296:, having been crushed under a fallen wine rack and clobbered with a table leg; the police, however, conclude his death an accident, though Jeffrey accuses Gabriel of his murder. Later in the evening, the house gardener, Alex, is confronted at the Fairlawn estate by the detective in a garage, who tells him the coroner has deemed Philip's death a murder. After he leaves, Alex hears a commotion behind him, and upon returning, he finds the detective dead. The unseen killer also attacks Alex, beating him to death.
300:
where
Meredith claimed her mother was kept, and reveals that her mother died during Meredith's birth; he also accuses her of the murders, telling her she had been institutionalized for murdering her father, who had molested her. She then attacks Jeffrey with the table leg, and storms downstairs to kill Ivar. However, Ivar manages to knock her unconscious with a cane.
277:. She finds herself almost immediately drawn to a locked room on the second floor of the house. She discovers that Wilfred, Ivar's mentally-challenged son, lives in the room. Meredith develops a friendship with Ivar, even confessing to him that her mother had been institutionalized and that her father had raped her mother.
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was critical of the film, deeming it "one of those boring horror movies where the creators couldn't even come up with some ghoulish method for offing characters other than a sturdy coffee table leg to the temple... The only positive note to this movie is the psychiatric twist to the ending when
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Meredith, while searching the house, discovers a bloodied table leg, and calls
Jeffrey, panicked. He tells her he is on his way to the house. Just as Jeffrey arrives, she discovers Gabriel's body stuffed in a closet. Jeffrey confronts her, and tells her that he has just returned from the hospital
272:
Nurse
Meredith Stone recounts, in a letter to her father, her mother's recent death, and details a job she has taken at a Fairlawn estate caring for the wealthy, elderly Ivar Langrock. There, she is greeted by his butler, Phillip, and Jeffrey Fraser, Ivar's
40:
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in
Arizona, comes to stay after the accidental death of his parents. After his arrival, a series of deaths begin to occur; Meredith and Ivar discover his dog hanging from a tree in the garden. Wilfred also dies in what appears to be a
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is a subdued slasher that relies more on the skills of a veteran cast, a deliberate pace, and a twist ending" and it is "worth seeking out for fans of slashers with a heavy dose of whodunit mystery."
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when he is found having jumped out the window of his room. Gabriel makes sexual advances toward
Meredith, who finds herself increasingly uncomfortable around him.
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The film close as
Meredith narrates her letter to her father, saying that maybe she will be able to return to Fairlawn one day to take care of Ivar.
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was ultimately disappointed by the film despite praising its character development, feeling that its twist ending was derivative.
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The film was given a regional release in the southern United States in early 1981, opening on
January 16, 1981 in
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Shortly after
Meredith begins working at Fairlawn, Langrock's adult grandson Gabriel, who spent his life on a
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Retro
Slashers.net reviewer Thomas Ellsion gave the film a positive review, stating that "
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and that same year was released in the UK by Sultan Video under the title
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635:"'Delusion' gives illusion good horror film, but disappoints in the end"
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Creature
Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide
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the identity of the murderer is revealed." Candice Russell of the
462:. The film was not released on home video for forty-years until
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601:. January 14, 1981. p. C-7 – via Newspapers.com.
583:. January 15, 1981. p. 6C – via Newspapers.com.
563:. January 14, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
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643:. p. 12C – via Newspapers.com.
622:. p. 3-B – via Newspapers.com.
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241:directed by Alan Beattie, and starring
337:Patrick Pankhurst as Wilfred Langrock
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612:Cabasos, Arthur (January 18, 1981).
801:American psychological horror films
633:Russell, Candice (March 5, 1981).
446:In 1984, the film was released on
380:was filmed on location in 1980 in
256:The film's poster art is based on
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614:"Movie Disgraces Joseph Cotten"
319:David Hayward as Jeffrey Fraser
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826:English-language horror films
682:"The House Where Death Lives"
816:1980s English-language films
507:British Film Institute (BFI)
460:The House Where Death Lives
346:Louis Basile as Taxi Driver
292:Phillip is murdered in the
231:The House Where Death Lives
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796:American independent films
716:. Berkly Boulevard Books.
655:"Delusion (1980) Synopsis"
575:"Delusion: Starts Friday!"
358:James Purcell as Detective
180:January 16, 1981
164:International Picture Show
595:"Starts Friday: Delusion"
44:Theatrical release poster
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27:1980 film by Alan Beattie
811:Films shot in California
580:Fort Worth Star-Telegram
806:American thriller films
555:"Current, Coming Shows"
349:Abraham Alvarez as Alex
328:Leon Charles as Phillip
712:Stanley, John (2000).
560:Memphis Press-Scimitar
412:Arthur Cabasos of the
619:Abilene Reporter-News
415:Abilene Reporter-News
402:Alexandria, Louisiana
260:'s 1892 illustration
258:Charles Allan Gilbert
249:, David Hayward, and
234:) is a 1981 American
821:1980s American films
640:Fort Lauderdale News
539:documentary short).
422:Fort Lauderdale News
382:Altadena, California
18:Delusion (1980 film)
786:1980s slasher films
325:as Gabriel Langrock
394:Memphis, Tennessee
161:New American Films
791:1981 horror films
723:978-0-425-17517-0
513:on April 21, 2017
503:"Delusion (1980)"
408:Critical response
398:Fort Worth, Texas
316:as Meredith Stone
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239:slasher film
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197:Running time
173:Release date
112:John Dukakis
84:Alan Beattie
67:Jack Viertel
64:Alan Beattie
53:Alan Beattie
294:wine cellar
188: (U.S.)
81:John Cofrin
75:Produced by
50:Directed by
781:1981 films
775:Categories
666:August 12,
474:References
442:Home media
373:Production
332:Alice Nunn
201:82 minutes
184:1981-01-16
120:Alice Nunn
58:Written by
470:in 2024.
367:as Stunts
150:Don Peake
137:Edited by
761:Delusion
755:AllMovie
750:Delusion
739:Delusion
693:April 1,
660:AllMovie
456:Delusion
436:AllMovie
430:Delusion
378:Delusion
334:as Duffy
275:attorney
225:Delusion
214:Language
147:Music by
95:Starring
33:Delusion
706:Sources
543:. 2024.
537:Blu-ray
468:Blu-ray
388:Release
287:suicide
282:commune
217:English
206:Country
182: (
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400:, and
744:IMDb
718:ISBN
695:2024
668:2013
519:2016
307:Cast
268:Plot
764:at
753:at
742:at
448:VHS
777::
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482:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.