This movie legitimately bothered me the first time I saw it, and it’s still unsettling. I suppose it may vary for people. I would speculate kids who may have been brought up in an abusive situation, for them, this may hit home a lot harder than others.
This starts off with David helping save a homeless guy after he got hit by a car. David talks about pain, his wife’s and whatnot. The point is setting the stage for a flashback.
Summer of 1958
There she is, Meg, and she sees David catching crayfish. She introduces herself to him. She is from the city apparently. She has a scar from an accident and David wants to see more of her scars. He mentions that sometimes crayfish kill their own kind. We find out that they are neighbors as she is staying with cousins. David talks to Woofer, who is busy putting worms in the midst of fire ants. He is looking for Donny, and he goes in the basement and finds him. Meg’s sister, Susan, has leg braces from polio. Meg and Susan’s parents died via the car accident.
The kids get together to play “The game” and Eddie is the oldest, and I think Cheryl is the girl in the group. She losses, now she has to confess. She has to answer any questions truthfully. David finds Meg at the carnival and wants her to go on a Ferris wheel with him.
Most of these kids are Ruth’s, but some are neighbor kids. Ruth likes to just hang out with all these kids. She tells them about how carnivals used to have a hoochie coo. All these boys are drinking beer and some are smoking. Ruth is very seductive to the boys. Meg has to stay behind and watch her sister as Ruth doesn’t want her getting fat. At night, the boys go up in the treehouse and look at Playboys. They try to see Meg naked, but they fail but want to get her to play the game.
The next day, Ruth shows the kids how to burn tent worms. Meg doesn’t want to, and Ruth makes a big deal about Meg being so delicate. So Meg is put to laundry duty. Meg sees David and she hasn’t eaten in 2 days because of Ruth. Meg just eats the hell out of that burger. She talks to David about how much she misses painting like she used to due to Ruth. He encourages her to make him a painting, so she agrees. Aww, they hold hands. Later on, Meg stops by to give him the painting and she runs off.
David comes over with the painting and gives it to Ruth and says that it’s a present from Meg. David, you moron. Ruth doesn’t want it, she knows it was meant for David. Ruth tells the boys that they just need to do a favor for a girl and she will do just about anything for him. Ruth says that girls are dumb, easy, suckers. Ruth tells Meg to not give boys what they want or you become a slut. “Anybody who is a slut deserves a thrashing” and that is a warning to Meg. At night Dave looks across the way to see Ruth bitching at Meg and Susan.
The next day, 3 boys are tickling Meg, and Ralphie got a little too friendly, so she scratched one after she asked them to stop. Dave witnesses all of this. Ruth asks Susan why she didn’t intervene, so she is guilty by association, connivance. Ruth says that it’s not right. So now time to spank Susan, 20 spanks, and the boys feel awkward and try to leave but Ruth insists that they watch. Meg tries to intervene, but the boys hold her back. Ruth wants the ring from Meg, it’s on her necklace, but it was Meg’s mom’s. Well, Ruth rips it off and Dave goes to leave.
The next day, the boys see Meg talking to a police officer. At home, Dave stops by. Willie comes in and slaps Meg for bringing a cop to their house. Ruth makes a point that the cop was never going to take her away and that Ruth isn’t afraid of him. Ruth can’t have cops their every day. So what now? She sends the girls to their room. Ok, everybody has to bounce. Ruth gives Dave a beer for the road. Dave talks to his parents about what’s up. Dave wants to spend the night there, and his dad is like, so what?
Dave comes over and goes to the basement. Meg has her arms tied to the ceiling, arms outstretched, and is standing on 3 books, blindfolded and gagged. Now it’s time to confess after a book is removed, so the next book, but nah, still too easy. The boys want to strip her. Ruth is just encouraging it. Willie is all about stripping her clothes, and he has a knife, so he starts ripping and cutting her clothes off. The boys watch. She is just on her tiptoes. Off comes the bra. Then comes the skirt, and she is ready to confess, but Willie removes her panties. They tell her to confess about playing with herself. She is still blindfolded, asks if David or Susan is there, and they are both witnessing this. One of the boys goes to touch her but Ruth says not to, as she is dirty. Ruth insists on keeping her nude and put the gag back. Ruth tells her that it could be her sister there and not her. Damn.
The guys are in their bedroom, talking about Meg. David wants to go check on her and take a peek, but basically to check on her. They are going to give her water. She asks them to loosen her arms, and they say they will as long as she doesn’t fight. Meg ain’t having that. Willie says OK, the ropes remain and the gag goes back in. Dave wants to give her a little slack at least.
The next day, Ruth is trying to feed her dry toast, but Meg is thirsty. Ruth is insisting that she eats it now. Ruth said being a woman is hard, never easy. The teacup gets dropped. So any time Meg angers Ruth, Susan will pay for it. Susan gets an ass whooping with a rope. Ouch.
Dave talks to his dad about guys hitting women, and asks if it’s ever ok. His dad says sometimes it’s ok if the girl provokes him, but Dave should never hit a woman. So, that was basically good fatherly advice.
Dave stops by and talks to Susan, and he tells her that he can’t make them stop. Dave goes downstairs, and there’s like 7 or 8 kids all shoving Meg around. Meg has been busted open on her forehead. Dave checks on her, then he turns around and is spooked by Ruth. At night, Dave tries to wake up his mom to tell her, but she rolls over.
The next day, that boys are poking Meg with a knife as Ruth watches. Donnie cuts her, and Dave shows up. Ruth says that they have to cauterize, and so she burns Meg with her cigarette. The doorbell rings. Ruth sends the boys to get the door, Dave says that he will watch her in case she is needed upstairs. Ruth says one sound from down here, and she will kill both of them. She goes upstairs, and it is an officer. He wanted to see how the girls were doing, and she says they are just fine, and out shopping. Dave tells Meg that he is trying to keep eye on Susan and go to the cops. The officer reveals that Tony’s mom called about the boys beating up on Meg, and Ruth asks the boys if they know anything about that. Dave wants to treat her burns, but Donny isn’t sure if he’s done with her yet.
At night, Dave breaks into the basement, and Ruth hears something, but the phone rings. He unties Meg. Dave gives Meg a pocket knife and tells her that he’s so sorry. Dave is going to save some money for Meg’s escape.
The next day, Dave stops by and Donny or Willie is raping Meg while Ruth, the boys, and other neighborhood kids all watch, and Ruth tells Meg that is what she is good for. She asks if any of the other boys want a turn. Now the guys just want to cut her, so people know that she’s a whore. Ruth is OK with this. Donnie is still asking to fuck Meg, and Ruth ain’t having that. Dave tells Ruth this isn’t right, and Dave wants to leave, but the boys will keep him there. It’s time to brand Meg with a hot pin. She brands her, and it is excruciating to watch. It says “I FUCK” and “FUCK ME”. Ruth rationalizes that no man will ever want her, but she may want a man between her legs. Ruth says that there’s a spot on a girl to take out so they get no pleasure from it. Ruth wants to burn it out. Dave makes a run for the stairs, but the boys catch him and put a knife to his throat. She threatens his balls and is going to tie up Dave. Ruth then blowtorches Meg’s clit.
SO Dave and Meg are tied up and Susan is trying to comfort her sister. Susan asks Dave if he hates her, and he says no. Susan blames herself. Susan says that Meg should have gone without her. She is terribly guilt-ridden. Meg is a fucking mess. The kids hatch a plan, and they set a fire in the basement to draw attention. Smart, finally. Ruth comes down to inspect, and Dave clocks her with the crutch. The cop finally shows up. He carries Susan upstairs. Meg can barely speak, but she asks Dave to get her mother’s ring back. Dave rips the necklace off of Ruth. Meg is aware that she’s not going to make it. Then she dies.
Back to grown-up Dave talking about the torment and looking at the painting, and it’s about what you do last that counts.
End Film
This is the fictionalized account of Gertrude Baniszewski and her killing of Sylvia Likens. This feels way more brutal than An American Crime, but this took more liberties, by having more boys, then that led to more sexual assault and rape. That wasn’t how it went down. I hated how dumb so many people were in this, especially David, but really, what the fuck did Ruth think would happen, especially threatening and subsequently tying up David? The real girl didn’t have a David, and had she had a David, things may have turned out a whole lot differently. This whole story is just sad. Once again, I know this isn’t the prototypical horror, but I don’t always agree with labels. This is more horrific than the original Halloween. That was a mindless slasher. This was a sick sadistic woman doing awful shit to a kid. Way worse. I won’t rate this one either as I don’t even know what to base it on. I’d say it is something to watch once.
I don’t own the rights to these pictures or film. It’s from the film or TV show, so they are the owners, not me.