A group of four sisters travel to their father’s country home in Southern California for a holiday visit. Their father (Walter Brennan) believes his wife is trying to harm him (Julie Harris), and unsettling events begin to unfold during a storm, resulting in several deaths. The daughters are portrayed as distinct personalities: Alex, the sensible eldest sister played by Eleanor Parker; Jessica Walter as Freddie, struggling with alcoholism and anxiety; Jill Haworth as Jo, who enjoys casual relationships; and Sally Field as Christie, the youngest and most charming of the group. "Home for the Holidays" (1972) combines elements of drama, mystery, and horror, initially airing on ABC as a television movie. As suggested by my title, it feels like an early example of what would become a wave of slasher films in the early 1980s. While less intense and more focused on dramatic tension than later examples, it features a killer wearing a hooded raincoat and carrying a pitchfork—a visual that calls to mind the antagonist from "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997), who wielded a hook. The film creates an effective atmosphere of suspense through the stormy weather, the enigmatic killer, and the disturbing deaths. Although Sally Field is attractive, I found Jill Haworth more beautiful. Around forty minutes in, I formed a suspicion about who was responsible for the murders, but then revised my thinking and ended up being correct. Try to solve the puzzle yourself. The movie has a running time of one hour and fourteen minutes and was filmed at 20th Century Fox Studios, including locations at the 20th Century Fox Ranch and Malibu Creek State Park in California. GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB