Not really the first psycho thriller from Hammer, or even Jimmy Sangster – that would probably be The Snorkel – but this was the one that kicked off the psycho thriller cycle. Good on Sangster for initiating it – he was getting sick of writing gothics and so did this one on spec, insisting he stayed on as producer. A good example for screenwriters to follow (though Sangster was helped by the fact he had a background in production). Also good was the fact he grabbed himself a strong director – Seth Holt, whose culty reputation is mostly based on this, The Nanny, Nowhere to Go and his early death. He was a pretty good director, and this is a strong film. It’s very spooky, with lots of creepy scenes around a mansion on the French Riviera, and dead dad popping up in all sorts of places. (The plot and style is very heavily influenced by Diabolique.)
Sometimes it feels padded but the twists are pretty good. Okay yes you’ll probably pick the chauffeur done it but it’s still a great shock to see him pash the mum. (I know it's ageist - but the sight of a middle aged woman is just so rare, especially with a younger guy.) And it is contrived that mum gets in a wheelchair so she can be kicked off the cliff, but it’s a great scene.
The acting is very strong. Susan Strasberg is the lead – I always liked her, she’s very good looking and she seems to pop up in interesting cult movies all the time. Roland Lewis, a former Rank Brylcream boy, is appropriately enigmatic, as is Christopher Lee, and Ann Todd is very creepy. There’s a couple of unconvincing falls of cliffs (to save money no doubt) but lots of atmosphere.
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