House Where Evil Dwells, The (Full Frame)

VHS, R, 88 minutes, MGM

A sexual encounter turns into a brutal, Samurai tripledeath in the opening scene of this harrowing shocker, which finds stars Edward Albert, Susan George and Doug McClure entering the mysterious world of ancient Japanese ghosts and demons. The house that Alex Curtis (McClure) has found for his friend Ted Fletcher (Albert) is an old, traditional Japanese house. When a local Zen monk brings warnings of evil in the house, Ted dismisses its as mere superstition. But his family has barely a ghost of a chance in that house, for the victims of a brutal crime of passion are about to terrorize the Fletcher household. Can the wheel of fate be stopped before the ancient curse claims three new victims? Stunningly photographed on location, director Kevin Connor cleverly juxtaposes the brilliance of modern Japan's neon-lit streets against the dark forces of evil to sinister effect. Combined with Robert A. Suhosky's script (based on the novel by James W. Hardiman), "The House Where Evil Dwells" make for a chilling tale, well told.