Heather (Lesleh Donaldson) our nubile teen in pigtails, arrives at Grandma Chalmers' (Kay Hawtrey) converted "tourist home" outside of Elora, Ontario. It was once a funeral home, hence the title. Maude Chalmers does an early "Psycho" scene giving away the entire mystery making the addition of the goofy guy to create a mystery a bust. The characters were stereotypes. Acting was fair, but the script didn't give them a chance.Perhaps my biggest objection was that the all black cat was named "Mittens" a named revered for cats with different colored paws, Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity. Maude wouldn't allow it.

While you may not suspect it through most of the film, it turns out that "Funeral Home" is essentially a remake of "Psycho". So you should consider this before deciding whether or not to see the movie. Now you know that it simply CAN'T be as good as the Hitchcock classic....but is it worth watching anyway?The story finds a young lady moving in with her grandmother. Grandma and her dead husband used to operate a funeral home but now she'd decided to turn the home into a B&B. The problem is that sometimes the guest just disappear and are never heard from again. The local police aren't terribly concerned and no one seems concerned other than a guest who keeps asking a lot of questions (Barry Morse). So what is going on here and why is Grandma so insistent that no one go down into the cellar?Despite the lack of originality and some acting which is sub-par, the film does maintain a nice, creepy atmosphere and it IS entertaining. Worth seeing? Yes...but not an enthusiastic yes.

"Funeral Home" follows teenager Heather who arrives at her grandparents' home (formerly a funeral parlor) one summer to help her grandmother run it as a bed and breakfast. Her grandfather has been missing for some time, but it seems that someone or something else is lurking in the basement.Also known as "Cries in the Night," "Funeral Home" gets just about zero points for originality—if you've read up on it before, you'll know it borrows hand-over-fist from a genre classic that I will leave unnamed—but in spite of it being a through-and-through homage (rip-off?), this dreary Canadian effort is still reasonably enjoyable. Directed by William Fruet, whose other contributions to the genre include "Dead Weekend," "Killer Party," and the kids' TV series "Goosebumps," this modest film deserves a bit more credit than many are willing to give it.For one, the film is drenched in a gloomy and languid summery atmosphere, and, in spite of being a wholly Canadian production, gets "American Gothic" better than just about any of its eighties peers. The dusty countryside funeral parlor feels distinctly American, as do the small town characters plucked from Anywhere, USA. Claustrophobic cinematography and the minimalist but atmospheric sets lend the film a bit of an edge where it lacks in grit and gore. It's a relatively bloodless effort, opting more toward the territory of psychological thriller, and is frequently mislabeled as a slasher, which it really is not.A fresh-faced Lesleh Donaldson (who actually looks the part of a real teenager because, well, she was) anchors the film, and is one of the more believable heroines. Kay Hawtrey is memorable as the neurotic grandmother, and Barry Morse plays the town outsider nicely. Frequent complaints against the film are that it moves too slowly, which are not totally unfounded. It is a plodding film at times, but it manages to succeed enough as an ambiance piece that I was able to forgive some of its foot-dragging. The "surprise" conclusion is visible from the first five minutes, but it's nicely- handled and has its own macabre touches.Overall, "Funeral Home" is an enjoyable and immensely atmospheric homage (or facsimile—you decide) to a genre-definer. What it lacks in originality, however, it makes up for in aesthetics, feel, and sincerity. Memorable performances and a handful of creepy scenes make the film, though certainly not unforgettable, an at least amusing effort. 7/10.

Maude Calmers'(Kay Hawtrey) husband has disappeared. He ran the local funeral home. To make ends meet she converts it into a bed and breakfast and her niece Heather (Lesleh Donaldson) comes to help her. After it opens guests start disappearing and Heather hears voices from the basement at night. She's determined to find out what's going on with the help of her boyfriend Rick (Dean Garbett).Creepy little Canadian horror film. It was made on a low budget and is kind of obvious (you'll see the ending coming a mile away) but it still works. There's plenty of creepy scenes (especially the first long shot that goes from the top floor of the house to the basement...where you hear voices) and the ending where everything goes wild. The ending is VERY rushed...it looks like they ran out of money. The final explanation is explained WHILE the closing credits are running! Still I was entertained. Good acting by the whole cast too. There's next to no blood, no gore and no nudity, sex or swearing so you may wonder how it got the R rating. Not an unsung classic just a small tight little horror movie.