Rating of
4/4
A taste worth acquiring
Bribaba - wrote on 05/03/11
Seth Holt’s thriller is arguably the best non horror-production to have come from Hammer. Its star Christopher Lee thought it their best film ever, irrespective of genre. Susan Strasberg is perfect as Penny, the fragile daughter returning for a reunion with her father. But apparently he’s gone away when she arrives, so why does his dead body keep popping up everywhere? It’s a tale full of twists with potential spoilers at every turn, so I’ll leave it at that.
Unlike many British films this isn’t marred by poor performances from the supporting cast. Ronald Lewis as the chauffeur and Ann Todd as Penny’s step-mum are both excellent while Jimmy Sangster’s script ratchets up the tension, stretching credibility on occasion, But what really grabs the eye is Douglas Slocombe’s monochrome photography - I can’t think of any other British film from the period (1961) that looks as good as this. Great to see it back in circulation, and with a new widescreen transfer on board.
