Was it just that her parents' house was in such darkness that she fell out of the window by accident? Otherwise, “one commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent” (CCC 1862). The film takes influence from a range of sources, including the slasher sub-genre (most notably Psycho), as well as the Italian Giallo (the black gloves towards the end being a particular highlight) and even Walker's own previous efforts. well-executed and maintains a dark interest throughout, supported by interesting performances (especially Sheila Keith as Meldrum's devoted love).

House of Mortal Sin - Letterboxd

with Walker smartly using the religious setting as a way to give the brilliantly stylised murder scenes a strong,gritty feel,that goes from strangling someone with Rosemary beads,to openly killing one of the townsfolk at Sunday Mass!Hence, if a person knowingly ( full knowledge) and wantingly ( full consent) commits an action consisting of any of the grave matter listed above, a mortal sin is committed. The cast here are pretty-stellar with standout performances by Anthony Sharp as the demented and fantastic performance as the unhinged and repressed Father Meldrum with his layered performance that's well-written for his tortured character. Norman Eshley was great in the TV sitcom, GEORGE AND MILDRED, and is clearly great at playing roles in comedic settings elsewhere. House of Whipcord and Frightmare, the first two films McGillivray scripted for Walker, suggested that the two of them might possibly invigorate low budget British exploitation.

House of Mortal Sin (1976) - IMDb

Anthony Sharp gives a good performance in his role as Father Xavier Meldrum, the priest whose actions make him a really unlikeable character, while Susan Penhaligon is decent as Jenny, the young woman who is determined to try and get away from the priest, but she knows it won’t be easy. She presents a pathetic picture in her sorrow that has nowhere to morph into except excitement at believing she is a match for the monster and can lay a trap for him. With a wretched priest on a war path believing himself to be an avenging angel it dives into a pool of religious hypocrisy and mad mental puritan delusion. Sharp was a familiar face on British TV, plus he made movies, and I was pleasantly surprised to see him take on such an evil role.Grave sins against chastity differ according to their object: adultery, masturbation, fornication, pornography, prostitution, rape, and homosexual actions.