Product Details

• Actors: Cloris Leachman, Ross Martin, Louise Latham, Dabney Coleman, Ron Feinberg
• Directors: Philip Leacock
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios Ho
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300163962
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,453 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True Terror Done Real, January 30, 2009

By 

Nick Schwab "Film, Book and Music Freak" (Columbus, Oh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dying Room Only [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The year 1973 redefined fear in its many different guises: from the shock-tactics of The Exorcist, a classic that mixed horror with religion for disturbing results, to the slow-building, art-house creeper Don't Look Now. Just alone these few films could very well mean that 1973 can be considered as one of the most diverse and pivotal times there ever was for the fright genre. Do know that there is also a pattern here.

These films were actually all adapted from the page, as was Dying Room Only. While alike this same years' haunted house frightshow, The Legend of Hell House, Dying Room Only was previously in print from a Richard Matheson story, and both of these screenplays were adapted by Matheson himself. While Hell House went theatrical, Dying Room Only was seen that year on television, having aired September 18th on ABC. The film now, however, only survives by VHS. As of this writing there are no known plans of ever releasing this gem on DVD.

The opening of the movie follows a couple, Jean and Bob (Cloris Leachman and Dabney Coleman,) who after a small argument while driving across the desolate desert stop at a run-down café. After they seemingly make up, the woman goes to the restroom, and when she comes back her husband has seemingly disappeared. Now all alone and afraid, Jean asks both the one worker ( Ross Martin) and the only customer (Ned Beatty, a year after his famous Deliverance role) at the café, who allegedly know nothing, saying he must have split out on her, yet these men are not eager to help. Jean suspects something terrible happened and the two men seem greatly suspicious to her, as well. How will she unsolve the mystery?

While this concept has been played out both before this film (1970's And Soon The Darkness,) and since (1988's The Vanishing,) many times this idea does not centrally take place in one small location, as it does here. The bulk of this short 74 minute film takes place in the diner or just outside of it, and this enclosed desert location, "In the middle of nowhere," as Jean tells her husband just before he goes missing, does create a hostile environment, as well as generate a sense of unease and dread.

Dying Room Only is terrifying because it feels so realistic. There is no monster here, this is not fantasy land. There is no grand conspiracy at the heart of it all, and there is no easy catharsis. Although the horror behind the mystery is not unexpected, that is not the point of the film, either. The resolution to the disappearance is not cinematic, but realistic. The characters in the film, both good and bad, are not caricatures of a theme, rather they are just people that make mistakes, and most of all, do what they want to in life that satisfies their need for personal fulfillment and survival. In this way, it may be illicit behavior, or it can be as simple as getting out of harm's way.

In the way of actual, artistic themes and metaphors in Dying Room Only, there are none. This is a film about fear. Although it is indeed emotional, suspenseful, scary, and even, disturbing, Dying Room Only has no such self-important comments to say about society or humans. Rather, it is emotionally moving because it "is" about humans: an animal that can be truly messed up, doing uncivilized, animalistic behavior. This any person knows: human kind can be utterly inhuman.

Director Philip Leacock gives a restrained feel to the film. This none-fanciful and just-the-facts approach to the photography is a big part as to why the film works on so many levels. Leacock just lets the tension, and suspense play out, thus capturing it, and then pulling away for introspection. As it is with Matheson's writing that creates the most sense of menace.

Although, Dying Room Only is a film about fear, it is not about violence. Rather, it is a film with a emphasis on dialogue, tension, suspense, and mystery to drive its narrative. As with the short runtime, not a scene and probably not even one dialogue exchange is wasted; yet Matheson's original short story was much smaller in narrative and the film actually lengthens much of the character interaction, as well as the mysteries resolution, and the final climax by a good amount.

The dialogue seems genuine, it too never gets cinematic. When what could be a contrivance or a narrative flaw seems to arise, Matheson's screenplay gives reasons for it, and this moves the plot along not artificially, but naturally. The actors are also phenomenal. Leachman is a revelation, as both an empathetic heroine or someone who is credible in their actions as an executer to finding out the mystery. She hits all the right emotional notes; whether it be with worry on her face, or tears in her eyes,

There are only two complaints I have with the film, both of which have probably more to do with Dying Room Only having been a Television movie.

First, the small amount of actual violence is not realistic, in other words, it seems polite. When the action does happen, it has more in common with an old cowboy movie, than a terror film and it almost takes you out of the film, letting you know that in this aspect it is catering to the "family" masses. The rest of the film is much less mainstream with its intention.

The other negative, is the way that Dying Room Only ends on "something" of a happier note. This viewer wanted it to go for the dark-side in both of these instances, much like the similar film, The Vanishing, a film that was done exactly fifteen years later, and may be better, but that is again mostly due to that bleak end note. It did not have to go all the way and make the closing scenes depressing or more disturbing, but it would have been nice for the film to not feel like it is a Sunday Afternoon movie in which the hero goes into the sunset.

Yet, when the final credits role, Dying Room Only is a gem. I would highly recommend it as a classic example of cinema as both a terror ride and a finely made work of art.


8.5 / 10 (In 0.5 Increments)

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mystery Thriller!!!, October 5, 2005

By 

viewer (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dying Room Only [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a great mystery thriller starring Cloris Leachman about a married couple driving on a deserted road and stopping at a run down diner when the husband goes to the bathroom he never returns suspecting foul play!!It's an eerie must see movie!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Nail-biting Suspense", November 27, 2011

By 

Terry Richard "Terry Richard" (Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dying Room Only (DVD-R)

I first saw "Dying Room Only" when it was originally released on ABC in September, 1973. I eventually saw it many times again during the seventies as a late-night or early afternoon movie (known here as "Midday Matinee" on one of our local channels). So I was very surprised to discover this lost television movie was available on DVD as it hasn't been shown for decades and most TV films never see the light of day on home video releases.

The film is extremely good for a television movie from the early seventies. The plot deals with a man and woman who stop at a dingy roadside cafe in Arizona on their way back home to Los Angeles where they encounter some of the locals. They go into the restaurant to have a bite to eat only to discover the people there (low-life trailer trash types) have an issue with people who have class and a bit of money. After coming out of the restroom the woman discovers her husband is missing and it is entirely up to her to find him.

The movie is suspenseful, nerve tingling and extremely well written and acted with a cast of some of the best actors from this era. Cloris Leachman, fresh off her Oscar-winning role in "The Last Picture Show" and her Emmy-Award winning performance in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", heads an all-star cast. Dabney Coleman, best known for his work in "9 to 5", plays the unfortunate husband while Louise Latham (in a scary performance as the night clerk), Ned Beatty (fresh from doing "Deliverence") and Ross Martin do superb work in supporting roles.

The movie was produced by Lorimar, known for their impressive work on "Dallas" in the eighties.

Several years later Cloris and Dabney would work together again in the theatrical remake of "The Beverly Hillbillies".