udar55 A psycho is killing real estate agents in California...and the problem is? Radio psychologist David Kelly (Sam Bottoms) gets wrapped up in this mess because the killer keeps calling his show and he is dating potential target Lisa Grant (Adrienne Barbeau), the town's top real estate agent. This is really by the numbers but does showcase some lovely 80s houses if you have a fetish for that sort of stuff (lots of sharp angles, neon, and brown exteriors). Director Jag Mundhra doesn't really stage anything too effective, opting instead to think some blood and nudity (even from Mrs. Barbeau) will cover up what is lacking. The killer's reasoning is hilarious but at least he wasn't a cheap twist using a character we have come to know. B-star Tiffany (THE CANDY SNATCHERS) Bolling pops up briefly as a real estate lady.

FieCrier Rare-Slashers-Rated-2 described this one pretty well. The early scenes, even though they weren't especially effective, of someone killing themself in a phone both while on line to a radio program, and of the discovery of a very bloody bathroom might lead one to believe the rest of the movie will carry on in that way, but not so. There are a lot of tedious scenes and the soundtrack at times sounds like a very poor TV movie.The revelation of the killer is disappointing. The killer also gives a rather lengthy speech, yawn.Still, Adrienne Barbeau fans might like to check it out.

slayrrr666 "Open House" is a pretty mediocre, later than usual slasher film.**SPOILERS**A serial killer decides to attack the real estate agents showing expensive houses, but no one takes him seriously when he calls into Dr. David Kelley's, (Joseph Bottoms) radio show. He's in hot water of his own, and it's starting to take it's toll on his girlfriend, Lisa Grant, (Adrienne Barbeau) a real estate agent herself. As David continues to get calls from the killer, who continues to pick off more real estate agents, he figures it's just some nut who wants attention. When it finally appears that Lisa is the next target, David goes all out to stop the killer from taking her.The Good News: Even though this one came out a little too late for it to be in the initial slasher craze of the early 80s, this one still ain't that bad. The main thing that impressed me with this film is that the killer is incredibly giallo-inspired. We only see a small part of him every time he's on screen, and there is a characteristic that appears as well. Even though it isn't a black glove, the biker-gloves and cowboy boots work in the exact same manner, to let us see the killer without giving his appearance away. These are trademarks of the giallo films, and it was nice to see the influence in the film. The killer is easily the best features of the film, and that also includes some pretty nice deaths. There was some nice ones, including a hanging with a garden hose, a rather brutal electrocution, and the movie's claim to fame, an attack with a razor-bladed toilet-plunger. That is perhaps the best part of the film, which shows a little bit of creativity in there that most don't try to exude.The Bad News: The slow, slow pace of the film. It starts off hot, with a couple great kills immediately, but then it goes off and nothing much happens for an extended period of time. For the way the plot wants to go, it needs a bit tighter pacing than it has. This could be the main point drug up against the film as well: it's just too dull. The slashing sequences aren't that terrific, the gore is pretty non-existent for the kills on display, but the main thing to drudge up against it is the slow pace. Even the traditional inane dialog, lack of characterization, and weakly drawn-out explanations for plot holes that find themselves in common with most other films in the style.The Final Verdict: If you can forgive the traditional weaknesses inherit in slasher films, you might find some interest in this. It's a belated entry into the slasher series, so fans will want to give this a shot, but those not interested in these films will find nothing that will sway them into becoming fans.Rated R: Violence, full Nudity and some Language

RareSlashersReviewed This is the first of two slasher movies released in the late eighties by director Jag Mundhra. HACK-O-LATERN was a little disappointing to say the least, so I hoped that maybe this effort could redeem some of the respect that I'd lost for the slash happy independent moviemaker! Boasting a surprisingly authentic storyline and a cover complete with a cardboard door stuck to the front - which, when opened cheesily reveals the silhouette of a deranged looking guy holding an axe (!) – OPEN HOUSE looked set to be a ‘diverting' 91 minutes of pure and unadulterated schlock…just the way I love it!!! In the preface we see a young lady trying her best to look distraught in a dimly lit phone box as she pours out her heart to - what we later find out is - a smooth talking radio psychotherapist over the line. She (and somewhat leisurely may I add!) insists that she has given up hope; because abuse that she suffered as a child has made her feel ugly and unable to go anywhere without feeling paranoid. She tells the doc that she wants to kill herself…and to make matters worse she wants to do it tonight, live on air! The Samaritan-like listener does his best to calm things down, but his determination to save the situation is unsuccessful, the depressive woman pulls out a handgun and shoots herself dead… Now we discover that the airwave psychiatrist is Dr. David Kelly, a rich, intelligent, soft voiced ‘nice-guy' who is also the host of an ever-popular open forum program named ‘The survival show'. Cut to a chirpy estate agent who's showing a rather unenthusiastic couple a beautiful mansion, which is surrounded by some attractive woodland. After a lot of unnecessary fussing the husband of the couple agrees to buy the luxury home, which cheers up the bouncy sales rep no end! She tells the buyer that she's just going to wash her hands (!) and then they'll close the deal. As she enters the bathroom in the otherwise spotless abode, she is shocked to hear what sounds like a swarm of flies pestering about in the shower cubicle. Her curiosities get the better of her and she opens the door. She reveals a decomposed corpse splashed in gore with the words ‘sold' written above her head in dried blood! After her screams have died down and the cops have arrived, we find out that this was the fourth victim of the ‘Open house killer', a serial murderer who is terrorizing real estate agents and their clients in vacant homes. The police have no clue as to the assassin's identity and there seems to be no end to his vicious attitude towards sales people! One night on David's chat show he receives a call concerning the recent slayings from a cranky guy who calls himself ‘Harry.' He states that all the victims deserved to die and convinces the pleasant practitioner that he is the killer. Dave becomes worried, because his fun loving girlfriend - Lisa, is one of the biggest home sellers in Beverly Hills. As more bodies turn up deceased, the host realises that his sweetheart is next on the list to be slaughtered. With the help of a grumpy copper, the two set out to stop the bloodthirsty psycho in his tracks… I must confess that when I first heard that this attempt featured a psycho going around murdering estate agents, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But, the original aspects help keep things interesting and it makes a difference from the usual ‘killer on a campsite' or ‘assassin in a hi-school' stories. This copy that I found was the UK print, which has unfortunately had a staggering 78 seconds cut from it's runtime, so as you can imagine the chances of seeing any really graphic gore are pretty meagre. But that doesn't stop Mundhra from adding every other banality in the book, from a heavy breathed nut-nut who enjoys killing fornicating couples to a loveable heroine who – judging by most of these movies – is bound to end up battling the certifiable loony in the end, somehow! The direction from Jag is bog standard, as in there's nothing really to praise or recommend, but for the best part things plod along at an acceptable pace and it doesn't get too boring, although we would've liked a few more murders thrown in just for good measure! The dramatics are above average, which is always refreshing as it's not often that you get to see a capable cast in one of these sorts of flicks. Adrienne Barbeau from THE FOG headed as the loveable Lisa, whilst Joseph Bottoms and Robert Miano were also good as Kelly and Shapiro respectively. Although the production is hardly upscale, it manages not to look too shoddy and the sound and all the bear necessities are satisfactory. Fans of a fair few unintentional laughs will be amused by the corny killer, who dresses in a shabby old yellow raincoat and blue jeans, cackles like a Witch every time he's about to murder someone and to top it all off he eats dog food!? Yes you read that right, at one point we see him rip open a tin of the K9's delight and ram it into his mouth! But for a really hysterical moment check out the end where he's finally confronted by the chat show host. He blames his motives for the attacks on the fact that property prices are so high!!! I mean, what next? A killer who goes on a rampage because taxes are too high? Mind you, in this day and age of rocketing inflation, I'm not so sure that that's such an impossibility! Also watch out for the end, when Shapiro attempts to tackle the assassin. He guns him down, sending him crashing through a window, ala Michael Myers. When he realises shooting the guy 4 times hasn't really worked, he chooses to drop his firearm and go ‘toe to toe' with the maniacal madman. But does this stop him? Well that would be telling…A devoted movie buff probably wouldn't look twice at this. To those who know no better, this is just another cheaply made slasher movie from an ever so fruitful period of inane madness. But I found that I quite enjoyed it, in a ‘cheaper than a stale loaf of bread' kind of way. It's not scary or intelligent and it doesn't really have anything that's worth recommending. Nevertheless, if you like far-fetched plots, cheesy situations and typically inept characters, then this could be the one for you. At least it's better than HACK-O-LATERN!