Peopletoys (1974)

Directed by Sean MacGregor. Starring Taylor Lacher, Joan McCall, Gene Evans, Sorrell Brooke, Carolyn Stellar, Shelley Morrison, Gail Smale, John Durren, Leif Garrett, Dawn Lyn, Tierre Turner, Tia Thompson, Henry Beckman. [R]

A van from a loony bin crashes, unleashing five psychotic youths (one dressed as a nun) who first fool a winter retreat full of snobby adults into trusting them, then start offing them in elaborately grisly ways one by one. Crudely-directed mad-killer(s) movie has a scalding sense of humor in contrast to its icy-blooded pitilessness. If the scenes among the mostly detestable adult characters weren’t so gratuitous and banal, including a scene where a young hussy sadistically seduces a mentally-challenged handyman (whose dialogue is written to make him sound like a carbon copy of “Of Mice and Men”’s simple giant Lenny), it might have made for a sick-and-twisted sleeper. Even if you skip through those parts, however, who can explain why one murder scene is drawn out forever with cheap slow-motion effects, or why no one can recognize the girl wearing the habit ain’t no sister? A creepy finale and a few novel set pieces ought to make it popular among the undiscerning who possess an affinity for low-budget trash like this. Re-released under several alternate titles, including Devil Times Five and The Horrible House on the Hill.

46/100