house on straw hill

One of Britain’s 39 prosecuted “video nasties” from the 1984 Video Recording Act which had authorities raiding video stores nationwide to prevent the warping of impressionable young minds, House on Straw Hill (1976) actually earns much it’s torrid reputation…unlike more obviously absurd films like Zombie and Blood Feast which also made the list. Starring Udo Kier (Suspiria) and Linda Hayden (Taste the Blood of Dracula) in a sexually charged standoff at an isolated country estate, there are plenty of crude attempts to titillate, but also an intriguingly twisted mystery underneath the filth.

Author Paul Martin (Kier) is struggling to complete the follow-up to his bestselling first novel. The arrival of an attractive hired secretary, Linda, (Hayden) speeds up the writing process, but distracts him with lustful thoughts and, ultimately, sexual frustration. It soon becomes obvious that Linda has a secret agenda; one that includes manipulating Martin and his drop-in lover (played by ‘70s sexpot Fiona Richmond) to her own mysterious ends.

Actually, the secret Linda is harboring is beyond obvious. Yet her quirky behavior and salacious use of sex as a weapon make her a fascinating character nonetheless. Actress Linda Hayden has distanced herself from the film at every opportunity (with not one but two self-gratification scenes, it’s easy to understand why), but she brings an unquantifiable “something” to the role that rises above the raw exploitation elements. There’s a femme fatale quality that makes her always interesting to watch.

Udo Kier is almost unrecognizably handsome here. But behind his eyes lies madness. When he puts on those surgical gloves before doing the dirty deed, it’s easy to see why he found a comfortable niche in the horror genre. Every mannerism seems to betray some sort of sadistic ulterior motive. And even though he’s the victim here, his casting alone casts some doubt on the final outcome.

With a hi-def transfer created from multiple film elements (the original negative suffered severe water damage), Severin Films isn’t going to win any awards for best-looking blu-ray of the year. And they don’t expect to. The goal here was to present the most complete version of House on Straw Hill (also known as Expose and Trauma) possible, with all the sex and violence trimmed by the British censors reinstated. And the three-disc set DVD combo does all that and more, with producer / director commentary, on-camera interview with Linda Hayden that touches on all the high points of her career, and a bonus disc containing David Gregory’s two-part documentary Ban the Sadist Videos which covers the whole censorship brouhaha from day one. Now that’s called getting your money’s worth.