A teacher who works with deaf children finds herself troubled by her past experiences with her unstable twin sister. When it’s revealed that the sister has left a mental institution, deaths begin to occur among those around the teacher, escalating toward their shared birthday. “Madhouse” (1981), although an Italian film, was filmed in the United States using American actors and is also referred to as “There Was a Little Girl.” The initial portion of the movie, roughly the first hour, unfolds at a deliberate pace; however, this slow build-up sets the stage for a wild finale. The producer/director/writer Ovidio G. Assonitis offers clues about what's truly happening but avoids providing explicit explanations, trusting the audience to assemble the puzzle pieces. The film deserves recognition for incorporating an element that wouldn’t gain popularity until fifteen years later with “Scream,” even though “Just Before Dawn” also used it at the time. The conclusion draws inspiration from “The Night Strangler,” which came out eight years earlier. This is Trish Everly's only significant film appearance and leading role, which seems odd considering her ability to portray a character believably. She was previously part of Dean Martin’s singing and dancing group, the Golddiggers, from 1969 to 1971, and had small roles in various television series and TV movies. Patricia Mickey is her given name. Morgan Most, with her blonde hair, also stands out visually as Helen. It's been said that James Cameron thought Ovidio G. Assonitis (credited as Oliver Hellman in the film) would bring on American directors to secure funding from studios for his projects and then find a way to replace them and direct the films himself. This claim is supposedly supported by “Beyond the Door,” this movie, and “Piranha 2: The Spawning.” The runtime is 1 hour and 32 minutes, and filming took place in Savannah, Georgia. GRADE: B-

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