| Death Weekend | |
|---|---|
Film poster under alternate title |
|
| Directed by | William Fruet |
| Produced by | Ivan Reitman |
| Written by | William Fruet |
| Starring | Brenda Vaccaro, Don Stroud, Chuck Shamata |
| Cinematography | Robert Saad |
| Editing by | Debra Karen, Debbie Karjala, Jean LaFleur |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1976 |
| Running time | 87 min |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000 est. |
Death Weekend (originally released in the US under the title The House by the Lake) is a 1976 Canadian horror/thriller film. It stars Brenda Vaccaro and Don Stroud and was one of the first films from Canadian director William Fruet. The low-budget production was shot in rural Canada and at a studio in Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada.
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Diane (Brenda Vaccaro) and her gentleman friend Harry (Chuck Shamata) are on their way to a weekend getaway at Harry's country house when they encounter a car load of drunken thugs, led by Lep (Don Stroud). They get into a fit of road rage where Diane forces the punks off the road wrecking them. Diane and Harry escape to their getaway, but little do they know the angry gang has followed them there and they're looking for some vicious revenge against the unarmed couple.
The film was released in the US under the title House by the Lake. At the time of release there was some controversy over the films intense scenes of violence. Still the film was released with only minor cuts to the original version. Over the years the film has gained some acclaim among horror film buffs and though it was released on VHS at one point, the film has yet to receive a DVD release.
The US and English Canadian VHS releases are cut. Edited from the film was an additional shot of Lep on top of Diane as he attempts to rape her, a more graphic shot of Diane slashing Runt's throat, and a longer shot of Stanley burning to death.
However both the French Canadian and Spanish VHS versions were released uncut.