I’m not sure how Will Penny ended up in my queue. Probably because Charlton Heston was in it, and Heston was hot, but Heston didn’t make the lingering impression. After recently seeing THX 1138 and Will Penny, I’m struck by the fact that Donald Pleasence was more than Dr. Loomis from John Carpenter’s Halloween, but a creepy, intimate villain in Will Penny who probably inspired iconic films with terrifying hillbillies such as Deliverance, The Hills Have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I had more questions about him and his sadistic family, especially the silent woman. What happens to her? Will Penny reinforces the moral code of conduct and societal expectations. Farmers and cowhands remain separate. There is no adultery. The coming specter of random victimization and lawlessness is stamped out swiftly and absolutely….for now. Fun fact: Tom Gries directed Will Penny, and his son, Jon Gries, appears as the child in the film! Jon Gries is famous for his role in The Pretender!