Stylish horror movie, a co production between the UK's Anglo-Amalgamated and AIP (this was the latter's first movie in colour). It's got a decent central idea - a series of murders are being committed involving unusual methods eg binoculars with spikes, guillontine, electrocution, brain transfer serum (I think) - and crime writer Michael Gough seems all too interested in them.
The photography and colour are excellent, as is the production design - British horror films from this period really had it over the Yanks. There is also some stylish acting from Gough (no Vincent Price or Orson Welles, both of whom were considered then had to be ruled out as too expensive, but decent work) and Geoffrey Keene, and a logical enough script.
Like a lot of Herman Cohen productions, many of the characters are misogynist, there's some trampy women who get their comeuppance (one of those slutty girls from movies of the period who dance provocatively on their own to jukeboxes in bars) and bad acting teenagers. Shirley Anne Field is one of the teenagers - she's very pretty but also very ordinary (she later become good). Graham Curnow (brainwashed killer) and June Cunningham (tramp) are also very bad.
US prints have a 13 minute prologue where this man hypnotises the audience, which is corny but also kind of cool.
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