Homebodies (film)

Homebodies is a 1974 American satirical comedy horror film directed by Larry Yust. The story follows a group of elderly tenants in a Cincinnati apartment building who turn to murder after their home is condemned due to urban redevelopment. The film premiered in Cincinnati on August 13, 1974, and was distributed by Avco Embassy Pictures.

Production began around 1973. Although the film was originally conceived as a New York City story, it was shot and set in Cincinnati because of the extensive urban renewal happening there at the time. The cast consists largely of veteran character actors who had played supporting roles in numerous old Hollywood films. The screenplay was written by Howard Kaminsky and Bennett Sims. The project was produced by Marshall Backlar and James Levitt, with financing from Levitt’s father, real estate developer William Levitt, who provided the budget (though the exact $500,000 figure is not consistently confirmed in reliable sources). Before *Homebodies*, Yust and Backlar had worked together on the 1973 blaxploitation film *Trick Baby*. According to *Daily Variety*, the cast had collectively appeared in nine hundred films but were receiving top billing for the first time.

Principal photography took place over four weeks in 1973 on location in Cincinnati, including Burnet Woods and Fountain Square. The production scouted several Midwestern cities before choosing Cincinnati for its look and feel, as Backlar recalled. The film was the second production by the Cinema Entertainment Corporation.

The plot begins when elderly pensioner Mattie Spencer sees tenants next door being evicted for a skyscraper project backed by businessman Mr. Crawford. Emily Wilkins, an agoraphobic whose father owned several buildings, reminisces with Mattie. Mattie then witnesses a construction worker fall to his death. Social worker Miss Pollack delivers eviction notices to the building’s superintendents, the Loomises, and other tenants. Writer Sandy refuses the notice, while blind tenant Mr. Blakely worries about adjusting to a new place. After the gas and electricity are cut, the tenants use candles and build fires indoors. The next morning, an explosion at the construction site kills three workers, causing the foreman and crew to quit. A regulator tells Crawford the accident may have been deliberate.