bit of an edgy but nice decision from the filmmakers, the thunder and lightning add to the spookiness. The only real holiday scenery that we get is a grand Christmas tree in the center of the coiling staircase, and a wreathe on the front door - like in "Black Christmas", it is obvious that it is Christmastime, but the theme isn't too overdone. There are a couple of murders in the film, but keeping in mind that this was a television film, there is very little in the way of violence - not that it's a bad thing, this film is creepy enough without showing too much. The suspense factor is really the kicker for this one.Overall, "Home For The Holidays" is a good old-fashioned murder mystery set during Christmas. It's suspenseful, spooky, and really well-written (plus the cast is really excellent as well). If you enjoy old fashioned murder/mystery films (and would be interested in seeing a young Sally Field chased by a pitchfork-wielding murderer), this one will keep you guessing the killer's identity until the final revelation. If you can manage to get a hold of the out-of-print VHS, I'd really recommend it. This holiday horror film is worth a look. 8/10.

Well-done made for TV thriller is a little known but worth wild movie.Sisters are summoned home by their bed-ridden father because he believes his new wife is trying to murder him. Now it seems that the whole family just may be on the murderer's hit list.Thanks to its great cast, this becomes a surprising good thriller, especially considering it was made for TV in 1972. A well-mounted mystery with some good suspense and set-ups. Aided along by a fairly moody atmosphere; this Christmas there's no snow, just heavy rainstorms.Sally Field, Jessica Walters, and the great Julie Harris turn in the best performances for this one. The subtle music score is nicely done, as is the whole movie. In fact, my only real complaint about this movie is the camera operator's apparent obsession with 'zoom' shots!All around, this is a pretty decent little thriller that's worth a rainy night watch.*** out of ****

Four daughters return to the old homestead when they receive a note from their elderly father saying his new wife is slowly poisoning him to death. The daughters are an eclectic bunch; an alcoholic obsessed with the memory of their dead mother, a many-times married blonde, the eldest sister who constantly frets over them and the youngest who doesn't seem to know what's going on through most of the film, played by a very young Sally Field. The rain has washed out the road (hate when that happens)the phone is dead and someone is bumping off the family one by one. For an older tv movie this one is actually done pretty well. Decent writing and well acted, it will have you guessing. **1/2