Ah, Thundercrack!—the 1975 film that successfully manages to combine every perversion you didn’t want with every bad B-movie trope you didn’t need. Directed by Curt McDowell and written by McDowell, George Kuchar, and Mark Ellinger, this film is like the love child of a trainwreck and a circus sideshow. It’s a black comedy horror, but mostly it’s just a chaotic blend of absurdity, bad acting, and inexplicable choices that are bound to leave you speechless—or at least wishing you were.
Plot: A Plot? In Thundercrack!? You Must Be Joking
The story, if you can even call it that, is as messy as Mrs. Hammond’s appearance when she answers the door. The film begins with a thunderstorm (because why not) and the arrival of Willene Cassidy (Maggie Pyle) at the home of Mrs. Gert Hammond (Marion Eaton), a very drunk woman who can barely make it to the door without vomiting and retrieving her wig from a toilet. This is the film’s opening charm—setting the stage for a night that’s equal parts inexplicable, laughable, and deeply unsettling.
Mrs. Hammond and Willene talk about the bizarre history of the house, the strange deaths of her family, and her son who “no longer exists.” Meanwhile, a parade of oddball characters, including Chandler (Mookie Blodgett), a widowed man traumatized by the immolation of his wife due to a girdle fire, show up to add to the confusion. If you thought the weirdness would stop there, congratulations, you’ve never seen Thundercrack!
The story lurches from one absurdity to the next, with characters telling bizarre backstories while simultaneously engaging in strange sexual escapades that are as unappealing as they are confusing. Chandler’s problem with women’s girdles is nothing compared to the fact that there’s a scene where a man is having sex with a woman who is also falling in love with a circus gorilla. Yes, you read that right. This movie doesn’t know what it wants to be—horror, comedy, or some fever dream combination of both.
Characters: More Like Caricatures of Bad Decisions
The characters in Thundercrack! are like the ingredients in a bad smoothie—horribly mismatched, overripe, and unpleasant to look at. Mrs. Hammond is a drunken, decrepit mess whose idea of hospitality includes making her guest vomit and then drug her. Willene, meanwhile, is as useful as a screen door on a submarine, floating from one random encounter to another without ever achieving any semblance of purpose.
Chandler, the widower traumatized by a woman’s tragic death in a girdle fire (yes, that’s really a plot point), could have been a tragic figure if only he weren’t such a walking joke. Then there’s Bing (George Kuchar), who comes straight from the circus and brings his toothless lion, near-blind elephant, and a female gorilla named Medusa along for the ride. Bing is a walking disaster whose circus background does little to explain why he’s in this movie or why anyone thought Medusa the gorilla was a good idea. Spoiler alert: she’s not. Neither is anything else in this bizarre mess.
The Horror: More Like “How Is This Happening?”
The film’s attempt at horror is like a haunted house full of bad decisions. What’s supposed to be spooky is reduced to a series of bizarre and awkward sex scenes, mostly involving characters you couldn’t care less about. Sure, there are references to death, weird pickling (don’t ask), and inexplicable floating bodies, but the horror is buried under so much nonsense that it’s hard to take any of it seriously. When the film introduces a gorilla with a crush on a man, it’s hard to decide whether to laugh, cry, or scream for help.
Even the supernatural elements come off as laughable. The film tries to introduce this “terrible secret” about the house, but the secret is so dull you’ll probably forget it by the time the film drags to its pointless conclusion. Characters get possessed by the house, ghosts do weird things, and people engage in meaningless, awkward sexual encounters. The horror is not only ineffective, but it’s also downright cringey. At no point will you feel fear—just confusion, with a dash of second-hand embarrassment.
The Ending: A Cocktail of Weirdness with a Twist of “Why Bother?”
By the time Thundercrack! reaches its nonsensical ending, you’ll be praying for it to be over. Characters you don’t care about are trapped in a house full of absurdity, a gorilla is married to one of the characters, and for some reason, everything wraps up with an equally dumb conclusion. Willene and Chandler exit the house (finally), and the only thing left to do is watch Mrs. Hammond, who is alone with a jar containing her husband’s pickled remains, toast to “love.” Truly, Thundercrack! leaves you with one question: Why?
Conclusion: A Cult Classic for the Wrong Reasons
Thundercrack! is a movie so bizarre, you’ll be convinced someone accidentally filmed their weirdest fever dream and released it as a horror film. With its horrendous characters, absurd plot, and awkward sex scenes that are neither sexy nor scary, this film finds its place as a cult classic for all the wrong reasons. If you ever wanted to know what happens when you cross an “old dark house” mystery with bad sex scenes and a circus gorilla, then look no further than Thundercrack!
In summary, if you need a film that makes no sense, features ridiculous performances, and leaves you questioning your life choices, Thundercrack! might just be the movie for you. But be warned, it’s like a bad car crash you can’t look away from—you’ll regret every second but somehow won’t be able to stop watching.
