Don't Open the Door, A Damsel and Telephone Rape

How does one get raped over the telephone? It is a stretch, but in an old drive-in horror/exploitation film, even a rotary telephone can be a perverted weapon. A nubile blonde damsel, helpless and naive...a psycho with a prurient attraction to her...and a town full of peeps, all with motives. Motives for what? Today we look at 1974's "Don't Open the Door" (aka "Don't Hang Up"), directed by S.F. Brownrigg...and yes...she should've hung up.

The aforementioned nubile blonde, Amanda (Susan Bracken), is mysteriously summoned to her grandmother's mansion. Grandma (Rhea MacAdams) is on her death bed and her doctor refuses to put her in the hospital. Amanda is furious and brings in her own BF Nick (Hugh Feagin) to act as the attending physician...he is useless so we shall not speak of him again (right right right...aren't all men useless? I saw that coming). Oh yeah...13 years ago, Amanda's mom was stabbed to death in her room and Amanda found the bloody corpse...but never mind that for now. Amanda disrupts the goings on in the small town as everyone remembers her when she was 13...now all the old geysers desire deviant sex with her.

Enter pervert and museum curator...Claude Kern (Larry O'Dwyer). She wants all of Amanda's grandmother's possessions after she passes. He has set up a museum in her tribute. As the weird townspeople sweat a lot and lick their lips, Claude secretes himself in the walls of the mansion and makes obscene calls to Amanda, even when he spies the blonde bathing. Amanda is pretty gullible and answers the phone and even "touches" herself all over when Claude commands. Now Claude gets homicidal as we now assume he murdered Amanda's mom years ago. Amanda screams, runs through the house, and is sexually assaulted, while Claude gets more perverted and sweats more.

What is Claude's plans for the nubile Amanda, and just why did he murder Amanda's mom? Is there a secret hidden in this town regarding Amanda's mom? Does every aging male have a sweaty upper lip, or does Amanda bring that out in them? This is a wild one and not the feel good film of 1974. For some gratuitous drive-in horror with not a whole lot of satisfaction as far as the plot goes, see "Don't Open the Door."