Henry Beckman, an actor known for his compelling performances, appears in The Satan Bug (1965) as a pivotal character entangled in a deadly conspiracy. His work in Devil Times Five (1974) showcases his ability to navigate the unsettling dynamics of a group of disturbed children. In The Brood (1979), Beckman further solidifies his presence in the horror genre, contributing to the film's exploration of psychological terror. With roles spanning from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, Beckman's contributions to cult cinema resonate with fans of exploitation and horror.
Devil Times Five
A winter retreat turns savage when five stranded children arrive at a secluded lodge and quietly begin eliminating the adults inside. By the time their hosts recognize the danger, every childish disguise is hiding a different method of murder. This quirky psychological thriller involves a quintet of weird kids who stumble into the luxurious winter retreat of a wealthy patriarch (Gene Evans) and his arrogant guests. Little do the effete vacationers realize that the children are escapees from an asylum for the criminally insane -- a fact they realize only after their doom has been sealed. The only known film from director Sean MacGregor (released theatrically as People Toys), this is a seldom-seen but thoroughly satisfying horror sleeper with a sardonic sense of morality, taking great delight in knocking off Evans' circle of decadent snobs in graphic and innovative ways (one guest is joined in the bath by piranhas; another is pummeled with chains in a creepy still-photo montage). Known also to some drive-in venues as The Horrible House on the Hill, no doubt as part of a double-bill with Wes Craven's Last House on the Left. After five insane young children survive a VW mini-bus accident in the snow, they make their way to a snowbound chalet where they first terrorize and then kill three adult couples whom they believe have insulted them or been rude to them. Five extremely disturbed, sociopathic children escape from their psychiatric transport and are taken in unwittingly by a group of adult villagers on winter vacation.
