Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

The Halfway House Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 6, 2022

Mary Woronov is one of the most weirdly endearing performers of her generation, and if she might never be accused of offering overly subtle portrayals, she's so consistently enjoyable in her typical hyperbolic mode that it's really hard to argue with how effective she can be. Woronov is arguably the highlight of the daffy The Halfway House, as a supposedly devout Catholic nun named Sister Cecelia who has actually been worshiping what one assumes is supposed to be Cthulu or some other denizen of H.P. Lovecraft's imagination. Cecilia and Father Fogerty (Joseph Tatner) run the titular facility, with an emphasis on titular (in Beavis and Butt-Head mode), since the film features a rather nonstop array of full frontal female nudity. The story begins with one of its odder elements, given the later conceit that the halfway house is in fact a "grocery store" of sorts for Sister Cecilia as she attempts to feed the Lovecraftian beast she keeps in an underground lair beneath the building. That's due to the fact that instead of a resident of the house being sacrificed, a random jogger out on the streets is kidnapped by a cowled villain (whose identity is rather quickly revealed, as discussed below) and who is then fed to a tentacled and single (red) eyed monster. It's ludicrous at its core, and of course Woronov is the perfect actress to deliver overheated lines with equally exaggerated readings in a story that is thankfully often played for winking laughs.

In a frequently used plot conceit, Larissa Morgan (Janet Tracy Keijser), the sister of the now missing woman seen jogging in the film's opening vignette, contacts the police, including hunky detective Dick Sheen (Shawn Savage), to find out what happened to her sibling. Also pretty predictably, Sheen and Larissa end up being intimate and then hatch a plot to have Larissa go undercover as a young woman in need of counsel, or whatever the halfway house can provide, since Sheen has already determined that Sister Cecelia knows more about the disappearance than she's letting on. And in fact the film never really tries to develop any ambiguity in this regard, pretty much letting the veritable cat out of the bag fairly early on with a clear depiction of addled janitor Lutkus (Cleve Hall) as Cecilia's acolyte and the cowled individual who kind of hilariously only puts on his cowl to drag naked women to the basement where they're fed to the monster.

In the meantime, there's a lot of semi-prurient content courtesy of both a rather randy group of young females and Father Fogerty, who has a thing for spanking naked bottoms. Some of this content may actually shock those without the properly jaded sensibilities, and there is one scene in particular involving a little statue of the Virgin Mary which is used for rather non-virginal uses, so to speak. But, again, everything is played so ridiculously that my hunch most folks in tune with the film's skewed sense of humor are not going to be offended.

The supposed "Lovecraftian" element here is perhaps unsurprisingly not exactly "canon", though Larissa does find the Necronomicon among Sister Cecilia's "reading" material. And the beast itself is so patently goofy that it almost comes off as a tentacled version of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors, but again at least for those in tune with the film's generally gonzo approach, that may only be another element in its favor.

The Halfway House Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Halfway House is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. There's no technical information online or on the back cover of this release (other than an announcement that the film is making its Blu-ray debut), though the archival making of featurette seems to show what almost look like old style minicams that were used for at least some of the shoot. As always with my reviews, if anyone can point me to authoritative information on the shoot, I'll happily update the review. This has a pretty flat, glossy appearance a lot of the time that nonetheless offers a nicely suffused palette and at least decent fine detail levels. That said, things can look fairly soft throughout the presentation, and some of the darker material in particular can offer little in the way of fine detail. I'm wondering if some of the VFX workflow may have had an interlaced component, since the shots of the monster in particular look like they have slight combing artifacts when the tentacles move. There's a slightly processed look here as can perhaps be gleaned from some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, but my hunch is they're the result of a low budget capture.

The Halfway House Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Halfway House has a nicely robust sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Some kind of quasi-punk source cues are utilized, and the roar of the monster provides some decent low end energy. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and there are no problems of any kind to report. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Halfway House Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Ed Polgardy and Kenneth J. Hall is almost an easter egg of sorts, since it's not advertised on either the cover or even on the on disc Menu. You'll need to toggle to the second audio track with your remote to access this, which has a glut of rather interesting background and production information.


• Discipline and Sacrifice - A Look Back at Halfway House (HD; 32:59) is a really engaging piece that is highlighted by a bunch of fun interviews, including Kenneth J. Hall, Ed Polgardy, Athena Davis, Jeff Farley, Janet Tracy Keijser and Tom Calloway.


• Cleve A. Hall - From Monster Kid to Monster Man (HD; 27:49) is a sweet and heartfelt remembrance of Kenneth J. Hall's late brother, who along with Kenneth J. Hall was another special effects wizard of some renown, but who appears in the film in the pivotal role of Lutkus.


• Archival Making Of (SD; 38:36) has some more fun interviews, along with candid footage (it's kind of fun to see the "underground lair" in bright lighting).


• Insecto Circus - Halfway to Hell Music Video (SD; 4:00)


• Trailers (SD; 1:58 and 2:00) are authored separately but move on automatically.

The Halfway House Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's maybe slightly hilarious that the halfway house is called Mary Magdalen, as if no one thought to spellcheck the screenplay. But even aside from unintentional comedy, the film's kind of slyly winking quality may help it to elide some of its more shocking aspects. Woronov is the highlight here, and she's a lot of fun as a woman on a mission from the elder gods. Technical merits are generally solid, and as usual Severin has assembled some really enjoyable supplements (though why the commentary track seems to be a "secret" is kind of weird), for those who are considering making a purchase.