''Homebodies'' is a 1974 comedy horror film directed by

Larry Yust Walter M. Yust (May 16, 1894 – February 29, 1960) was an American journalist and writer. Yust was the American editor-in-chief of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' from 1938 to 1960.

. The film features a cast of veteran actors, including

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as a ...

, Ruth McDevitt,

Peter Brocco Carl Peter Brocco (January 16, 1903 – December 20, 1992) was an American screen and stage actor. He appeared in over 300 credits, notably ''Spartacus'' (1960) and '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975), during his career spanning over 60 ...

, and Douglas Fowley. The film centers on elderly residents resorting to murder to protect their condemned building.

Plot

A quiet, elderly group of

pensioner A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...

s discover that their homes are scheduled to be demolished in order to make way for a block of flats. Their attempts to discourage the developers soon escalate from dissuasion to murder as they begin to rid themselves of both the developers and the construction workers by any means necessary.

Cast

as Mr. Blakely *

Frances Fuller Frances Fuller (March 16, 1907 in Charleston, South Carolina – December 18, 1980 Manhattan, New York City) was an American actress. She is the grandmother of the actress Rachel Miner and the niece of the Supreme Court Justice and Secr ...

as Miss Emily * William Hansen as Mr. Sandy * Ruth McDevitt as Mrs. Loomis * Paula Trueman as Mattie *

as Mr. Loomis *

Linda Marsh Linda Marsh (born Linda Cracovaner; February 8, 1939) is an American actress of film, stage, and television. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's 1963 film ''America, America''. Early years Marsh wa ...

as Miss Pollack * Douglas Fowley as Mr. Crawford

Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

for ''Homebodies'' took place in 1973, on location in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

. The film's cast was composed of veteran actors and actresses who, according to '' Daily Varietys report, "had appeared in nine hundred films, collectively, but were receiving top-billing for the first time in their careers". The film marked the second film production by the Cinema Entertainment Corporation.

Release

Home media

''Homebodies'' was released on VHS by Sony Pictures on June 23, 1994. Kino Lorber released a Special Edition Blu-Ray version on November 2, 2021.

Reception

Time Out gave the film a positive review, complimenting the film's humor, well controlled tension, as well as Trueman's "saner version of Ruth Gordon" performance. Allmovie called the film "an unexpectedly haunting piece of work", complimenting the film's unpredictability, strong characterization, and direction. On his website ''Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings'', Dave Sindelar gave the film a positive review, calling it "an engaging curiosity". In his review, Sindelar commended the film for its "offbeat and eccentric" premise, and wicked sense of humor. Sindelar also commended the film's acting, particularly Trueman's. Terror Trap awarded the film three out of a possible four stars, commending the film's acting, humor, feeling of urban decay, calling it "a heartwarming horror story". Not all reviews for the film were positive.

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

awarded the film 2/4 stars, calling it "a strange little shocker about a murderous group of geriatrics", although the reviewer commended the film for being well shot, and directed.

References

External links

* * * * 1974 films 1974 black comedy films 1974 comedy horror films American black comedy films American comedy horror films Embassy Pictures films Films scored by Bernardo Segall Films shot in Ohio Films about old age Films about real estate holdout 1970s English-language films 1970s American films Psycho-biddy films {{comedy-horror-film-stub