In the wake of Hitchcock's Psycho, there was a slew of rip-offs and cash-ins, but Paranoiac manages to establish its own identity and deliver a genuinely tense horror/thriller.
Directed by the legendary Freddie Francis and starring a young Oliver Reed at his most volatile and dangerous, Paranoiac is a pretty atypical film of its type. It begins by establishing itself as a Gaslight-style thriller and ends up in full on Norman Bates territory, via a little segue through Gothic Horror and Film Noir.
Elizabeth Lutyen's soundtrack is a real high point. It is disturbing, yet lush, and is used sparing to punctuate moments of high tension, horror and madness, which makes it all the more effective. The more understated moments of the film tend to make use of either diabetic music, or just the production sound and Foley.
The cinematography is gorgeous and really benefits from the monochrome look. The camera is agile and takes the viewer along with it for the ride, in a way that would later become popular with Italian directors, such as Mario Bava and Dario Argento.
Overall, this is a film not to be missed by fans of Hammer, Oliver Reed, or any thriller lover.
Directed by the legendary Freddie Francis and starring a young Oliver Reed at his most volatile and dangerous, Paranoiac is a pretty atypical film of its type. It begins by establishing itself as a Gaslight-style thriller and ends up in full on Norman Bates territory, via a little segue through Gothic Horror and Film Noir.
Elizabeth Lutyen's soundtrack is a real high point. It is disturbing, yet lush, and is used sparing to punctuate moments of high tension, horror and madness, which makes it all the more effective. The more understated moments of the film tend to make use of either diabetic music, or just the production sound and Foley.
The cinematography is gorgeous and really benefits from the monochrome look. The camera is agile and takes the viewer along with it for the ride, in a way that would later become popular with Italian directors, such as Mario Bava and Dario Argento.
Overall, this is a film not to be missed by fans of Hammer, Oliver Reed, or any thriller lover.