House of Mortal Sin

"The Devil in Priest's clothing!"

1976 1h 44m EN

😐

6.4

MID

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 49★6.3IMDB · 1,602

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A troubled young girl goes to confession at the local church. Unfortunately, the sexually frustrated priest she confesses to becomes obsessed with her. At first, the priest stalks the girl, but later it is revealed that he will stop at nothing, including blackmail and murder, just to get close to her.

“The Devil in Priest's clothing!”

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Cast

Anthony Sharp
Father Xavier Meldrum
Susan Penhaligon
Jenny Welch
Stephanie Beacham
Vanessa Welch
Norman Eshley
Father Bernard Cutler
Sheila Keith
Miss Brabazon
Hilda Barry
Mrs. Meldrum
Stewart Bevan
Terry Wyatt
Julia McCarthy
Mrs. Davey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pete Walker
Writers: Pete Walker, David McGillivray
Languages: English, Latin
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

50 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pete Walker, shot by Peter Jessop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stanley Myers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Black shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anthony Sharp and Susan Penhaligon and Stephanie Beacham carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Devil in Priest's clothing!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0072813 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pete Walker directs. Peter Jessop behind the camera. Stanley Myers scores. John Black cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

150 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.
3Directed by Pete Walker, shot by Peter Jessop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Stanley Myers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor John Black shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Anthony Sharp and Susan Penhaligon and Stephanie Beacham carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The Devil in Priest's clothing!".
8IMDB entry: tt0072813 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 49 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "suicide", "confession", "murder", "priest".

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Jessop
Original score: Stanley Myers
Editing: John Black
Makeup / hair: Pearl Rashbass
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: House of Mortal Sin (1976)
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 1,602 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 nomination total

Also by

Pete Walker

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2023-12-10
What happens if the respected minister turns out to be… a psycho? In the greater London area, a young woman (Susan Penhaligon) is disturbed by the unethical practices of a Catholic priest (Anthony Sharp). Stephanie Beacham plays her older sister and Norman Eshley a mutual friend, a young minister. “House of Mortal Sin” (1976) is a drama/crime thriller with some horror that mixes bits from "Psycho," “Rachel, Rachel,” "Rosemary's Baby" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," just with a British milieu. As good as those films are, this one’s pretty much on par in its own unique way, which is surprising for such an obscure flick. Susan is a delight as the winsome protagonist while Stephanie is still attractive at 29 during shooting. Elsewhere on the feminine front, Sheila Keith de-shines as a creepy woman at the rectory. The message is interesting: Authority figures, and especially respected ones, can more easily get away with audacious crimes simply because of their honored position wherein people naturally assume the best of 'em. It's similar to Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The movie runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot southwest of London in Wayneflete Tower, Esher, and The Green, Richmond, with exterior shots of the church further southwest in Pangbourne Hill, Pangbourne. GRADE: B+/A-

Production companies