Home for the Holidays (1972 film)

1972 television slasher film from the United States directed by John Llewellyn Moxey

Home for the Holidays

Genre|

* Drama
* Horror
* Mystery

Written by| Joseph Stefano
Directed by| John Llewellyn Moxey
Starring| Sally Field
Jessica Walter
Eleanor Parker
Julie Harris
Jill Haworth
Walter Brennan
Music by| George Tipton
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
Production
Executive producers| Aaron Spelling
Leonard Goldberg
Producer| Paul Junger Witt
Production locations| 20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California
Cinematography| Leonard J. South
Editor| Allan Jacobs
Running time| 74 minutes
Production companies| ABC Circle Films
Spelling-Goldberg Productions
Original release
Network| ABC
Release| November 28, 1972 (1972-11-28)

Home for the Holidays is a 1972 American made-for-television slasher film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, produced by Aaron Spelling and starring Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Julie Harris, Jessica Walter, and Walter Brennan which premiered on ABC on November 28, 1972. The plot focuses on a wealthy father on his deathbed who invites his four daughters home for Christmas and tells them he suspects his second wife of poisoning him. Shortly after, the girls learn that their stepmother was accused of killing her first husband, and they begin to fall prey to a killer dressed in a yellow rain slicker.

## Plot

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A wealthy invalid, Benjamin Morgan, believes his second wife, Elizabeth, is trying to poison him. Alex, his daughter, believes him. Thus, she summons her three sisters—Freddie, Jo, and Chris—to the Morgan farmhouse for Christmas. When they arrive, Mr. Morgan calls them to his room and urges them to kill Elizabeth before she kills them. Later, as Elizabeth prepares dinner, Freddie's screams are heard from upstairs. The sisters find a drunken Freddie clutching a glass of vodka in one hand, with a shard of glass cutting into her other hand. They calm Freddie before putting her to bed. Later that night, a storm kicks up. Jo asks for the loan of Alex's car to travel to the local train station. After bidding all goodbye, she approaches the car and suddenly becomes victim to a mysterious figure in a yellow rain slicker, wielding a pitchfork. Later that evening, Freddie resumes her vodka supper, passing out in a warm bath. Soon, the intruder in the yellow slicker appears, grabbing Freddie's feet, pulling her underwater. She drowns.

The next morning, Christmas Day, Chris discovers Freddie's body in the tub. Alex accuses Elizabeth of poisoning Freddie, a claim she denies. Chris dials the police, but the phone's dead. So she walks through a wooded area to use a neighbor's phone. On the way, she is followed by the figure in a yellow slicker. After eluding her nemesis, she returns to the Morgan farmhouse. Upon arriving, she sees Alex's car still inside the barn. While investigating, she stumbles upon Jo's dead body. Elizabeth appears suddenly from outside, telling her to come with her. Instead, Chris panics, runs inside the house, locks the door, and discovers Benjamin dead. Chris screams, bolts from the house, and flags down a passing car—which turns out to be driven by Alex. Chris explains that Elizabeth has murdered everyone, but Alex confesses she is the actual killer. Suffering from childhood persecution fantasies resulting in resentment of her siblings, Alex handily set up stepmother Elizabeth as a patsy. She then assaults Chris with a tire iron, her body falling down the hill and out of sight. Hoping to complete the frame-up on Elizabeth, Alex invites investigators to accompany her to the farmhouse. However, Alex sails into hysteria upon seeing Chris still alive. Chris watches the police lead Alex away. In the end, Elizabeth is left to tend to the Morgan farmhouse alone.

## Cast

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* Jessica Walter as Frederica (Freddie) Morgan
* Sally Field as Christine (Chris) Morgan
* Eleanor Parker as Alexandra (Alex) Morgan
* Julie Harris as Elizabeth Hall Morgan
* Walter Brennan as Benjamin Morgan
* Jill Haworth as Joanna (Jo) Morgan
* John Fink as Dr. Ted Lindsay
* Med Flory as Sheriff Nolan

## Release

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The film debuted on the American Broadcasting Company on November 28, 1972, as part of the ABC Movie of the Week series.

## Home media

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The film was released on DVD by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment on May 7, 2013, as a part of its "8 Midnight Horror Movies" pack. Echo Bridge later re-released the film on September 9, 2014, and on June 23, 2015.[1]

## Reception

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A psychological interpretation of Home for the Holidays' storyline can be found in David Deal's critique, from his book Television Fright Films of the 1970s. He notes that the four Morgan daughters in the film all have masculine first-names, implying that "the father had always wanted sons and was therefore unforgiving of his progeny, [causing] the break in family ties."[2] However, Deal also notes that "such subtleties are admirable but unnecessary" considering the movie's chief purpose was to frighten TV audiences. The author goes on to assail John Llewelyn Moxey's direction as being strictly pedestrian, with "very little visual flair or suspense, where a touch of either would have gone a long way."

However, critic Howard Thompson of the New York Times was less sparing in his criticism, published the morning of the film's prime-time premiere. According to his article, "you never saw a grislier, wetter and flatter Yuletide meatball in the guise of a thriller." Ticking off the body count and describing how each victim is murdered, Thompson finally observes that "[if] you...really care whodunit, simply pick the shiftiest pair of eyes on the premises. This is a Christmas present? Somebody's got to be kidding."[3]

Justin Kerswell from Hysteria Lives! awarded the film 4/5 stars, writing, "Perhaps the film sails too close to soap opera histrionics at times... However, the performances are roundly so good that this doesn't matter, plus the story just keeps twisting and turning."[4]

Brett Gallman from Oh, the Horror! wrote, "Unfolding like a film adaptation of an Agatha Christie play, Home For the Holidays often feels stagebound and hemmed up; if not for beating the “Christmas horrors” out of the gate, I suspect it may be even more obscure than it already is, despite all of the talent involved. As it stands, it's a movie you'll probably hear about this time every year when horror fans begin to discuss the holiday-tinged offerings, and this is one of the last courses you'll ever need to digest."[5]

## References

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1. ^ "Home for the Holidays (1972) - John Llewellyn Moxey". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
2. ^ Deal, David. Television Fright Films of the 1970s. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2015. p. 79.
3. ^ Thompson, Howard. "TV Review." The New York Times. 28 Nov. 1972: p. 90.
4. ^ Kerswell, Justin. "HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS". Hysteria Live.com. Justin Kerswell. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
5. ^ Gallman, Brett. "Horror Reviews - Home for the Holidays (1972)". Oh the Horror.com. Brett Gallman. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

## External links

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* Home for the Holidays at IMDb
* Home for the Holidays at Rotten Tomatoes
* Home for the Holidays at the TCM Movie Database
* Home for the Holidays: The Terror Trap

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by John Llewellyn Moxey

* The City of the Dead (1960)
* Foxhole in Cairo (1960)
* Death Trap (1962)
* Ricochet (1963)
* Hold My Hand, Soldier (1963)
* Downfall (1964)
* Strangler's Web (1965)
* Circus of Fear (1966)
* The Solarnauts (1967)
* Dial M for Murder (1967)
* Laura (1968)
* A Hatful of Rain (1968)
* The House That Would Not Die (1970)
* Escape
* The Last Child (1971)
* A Taste of Evil (1971)
* The Death of Me Yet (1971)
* The Night Stalker (1972)
* The Bounty Man (1972)
* Home for the Holidays (1972)
* Genesis II (1973)
* The Strange and Deadly Occurrence (1974)
* Where Have All the People Gone? (1974)
* Foster and Laurie (1975)
* Conspiracy of Terror (1975)
* Nightmare in Badham County (1976)
* Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976)
* Panic in Echo Park (1977)
* Intimate Strangers (1977)
* The President's Mistress (1978)
* The Courage and the Passion (1978)
* Sanctuary of Fear (1979)
* The Power Within (1979)
* Ebony, Ivory and Jade (1979)
* The Solitary Man (1979)
* The Children of An Lac (1980)
* The Mating Season (1980)
* No Place to Hide (1981)
* The Violation of Sarah McDavid (1981)
* Killjoy (1981)
* Desire, the Vampire (1982)
* The Cradle Will Fall (1983)
* Through Naked Eyes (1983)
* When Dreams Come True (1985)
* Deadly Deception (1987)
* Sadie and Son (1987)
* Outback Bound (1988)
* Lady Mobster (1988)

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