Mortuary main backdrop
Mortuary main poster

5.3/10 • 73

1982-05-071h 33m

Horror

... where nobody rests in peace.

A young woman investigates the seemingly accidental death of her father, revealing many unsettling secrets and putting her in mortal danger.

Directors
Howard Avedis
Writters
Howard Avedis, Marlene Schmidt
Editors
Howard Avedis, Stanford C. Allen

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Mary Elizabeth McDonough

    Mary Elizabeth McDonough

    Christie Parson

  2. David Wallace

    David Wallace

    Greg Stevens

  3. Bill Paxton

    Bill Paxton

    Paul Andrews

  4. Lynda Day George

    Lynda Day George

    Eve Parson

  5. Christopher George

    Christopher George

    Hank Andrews

  6. Curt Ayers

    Curt Ayers

    Jim

  7. Bill Conklin

    Bill Conklin

    Sheriff Duncan

  8. Donna Garrett

    Donna Garrett

    Mrs. Andrews

  9. Greg Kaye

    Greg Kaye

    Mark

Reviews1

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Jan 1, 2023

6/10

A black metal psycho is on the loose in sunny SoCal (not really, but sort of) After her father’s dubious death at his manor in Malibu, a young woman and her beau (Mary Beth McDonough & David Wysocki) trace the truth to a mortician who holds cult-like seances (Christopher George), not to mention his psychologically troubled son, an embalmer (Bill Paxton). Lynda Day George is on hand as the mother. "Mortuary" (1982/1983) starts as occult-oriented horror akin to "Midnight Offerings" (1981), which also starred Mary Beth, but it takes a different path, morphing into a horror-thriller mystery à la “The Night Strangler” (1973) with slasher elements in a mortuary/cemetery setting. The last act throws in something reminiscent of “Don’t Go in the House” (1979). "One Dark Night" (1982) also comes to mind. Speaking of “Midnight Offerings” and “The Night Strangler,” this has a made-for-TV vibe except for the explicit embalming sequences, gore and sex scene (using body doubles, of course). The score is notable in an early 80s way and unrecognizable young Paxton is a highlight with his over-the-top performance. But the weird cult bits at the beginning are curiously never elaborated on and the lights going off-and-on at the Malibu mansion is annoying padding. Nevertheless, there’s enough good here to entertain those who appreciate some of the aforementioned flicks. Beth Scheffell is notable as Bonnie at the skating rink (the blonde in the red shorts), but her role amounts to being a wallflower cameo. The film runs 1 hours, 33 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles (cemetery and mortuary), Malibu (Christie’s house), Burbank (florist shop) and Marina del Rey (driving/plaza scenes). GRADE: B-/C+

Media

  • Mortuary poster
  • Mortuary poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
murdercorpsekillermortuaryséancesleepwalking