A physician discovers that two children are being kept virtually imprisoned in their house by their father. He investigates, and discovers a web of sex, incest and satanic possession.
Robert Hardy
Zorn
Shane Briant
Emil
Gillian Hills
Elizabeth
Yvonne Mitchell
Hilda
Paul Jones
Carl Richter
Patrick Magee
Falkenberg
Kenneth J. Warren
Klaus
Michael Hordern
Priest
Robert Brown
Fischinger
Virginia Wetherell
Inge
Deirdre Costello
Magda
Barry Stanton
Ernst
Sidonie Bond
Zorn's Wife
Thomas Heathcote
Coachman
John Atkinson
1st Villager
George Cormack
2nd Villager
Mary Hignett
Matronly Woman
Sheila Raynor
Old Crone
Jan Adair
1st Girl
Jane Cardew
2nd Girl
Glenda Allen
Girl (uncredited)
Richard Beaumont
Young Emil (uncredited)
Fred Wood
Villager Carrying Torch (uncredited)
Director
Peter Sykes
Original Story
Frank Godwin
Original Story, Writer
Christopher Wicking
October 16, 2015
5
There is a heritage of disorder in our blood.
An unhinged Baron keeps his children as prisoners in the family mansion for fear they will inherit the family illness - insanity!
It's one of Hammer Films' most divisive productions, some laud it as a Gothic horror with art house veneers, others say it's simply pretentious tripe! The truth is that it's a bold and ambitious picture, a tricky narrative of mental health, incest and brutal patriarch pressure, all cloaked in the Hammer traits so prevalent in their 70s productions.
Cue blood and nudity, hammy acting, good acting, splendid costumes, vivid colour and a mansion setting of some distinction. Unfortunately the story remains too vague for too long, it never settles into a rhythm to unsettle the viewer, while the poor acting from the principals playing the family (Robert Hardy, Shane Briant and Gillian Hills) destracts from what is on paper a fascinating screenplay.
There's something for every horror fan in here, even though it's not explicitly a horror film, so roll the dice and take your chance. I'll sit on the fence like a Swiss politician and rate it 5/10
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00