GRANDMA'S HOUSE
You might wonder "Why GrandMA's?"
That's what ran through my head throughout watching this movie. Why call this one Grandma's house, when Grandma is virtually a bit part, and Grandpa's a lot weirder? Well, yes, that question is answered.
Most disturbing line: "If I had a sister like that, I'd boff her." Disturbing mostly for re-introducing the word "boff" into my vocabulary, from which I'd hoped it to have been permanently purged.
Whee...man, this flick had a nifty plot, twisty as a mountain road. I don't want to give anything away, but here's the setup - a young boy and his teenage sister move in with their grandparents after the remaining parent (the father) dies. Then the boy starts seeing brief glimpses of some strange lady and has a strange dream where Grandpa's about to cut up said lady just before a big barbecue. Yummy.
This is a mostly strong film. The ending's really good, and there's an extended chase scene about 2/3 of the way through with a number of good moments (my favorite of which is when the boy accidentally runs face-first into the end of a pipe - ouch!). And surprises abound in the plot as your suspicions bounce all over the place.
It's not all strong, though. There's a pointless romance between the girl and one of those losers who carries a pack of cigarettes in his sleeve. You know the type: the kind of charmer who starts of a relationship by making sure to get a good look at every part and forcing a kiss on her, whether she likes it or not. There's also one scene where the boy is clambering across the roof of the titular house trying to escape, which just goes on forever. And the behavior of the kids is inconsistent, too - sometimes quite smart (like not just taking a knife, but taking a whole bunch of big knives - not only arming yourself to the teeth, but depriving your attacker of potential weapons. Smart move.), sometimes quite dumb (in a movie like this, there's always some unlucky bastard who jumps in at the wrong moment and gets shot).
But these are relatively minor nits in an otherwise fine movie. Also known as Grandmother's House, which is the title seen in the opening credits and on the videotape, though not on the box.