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That was an excellent one.

Simply Perfect

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

A childhood trauma story about a woman who's parents died when she was very young and she was sent to an orphanage where she lived for years. Grown up, she living on a farm with her haunted memories and is a very devout Christian. News of a killer in town breaks out, a killer who's weapon of choice is scissors. The woman begins to think her uncle is to blame but is he? The question is: Who is the killer? A pretty good psychological thriller. I guessed right off the bat who the killer was but I was second guessing myself the whole film and I won't tell you who - you will have to watch and find out for yourself who the scissor killer is! Not a lot of blood and gore in this film - just a decent psychological horror-thriller to keep fans of the genre entertained.8/10

Haunts is one of those flicks that is hunted down by true collectors for so many reasons. First of all, it has a few famous Thespians in it that were on their downfall back then. On the other hand the director was Herb Freed who directed Graduation Day, a well known horror for the geeks. But also this flick, Haunts, never had a proper release so far. It's only available on US VHS up to this writing and I guess it will never be released on DVD because it's a bit outdated and had nothing to offer.The only acting that could convince me was that of May Britt (Ingrid). It was her last flick she performed in. We also have Cameron Mitchell (Carl) be he couldn't convince me, not even in the final scene before the mirror. It's sad to see what he did before as an actor and I couldn't care about him here. Further we have Aldo Ray (Sheriff) but what he did here was really bad, he just said his lines without emotions. Coming from movies like The Green Berets (1968 with John Wayne) is is really a downfall. Luckily some names went further to become bigger like Ben Hammer (Vicar) who played for example the father of The Beastmaster (1982) and is still performing. William Gray Espy (Frankie) stopped acting in 1985 and only appeared in series.It's made just before the heydays of the slashers and maybe that's the reason why it flopped. Nothing is creepy or scary there is even no red stuff to mention in it. It's more a psychological drama with a twist. Everybody in a small town do has his dirty secrets. It's also weird to see May Britt walking around a lot in her nudies but doesn't show anything. The rape scene's are tame and the stabbing isn't convincing at all. Still, it's one to collect due the actors in it and the name of the director. Easy to catch on VHS with different covers, none of them pictures on it shown in the movie.Gore 0/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 1/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

I am working my way through the Chilling Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection and HAUNTS is the ninth movie in the set. Released in 1977, HAUNTS is a creepy, psychological thriller about the demons of small town life.That small town is being stalked by a deranged rapist/killer, who uses scissors as his weapon! A religious woman, Ingrid (Played by May Britt) begins to suspect that her uncle may be the killer. However, another girl believes it could be her boyfriend – bit of a cliché here – she is the daughter of the sheriff! Others have noted that this film unfolds, much like a Stephen King novel. One of my favorite comments about his early works is that Stephen King was the "master of digression" – in other words, he introduced peripheral characters, who seem inconsequential; but, once you get to know them, they contribute to the overall ambiance.And ambiance is what HAUNTS is all about. We peer into the memories of Brit, who is haunted by her mother's suicide; and, her own molestation as a child. We see her hallucinations, which are the psychological scars of her youth, as well as the physical scars of her abuse. Finally, we experience how she confronts the grim prospect of her own peril, with an attempted rape while walking home from church; with finding one of the victims in her own garden; her own rape at the hands of the local hood – and, subsequent re-assault, as well as the feigned incest of her loving uncle.The film features stunning cinematography; and, evocative images. The score is better than passable; and, the acting is quite credible. The best performance in this one goes to the Sheriff, played by Aldo Ray! The plot is strong. But, best, a shocking twist brings a surprise ending!

Haunts is perplexing and flawed, but still offbeat enough to maintain interest. Swedish May Britt gives a very good performance as a repressed, tormented, fanatically religious farm girl in a town plagued by a brutal sex murderer. Despite the potentially lurid subject matter, it's all handled with a very subtle approach (even in the uncut R-rated version). Well-cast (though Aldo Ray deserved better and Cameron Mitchell doesn't have much to do) and graced with a lush Pino Donaggio score and beautiful but unpolished photography, it has some standout moments; one unforgettable scene has Britt driving, with the scenic reflections in the windshield melding into a montage of flashbacks. What hurts it are too many routine passages, klutzy red herrings, a lack of momentum, and extraneous material. Sometimes it becomes quite frustrating, but patience is ultimately rewarded by a very original twist at the end. Most certainly not for everybody, but worth seeing if you're an art fan looking for a change of pace.Trivia note: Copyrighted 1975, Haunts was shelved until 1976 when Intercontinental released it to theaters of confused moviegoers.