Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

mark.waltz There were dozens of low-budget programmers like this made in Hollywood through the 1930's and 40's where an aging matriarch or patriarch was concerned that some greedy family member was out to bump them off and summoned the entire family home. That's exactly what transpires here with three-time Oscar Winner Walter Brennan begging his four estranged daughters to come back for Christmas, concerned that his second wife (Julie Harris) is slowly poisoning him. The dour Harris has great reason to be so severe; If you were being accused of attempted murder and had already been through the same situation with your first spouse, ending up in a mental institution, you'd be dour, too.The daughters are sensible oldest Eleanor Parker, self-centered Jill Haworth, substance abuser Jessica Walter and innocent baby Sally Field. Parker is already home when the others arrive, and with the glimpse of Harris standing on a staircase in the background, looking very much like Judith Anderson in "Rebecca", you know that the distrust between the step-family members is incredibly high. Brennan, decades after winning his last of three Oscars, is incredibly spry as the mostly bedridden octogenarian, while Harris is quietly mysterious as a possible black widow.These four daughters are not at all alike in anyway, and they seem like they are from different parents. Parker is cool, calm, and collected, the epitome of reason, while Haworth, having lost count on how many marriages she's been through, is coldly distant from any relationship with both her father and her sisters. Walters is the most pathetic of the three, a far cry from her character in the previous year's "Play Misty For Me". Young Sally is obviously vulnerable and scared, unsure what to believe about Harris who tries to reach out to her. This leads up to some frightening sequences where the siblings find their lives in danger, and the carnage is pretty violent for being a "movie of the week" from the beginning of that genre.Don't expect a happy holiday for the melodrama here, as nobody is happy to be home for the holidays. Don't expect Gidget or Sister Bertril from the young Sally who was preparing for more dramatic parts which lead her to the big screen and two Oscars for what she famously described as "an unorthodox career". The denouncement of the finale is somewhat forced, giving one of the stars a chance to show their ability of melodramatic over-acting. But when you've got a cast like this, you've got a film that can't be missed.

Mr_Ectoplasma "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.

ccthemovieman-1 This sports a nice, deep cast but for a thriller you better deliver more than name actors and talk. The first third of this movie was nothing but talk, and more talk. Most of that was a bunch of women bitching about everything to each other. The first five listed actors in here are women so that verifies that it's really a "chick flick" and little else. This probably plays on the Lifetime network.There was a quick murder scene and then more talk. By halfway through, they had lost me. By the way, Sally Field looked about 15 years old in here.

Halfbreed2627 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