'Haunts' has some terrific dramatic material to offer, which the viewer gradually begins to understand through the haphazard memories that haunt our leading lady Ingrid, a farm girl with Swedish roots, a dark past (I suspected incest, murder, but in the end it all turned out a dream, coinciding with a killer on the loose - as best as I could tell), a yearning for religious completion, and, as we eventually learn, heavily psychotic tendencies. The flashbacks and the latter part where things twist and turn like crazy, are my favorite elements. The acting is rather so-so, the dialogues more than often fail and the whole story is way too confusing (and in the end somewhat disappointing, if I understand it correctly) to take seriously. I mean, the only option in the end is that Ingrid imagined the attacks, right? But then, the ending of her appearing in the mirror before uncle Carl, seemed a little ambiguous, as did some memories. I was expecting Carl to be a possible bad guy, and even Ingrid, as well... like I said, way too confusing, but still interesting.The backdrop of the rural village, farms, roads and off-roads (I would have guessed somewhere in Wisconsin, but it was shot in California, so...?) is beautiful, but its inhabitants struggling with day to day life turned upside down by a vicious killer could / should have been so much better.An interesting flick, very much, but not really a good one, all things considered. 5 out of 10.

"Haunts" is a movie that put me in the mind of films like Robert Altman's "That Cold Day in the Park" and "Images" or Roman Polanski's "Repulsion." Stories about lonely women whose obsessions and mental wanderings leave the viewer in doubt about what is real and what's the result of the heroines' fevered imaginings, and that often end in violent acts carried out by the women in their own defense. Of course "Haunts" isn't anywhere nearly as good as any of those other films. It uses a serial killer premise as a red herring, but presents the protagonist's story literally, not even suggesting that there may be some doubt about what's real and what's not until what amounts to a surprise ending makes us realize that the woman was cuckoo all along. That ending is admittedly rather effective, but because there was no mystery leading up to it and the film itself is rather poorly made in most regards, it doesn't have much of an impact.It didn't help that I saw "Haunts" as part of a boxed set of terrible picture and sound quality, but I doubt that high def and pristine sound would have made me like this film much more. It's mostly just boring, which is one of the worst offenses of which a film can be guilty.Grade: D+

A sadistic killer strikes a small town using scissors to kill his victims (all women). A repressed farm girl named Ingrid (May Britt) lives all alone and thinks she may be the next victim. Her uncle (Cameron Mitchell) thinks she's overreacting and the chief of police (Aldo Ray) doesn't believe her.This film is a little bit too slow but it is well-made on a low budget. The acting is good (especially by Britt) and there are some real creepy moments when the killer goes after her. It also has a thundering music score which is excellent but seems out of place in such a low budget movie. It starts off slow but picks up speed and has a couple of great twists at the end that I didn't see coming. It's PG so it's very tame in terms of blood and guts but it works as a psychological horror film. It didn't frighten me exactly but I can't stop thinking about it. Worth checking out. I give it a 7.

Herb Freed(Graduation Day;Beyond Evil)directs this psychological melodrama(..with elements of a slasher) regarding the effects on a small town, and especially troubled Ingrid(May Britt), as a sexual predator stalks vulnerable women at night with a pair of scissors after raping them. Ingrid is *haunted* by memories from childhood regarding finding her mother dead in a bathtub and possible sexual abuse at the hands of "reliable" Uncle Carl(Cameron Mitchell, whose role is minor until the enigmatic ending where he supposedly returns to Ingrid's home where memories of his own resurface after being away for a while). It seems that Ingrid is being stalked by the town stud, Frankie(William Gray Espy), who even rapes her in her own bedroom, holding scissors to her throat. Ingrid is a deeply devout Catholic who is suffering hallucinations thanks to her past(..blood is a constant)and seems incredibly uncomfortable around men. Husky voiced, alcoholic sheriff(Aldo Ray)is truly puzzled about the attacks plaguing his once quiet, sleepy little town, and is quite concerned for his citizens, innocent women who might venture out at night alone. Trying to sober up, the sheriff will attempt to find the killer, keeping his deputies on alert, watching the country roads and neighborhood streets at night, hoping to catch him in the act. Meanwhile, Ingrid battles with her conscience and religious convictions after being raped. The film also subtly hints at the idea that her mysterious Uncle Carl might be the one responsible for the attacks. Also, a mannerly, soft-spoken stranger from Baltimore, Bill Spry(Robert Hippard)enters town hoping to date Ingrid, who seems little interested in making relations with any man.Director Freed and collaborative writer Anne Marisse craft a very tricky tale here which takes it's time building the attacks around Ingrid's story. The attacks themselves really are the Macguffen as the film centers around Ingrid, and serve to actually heighten her trauma. Through the surrounding attacks in town, Ingrid, slightly stable on a slender thread, goes off the deep end with the scissor-murders influencing her hostile fantasies. The film seems to have three endings. The police cornering the sexual sadist in a saw mill. Ingrid's confrontation with Frankie as a bound Carl tries to free himself. And, Ingrid's fate and the reactions from the sheriff and Carl relating the truth to the viewer. Freed doesn't hurry himself and the film takes it's time developing so it might can become tedious for some viewers(..such as choir practice and a bar conversation between Spry and a local gal-pal of Ingrid's who is a potential victim). I think one might also find the last thirty minutes tiresome due to the complexities of Ingrid and what is real and imagined. I found it worthwhile and thought Britt's performance was a stunner. The score from Pino Donaggio really adds quality to the tragedy ever so present throughout the film. Freed does an exceptional job incorporating Ingrid's memories within her life at the present, with Donaggio's somber music adding the right touch at reflecting her deteriorating mental state.