Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Wordiezett So much average

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Kirpianuscus the only question after the end of film is why Rod Steiger accept to work at this project. because it is not exactly a bad movie. only, maybe, boring. and this is the basic problem of it. to see an old film was a form to discover something original. or American Gothic is a ball of clichés. sure, the atmosphere, the secrets, the mystery, crimes and the revelation are interesting but especially for the fans of genre. and this is the cause for looking a decent answer to the presence of Rod Steiger. because he remains a shadow of Yvonne of Carlo. and this is all. so, difficult to do a honest verdict about the film. except, maybe - one from too many others.

lost-in-limbo Backwoods horror with a twist, well "American Gothic" won't win any awards for originality but there's no knocking back that it's truly demented, often ludicrous and eventually goes down a path (in regards to the heroine's character development) that simply fits right at home with this darkly nightmarish comic shocker. At times some instances or choice actions were grating and I was getting a little annoyed by the performances, but you could say this was meant to be. It's well-acted with Rod Steiger and Yvonne De Carlo playing Pa (a god fearing man) and Ma with stinging commitment and also showing up is character actor Michael J Pollard as one of their children.Some young adults find themselves stranded on an island when their plane comes on. On the secluded island they begin looking for help and the come across a very old-fashion house where they would meet Pa and Ma. They invite them to stay, until help arrives. However this is one strange family, who stick to their old conservative family values, the kids are a lot older than one would think and they seem to have horrifying plans for their guests.Director John Hough ("The Legend of Hell House" and "Twins of Evil") does a commendable job pacing it, drumming up suspense and capturing some lasting atmospheric visuals. There's something unsettling beneath it, but it's broken up by its operatic ham. Janet Wright's performance is a nice fit to that. Disappointedly some of the deaths happen off screen, but there are one or two ghastly inclusions. What it does set-up is routine, but where it really does come into its own is within the last half-hour, as things might not play out as you might think. Sarah Torgov's performance is the standout in the young adults, as she portrays someone with a little more depth which is important to the story's progression. Also gotta love the trademark image for the poster artwork.Typical, but decently macabre. Would make for a good companion piece with "Girly" (1971).

merklekranz In a way it is sad to see a talent like Rod Steiger relegated to playing these psycho-eccentrics, as he does here and also in the absolutely amazing "Guilty as Charged". "American Gothic" lacks the fully developed script of "Guilty as Charged", although it is not your standard slasher in the woods. Other films have been "borrowed" from, but somehow there is enough originality to maintain interest. The character development is scatter shot, and the acting ranges from embarrassing (pick any of the stranded friends), to stereotyped (Steiger and Michael J. Pollard). Nevertheless, "American Gothic" rises above mediocrity, because of the presence of Steiger and Pollard, some intriguing, though underdeveloped ideas, and a smattering of dark comedy. - MERK

slayrrr666 "American Gothic" is a decent if unspectacular slasher entry.**SPOILERS**After she's released from an insane asylum, Jeff, (Mark Ericksen) decides to take his wife Cynthia, (Sarah Torgov) along on a getaway to help her get used to company again. Bringing their friends Terri, (Caroline Barclay) Rob, (Mark Lindsay Chapman) Lynn, (Fiona Hutchison) and Paul, (Stephen Sheldon) they decide to camp out on a remote island like on their honeymoon. They realize that they're stranded when the plane breaks down and explore the island. They run across Pa, (Rod Steiger) and Ma, (Yvonne De Carlo) hermits who are barely into the 1920s and offer to take them in while they wait for help. The longer they stay, the more eccentric they seem, and it finally dawns on them that they're being slaughtered for not upholding their values, and try to escape the family.The Good News: This one has a couple of really nice points to it. The fact that the island location gives off a great atmosphere is really fun and quite nice. The woods are quite creepy and the fact that they're so isolated are mixed together in here to make the setting really creepy. The family of nut-jobs that they stumble upon do have a huge creep factor to them, especially the way that they're presented as being so cut off from modern conveyances that their sheer backwoods-ness simply makes them creepy. Their behavior and actions are more plain examples, as to have a basement filled with previously-dispatched victims that are referred to as giant dolls or keeping a mummified corpse and calling it a baby, as well as the fact that the people are clearly into their middle age yet act and are talked to as children under the age of ten is cause for concern. The last good point to it is the really high body count. This is split up into two main sections, as the majority of the stranded group as well as the family fall victim in here at different points. The massacre of the family at the end is the big one, since it's the goriest, the most creative and done in a spectacular way that there's plenty of excitement to be had since it never slows down and is just right after another. The wholesale body count includes an ax to the head, stabbed with the horn on a unicorn statue, a scythe to the neck, a metal tub bashed repeatedly and viciously against the head and falling off a cliff after the rope on a swing set is cut. These here are the film's real good points.The Bad News: This one doesn't really have a whole lot of flaws to it. The fact that the incessant religious banter and conditioning really manages to get on the nerves is something to get over. That doesn't make for a threatening characteristic when all they do is just warn of what they're doing rather than taking action later on because of it. This just leads to numerous scenes of them warning of what's going on rather than doing anything about it because of that, as the punishment meted out is for other reasons. They really should've brought up more of that if it was supposed to be brought up. The lack of kills in the first half is noticeable and makes it come off as rather slow-going in the process. There's only a few there to keep it going, but the majority of the time nothing of interest happens during these. The other factor is that the final rampage to knock off the remaining survivors is done with far more creative kills and zealousness than the main section with the majority of the kills. This has nothing much from those scenes, and as a result this one doesn't have a whole lot of things going on in the beginning. These here are what lower the film somewhat.The Final Verdict: Without a whole lot of really great points, but not a whole lot of bad ones either leaves this one just feeling somewhat bland and unspectacular. Give it a go if you're interested in that sort of thing, otherwise just leave it while there's plenty of others out there more deserving.Rated R: Violence and Language