Director: Gordon Hessler
Year: 1969
Country: United Kingdom
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Returning from Africa to his London home, a nobleman's quest to keep his hideously deformed brother hidden away from the public is foiled when an accidental burial results in his being loosened upon the world and sets out for revenge, forcing him to stop him.
Review:
For the most part, this here was quite the fun and enjoyable effort. What really makes for quite a fun time here is the way this one manages to combine the rather starting late-60s style Gothic splendor with some more modernized slasher elements, which is a rather strong combination. There's plenty to like here about the film's Gothic sensibilities, with the setting and era causing a lot of that to come to fruition here while also setting the stage for the numerous bouts of walking through dimly lit corridors wielding only candle-lit light, which causes this to readily feel at home in the old-school Gothic realm. That also leads rather nicely into the attitude about the grave-robbing and their feelings of the family- owned business, with their reputation being called into question rather than simply being concerned with the remaining part of his revenge, which doesn't turn into the kind of traditional slasher effort it really could've been, as there's plenty of overall appeal to these scenes.
Alongside the fact that there's the big party he throws at the house which gets crashed by the killer and frightened away, as well as the central investigation scene that handles the vast majority of the second half, which starts off the great slasher film aesthetic of the film. There's some rather nice stalking scenes here as he goes after the hooker in their tryst room, the grave-robbers in their flat and the doctor in his house which are more shorter set-pieces relying on the shock of actually stabbing them but still manage to get quite a lot of rather impressive and enjoyable action out of their encounters as well as setting the stage for the big finale as he goes about trying to get his final revenge as that leads into a strong chase into the forest which is quite fun with the killer coming into play and the resolution being quite brutal.
Along with the fun opening voodoo ceremony that gives this a strong start, these here are more than enough to hold this up against the minor problems found here. The film's main issue is the fact that there's just no sensible action found throughout here that makes it in the slightest bit logical or coherent, which really undermines a lot of the storyline. The inability to really come to terms with the switch concerning the original burial is the biggest culprit, as that becomes quite a flimsy manner to start the main problem with the killers' actual identity, which is somewhat undone by their inability to really reveal that throughout here and really manages to make for a problematic entry. The only other big issue is the rather atrocious and appalling special effects here to provide not only the murders but also the main villain's appearance, who looks so comical it's hard to imagine anyone would find him terrifying, even though it's mainly the laughable kills that undo this. Alongside the unnecessary stop-over in the tavern, these are the film's flaws.
Overview: ***.5/5
Somewhat enjoyable if overall flawed proto-slasher effort, there's some worthwhile factors here that are used to keep this one going against a few drawbacks that keep this one down. Those with an appreciation of this era of the genre, who are curious about it, or who are fans of the creative crew, will have a lot to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.
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