I’m really glad that Kino-Lorber have continued to release quality home video editions of overlooked and largely forgotten titles like Fred Walton’s The Rosary Murders (1987). Films like The Rosary Murders are the kind that I caught on television in the middle of the day during summer vacation as a kid. I love a good crime film and this unconventional entry in the genre delivered quite nicely.
Fred Walton is far better known for his first film, When A Stranger Calls (1979). As with this earlier film, one can see a distinctly Hitchcockian influence on The Rosary Murders. There’s a lot of Hitchcock’s I Confess (1953) floating around this film albeit with an exploitation bent. Elmore Leonard lends his gift for pulpy dialogue to Walton’s screenplay, giving Charles Durning some very fine moments that may be the highlight for me personally. The Rosary Murders is pretty standard fare that stands out because of these few creative flourishes.
The Rosary Murders, on a more personal level, has a rather unique effect on me. Watching the scenes where Donald Sutherland just goes about his day at the rectory transported me, on a sensory level, to a different time and place. Suddenly I could smell the church i went to as a boy. The similarities between the look of the rectory and Catholic school in the film and my own experiences was so striking that I felt I was almost moving through the same space as Donald Sutherland and the camera.
I can confidently say that audiences who grew up in the church will have a unique experience with this film. The Rosary Murders, with its Hitchcock by way of Nicky St. John style, will probably also appeal to fans of 1980s thrillers and exploitation flicks. Definitely check this one out if you like Donald Sutherland.
