The Black Room
1982 · Directed by Elly Kenner, Norman Thaddeus Vane · USA
The Black Room (1982) is an American horror, written by Norman Thaddeus Vane and co-directed with Elly Kenner. It concerns Larry, a husband and father who rents out a room in the Hollywood Hills for his secret liaisons with a college student and a prostitute. Unknown to him, the owners, siblings Bridget and Jason, are spying through a two-way mirror and photographing Larry and friends at play. They are also draining the blood of their tenants to keep Jason alive. Bridget reveals to Larry that Jason has a rare blood condition which requires a transfusion every two weeks. Larry’s wife Robin finds out about his affairs and decides two can play that game, teaming up with the ghoulish siblings to use the black room for her own needs.
There are hypodermic needles over a foot long, a bath full of blood, and plenty of transfusing going on. You would think with all this voyeurism, blood-letting and body-burying that this would be a great recipe for a tense horror. Unfortunately, Cassandra Gava as Bridget and Stephen Knight as Jason seem to have graduated from the timber yard of acting, such is their lack of screen presence. There is an early appearance from future scream queen Linnea Quigley as babysitter Milly, who is nearly bled to death by Jason before being rescued by the now-redemptive Larry.
The electronic soundtrack is by James Ackley and Art Podell. It’s the usual 80s electronic score, nothing exceptional, but it creaks and squeaks when necessary. Ackley and Podell do throw in the kitchen sink of heavy sonic synth in the final few minutes, when the film goes full phantasmagoria. The finale sees both Bridget and Jason rise from the dead, covered in buckets of the red stuff, continuing their pursuit of Larry and his family. Robin wonders aloud if “people like that ever really die?” Who knows, and frankly who really cares.
It’s not a surprise to learn Stephen Knight didn’t do much with his wooden acting skills after The Black Room. Cassandra Gava had a career before it, and was cover star of Jefferson Starship’s Spitfire album, credited as the “Dragon Princess.” A poster of the album features in the film, with Gava riding a dragon; it’s meant to be one of Jason’s many photos of Bridget.
Linnea Quigley went on to appear in many exploitation films, including Creepozoids (1987), Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1987) and Night of the Demons (1989). She even rode the crest of the home aerobics wave with Linnea Quigley’s Horror Workout (1990). In my opinion, The Black Room is best enjoyed as a side dish, served with a more satisfying horror main from the considerable list of films of that year.
