Catholic priest Father Xavier Meldrum (Anthony Sharp) becomes obsessed with parishioner Jenny Welch (Susan Penhaligon) who unwisely pays a visit to his confessional after a break-up with her boyfriend. Excited by the gorgeous young woman, but unable to have her, Meldrum is driven to kill using rosary beads, a flaming incense burner and poisoned communion wafers as his weapons.House of Mortal Sin sees British exploitation legends David McGillivray and Pete Walker having fun at the expense of Catholicism, depicting the murderous antics of a sexually frustrated Catholic priest with a mother complex whose mind has been twisted by a lifetime of repressed carnal urges. It should be a whole lot of salacious silliness, but sadly falls short of the mark.Despite the film's deliberately controversial subject matter and plenty of sadistic violence, House of Mortal Sin is actually one of my least favourite Walker movies thanks to a dreary narrative, a plodding pace and surprisingly uninspired direction. Penhaligon is lovely as the poor subject of Meldrum's attention but is given little to do other than look frightened; likewise, Sheila Keith is wasted in yet another role that calls for her to be cruel and emotionless.

Following a break up with her boyfriend, Jenny Welch (Susan Penhaligon) goes to church to confess her sins. Bad move. She quickly becomes an object of obsession for Father Xavier (Anthony Sharp), who proceeds to stalk her and kill anyone he deems sinful. The plot synopsis isn't really a spoiler as director Pete Walker reveals the killer early on and is more focused on perversity rather than mystery. The first hour or so where Jenny tries to convince everyone that the priest is crazy is a little slow, but the slam-bang ending more than makes up for it. The only thing really hard to swallow here is a Catholic priest being interested in someone of legal age. I mean, a killer priest? I'm down with that. But one lusting after a legal age girl? C'mon I can only suspend my disbelief so far! Once again, Walker has cast an old person as the killer, confirming his mistrust of old folks also seen in FRIGHTMARE and THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW. In fact, here he has two old people are supremely messed up individuals. The flick also has a superb ending where the priest not only kills the male lead's girl, but he gets away with it and continues harassing his sexy parishioner. I love it!

A rip-roaring Pete Walker special and definitely not to be missed. A scary yarn of a mad priest's reign of terror amongst his parishioners in a 1970s London suburb, this is tightly plotted, economically written and well acted by an ensemble of veteran English actors.Stephanie Beacham, Mervyn Johns (Welsh!), Ivor Salter, Hilda Barry, Sheila Keith (of course)among others. Top honours go to Anthony Sharp for his demented and tormented loony cleric and also to the gorgeous Susan Penhaligon as the object of his desires. There is a scene when she clambers out of bed during the night at the sound of a disturbance. You might want to use the freeze-frame before she puts on her dressing gown. Stunningly beautiful!! Well worth your time and a great addition to Pete's portfolio.

Even though the majority of his movies haven't gone on to win vast acclaim or classic status, any fan of cinema would have to admit that British horror maestro Pete Walker is one of the most fascinating directors of the seventies. House of Mortal Sin follows the common Pete Walker theme of hypocrisy in an institution; and this time it's the church that gets lampooned. The film does feel like an all too obvious attempt to drum up some controversy, but it's all so well done that it's easy to ignore this fact and just enjoy the twisted imagination of Pete Walker and scriptwriter David McGillivray. Catholic priests are always above suspicion due their high moral ground in society, and so the idea that one of them could go off the rails and abuse his privileges is as intriguing as it is frightening. The story follows Father Xavier Meldrum; a priest who tapes the confessions of his parishioners and then uses them for blackmailing purposes! And he isn't content to stop there, as if the blackmail doesn't go to plan - he isn't morally above murder! The film is a little overlong and slightly overindulgent at times; but Pete Walker paces the plot well, and although at least ten minutes could have been shaved from the movie; it never gets boring. Walker is great at creating atmosphere, and through ugly cinematography and downbeat locations, the director ensures that there is nothing pleasant about the movie. The murder scenes are graphic in a typically seventies fashion, although the talented director never lets the blood overtake the plot, and the murder scenes are an event within the movie; rather than the plot being tied around the gore. The film takes influence from a range of sources, including the slasher sub-genre (most notably Psycho), as well as the Italian Giallo (the black gloves towards the end being a particular highlight) and even Walker's own previous efforts. As usual, Walker pulls great performances out of his older actors. Anthony Sharp is suitably sinister in the lead role, and also manages to retain his edge of authority. Hilda Barry gives the film the right amount of horror as the mother, while Walker regular Sheila Keith rounds off the cast in a convincingly macabre role. On the whole; this may not be as great as House of Whipcord, but House of Mortal Sin is further proof that Pete Walker really knows how to make his audience think and comes recommended.