Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Iseerphia All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Toronto85 A group of friends take a trip to the islands for some fun, but experience nothing but terror in 'American Gothic'. They take a plane out to get them to a vacation spot, but it breaks down and the group are forced to spend the night on a seemingly deserted island. They soon discover that a family lives alone there.. and it's not your average family. There is a Ma and Pa, and three of their children - who happen to be in their 40's but act as if they're seven years old! Pretty soon, members of the group of friends start getting picked off one by one by the "children", leading to a creepy ending.'American Gothic' is a genuinely frightening and offbeat kind of horror film. It's not a slasher flick, but has the feel of one. Like a backwoods kind of horror movie. The family is truly creepy and lives in seclusion, away from the modern world. Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Steiger were brilliant as "Ma" and "Pa". All of the acting was effective, but the one stand out for me was Janet Wright as "Fanny". Just so creepy throughout the entire thing as a 40 something year old woman looking and behaving like a young child. There is some gore in this as well, nothing too over the top, but well done nonetheless.There is an interesting backstory to our main character involving her being responsible for the accidental drowning of her baby. It ties into her mental state and interactions with the family very well. I recommend this!7/10

pabald9480 This film is much clearer on DVD. Infamous director John Hough-of a few weird Disney movies from the late seventies, created this horror gem. Centered around Cynthia, who recently lost her infant child is now being released from a mental institution. Her husband decides to take her and a few friends on a trip to sooth her trauma. But the trip is cut short by plane troubles and they are forced to land on a remote island. Before long, they meet Ma and Pa(Yvonne DeCarlo and Rod Steiger)at the only house on the island who seem nice and hospitable, at first. Agreeing to spend the night, the friends soon start disappearing and inexplicably end up dead, some more brutally than others. I give this movie 8 out of 10 stars because the description on the back case reveals a little too much, making the film a little too easy to predict. Welcome to American Gothic, but no "Devil's Play" is allowed! John Hough is known for Escape to/Return from Witch Mountain and Watcher in the Woods, and took a big leap with this, it was a little unsettling at times too.

SHorrorFan ***possible spoiler****The movie is about a group of friends who are going on a trip when their plane breaks down so they are forced to land in the middle of nowhere........ Soon to find a house where they are greeted by an older couple who let the group of friends stay in their home....... very creepy,twisted things start to happen! The plot line may seem cheesy but this movie is far from it...must watch!!!!!! This movie is definitely one of the best horror films I've ever watched. I'm not sure where you can find this movie I recently tried renting it from Hollywood Video and Blockbuster but neither of them carried it....maybe Netflix?

Woodyanders Six vacationing young adults who include the troubled Cynthia (well played by Sarah Torgov) are forced to land their plane on a remote sylvan island. They not only encounter the strict Pa (a gloriously hammy performance by Rod Steiger) and the equally stern Ma (a delightfully batty, yet understated portrayal by Yvonne De Carlo), but also the oddball religious fanatics' deranged and murderous "adult" children: infantile Fanny (the extremely unnerving Janet Wright), brutish Teddy (an excellent William Hootkins), and whiny Woody (the ever-weird Michael J. Pollard). Capably directed by John Hough, with crisp cinematography by Harvey Harrison, a creepy tone, an eerie, harmonic down-home score by Alan Parker, a chilling conclusion, and such dark themes as incest, infanticide and necrophilia, this genuinely twisted little number really hits the pleasingly warped spot. Better still, the sharp script by Burt Wetanson and Michael Vines offers a wickedly nasty satire on traditional conservative old-fashioned family values. Steiger and De Carlo have a field day with their colorfully kooky roles; Wright, Hootkins and Pollard are all likewise marvelously grotesque as their crazed offspring. Quirky and often quite funny in an admittedly off-center sort of way, this nifty little rural psycho romp is well worth checking out.