I don't think that I ever got around to watching this movie back in my younger years, even as an avid horror fan back then. I had a chance to sit down and watch it now late in 2016. I must admit that I didn't initially have any particularly high hopes for it, granted the fact that it was a 1983 slasher movie - as to what I understood from the synopsis. But having grown up with slasher movies, then I at least wanted to see what this movie was all about.Let's just say that I didn't even make it to the ending of the movie before I had given up out of sheer boredom. "Mortuary" was painfully slow-paced and lacked anything even remotely thrilling. And it's storyline was essentially as fulfilling as trying to giftwrap emptiness.For a slasher movie then "Mortuary" was anything but interesting or entertaining. It was, at best, a half-hearted attempt at a horror / slasher movie. Compared to movies such as "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" it was just an embarrassing movie to sit and bear witness to.The movie was lacking a proper storyline to lure in the audience and keep you nailed to the seat, and it was this that lead me to give up and move on to watch another movie.As for the acting, well I will say that people were doing adequate enough jobs with the limitations imposed on them in terms of a flawed storyline and lack of proper script. And it was fun, I will say that much, to see a very young Bill Paxton in a movie such as this."Mortuary" is not entertaining, and I can honestly say that I will not ever be returning to this movie in order to finish the last half of the movie. It just failed to entertain me on any level, and there is nothing worthwhile to be experienced here.If you enjoy a proper slasher movie, then there are more than plenty to pick from, especially if you have a thing for 1980's movies.

Sweet young Christie Preston (a fine and appealing performance by the fetching Mary Beth McDonough of "The Waltons" fame) suffers from frightening nightmares in the wake of the drowning death of her father. However, Christie suspects that her dad's death wasn't accidental. Christie and her boyfriend Greg Stevens (likable David Wallace) find themselves in considerable jeopardy when they start poking around a local mortuary in search of the truth. Director Howard Avedis, who also co-wrote the compact script with his wife Marlene Schmidt, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, does a sound job of crafting a creepy'n'morbid atmosphere, stages a couple of grisly murders with flair, makes good use of the scenic California locations, tosses in a bizarre death cult as well as a smidgen of sizzling soft-core sex and a dash of tasty female nudity for good measure, and pulls out the stops at the ghoulish conclusion. The solid acting from the sturdy cast holds the picture together: Christopher George as sinister mortician Hank Andrews, Lynda Day George as Christie's skeptical mom Eve, Alvy Moore as crusty flower shop owner Bob Stevens, and Bill Conklin as the no-nonsense Sheriff Duncan. However, Pill Paxton basically steals the show with his gloriously loopy portrayal of gawky Mozart-loving oddball embalmer Paul: Whether he's happily skipping through a cemetery or running around in a pasty mask and black cloak, Paxton is an absolute wacky hoot to watch. John Cacavas's ominous score hits the skin-crawling spot. Gary Graver's glossy cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. A fun little slice'n'dice item.

This largely unheralded artifact from the Golden Age of splatter is admittedly more enjoyable because of the aesthetic it shares with the classic films surrounding it than because of the movie itself. However, thanks to some nice atmospheric touches and a well-realized climax, Mortuary ends up being a safely above average offering well worth seeking out for '80s horror enthusiasts.Granted, the story is a bit disjointed, and a sizable chunk of the film is spent following an ultimately insignificant subplot concerning the owner of the titular funeral home and the strange ritualistic séances he conducts in the basement. The real driving force of the tale is a college girl named Christie who is haunted by images of her father's murder, which she suspects may be tied in with a phantasmal killer who is stalking her (gee, you think?).The homicidal specter in question is a dark-robed figure whose face is painted up like he's auditioning to be the bass player in a Scandinavian black metal band, and who has the seemingly supernatural ability to appear just about anywhere at will. Figuring out who the killer is isn't difficult, especially since we are treated to close-ups of his pasty visage less than halfway through the film. For some reason, Christie has a tougher time connecting the dots, and despite seeing him face to face and hearing him speak at length during one encounter, the best she can come up with is, "his eyes looked familiar".It's probably inaccurate to call Mortuary a "slasher" film or a "splatter" movie, since it has a notably lean body count and only a few scenes of bloodletting. However, the sequences it does contain are well-orchestrated, and one in particular, in which the obviously aroused killer graphically stabs his victim dozens of times while shuddering with orgasmic glee, still packs a vicious punch even by today's standards.The pace is definitely on the slow side, and things don't really get cooking until the third act, but the film maintains a steady level of suspense throughout while the mystery is being unraveled. The tension is augmented immeasurably by an excellent musical score, which is among the best you'll hear in the film cycle of the era.The standard cast of unknowns is bolstered by the always welcome presences of Christopher and Lynda Day George, and a manic performance by a very young Bill Paxton lends the film additional curiosity value. Amongst the newbies, the acting is generally serviceable, although in one awkwardly performed scene depicting Christie's reaction to a flashback nightmare, Mary McDonough's facial expressions, writhing, and demeanor look less like disturbance and more like the throes of sexual ecstasy. It certainly doesn't help that she's moaning, "Daddy... daddy... daddy..." over and over again, either.The horror elements are nicely balanced with a few nuggets of delightfully droll black humor, my favorite being a scene in which Christopher George is giving a sales pitch to an aged married couple shopping for funeral accessories. When George steps away, the couple has a moment to appraise the casket he's selected for them, during which the thoughtful wife expresses her reservations to her husband: "honey, I just don't think you'd be comfortable in this".Of course, the film has its requisite share of unintentional silliness, and the melodramatic preening of the killer is guaranteed to make you snicker a time or two. Predictably, an extended scene inside a roller rink with its accompanying disco jam hasn't aged well, either. Oddly, this same disco derby scene includes three friends of our leading couple, who seem groomed to be perfect fuel for a larger body count, yet are so ultimately insignificant in the film that we're left wondering why they were introduced at all.Though it's a pretty bumpy road getting there, the giddily ghoulish finale is worth the wait. You'll find similar twists in a few other outings of Mortuary's vintage, but the way it's handled here serves as a satisfying pay-off for the methodical set-up that precedes it.Mortuary isn't mandatory viewing by any means, but the fantastic score, a likable hero and heroine, and a nifty final chapter combine to give the film enough positive attributes to warrant 85-minutes of your life. Those who treasure this period of horror's history aren't likely to regret taking a look.

After her father's mysterious death, Christy (Mary McDonough) suffers from sleepwalking and night terrors. Making things worse, no one beliefs her claims of a ghoul faced killer lurking in the shadows. When she learns her mother is in a coven of witches, Christy begins to distrust everyone in her life. Is her mother trying to drive her crazy or is there a more sinister figure at work? It's up to Christy's boyfriend to save her before she ends up on the slab.Oddly enough the victims in this are not the main heroine's friends nor they hardly have any screen time and plus the killer's weapon of choice, a giant embalming needle, is a change of pace from garden tools and kitchen utensils. This movie does manage a few surprises and jolts but they give the killer's identity away half way through the film. Still, they have one wicked twist at the end. They give their slasher motivations other than simple revenge. The witches subplot is unnecessary and never really develops into anything of importance.Like some other 80's slashers this one has another pre famous star and that is Bill Paxton who Paul the nerd, a goofy loser one almost feels sorry for as he skips across a graveyard with a handful of roses. Christopher and Susan Day George don't much apart from become victims of the killer. David Wallace as Christy's boyfriend is gorgeous and is a bit wimpy but in all he did an OK job and Mary McDonough shaking of her wholesome girl next door image she had in The Waltons brings a wholesome, vulnerable quality to her character, but her sleepwalking scenes are a little embarrassing and rather pointless.Mortuary has some clichés, but also has a few twists and surprises. There is little blood or gore, but there is one really intense murder. The cover of the video is totally wrong as it makes you think that this is some kind of Zombie flick and it isn't which is very misleading but all in all this ain't a bad film, not brilliant though but worth watching.