"Straight on Till Morning" was released the same year by Hammer as "Demons of the Mind" and both films undoubtedly shocked fans as they completely deviated from the standard Hammer Horror formula of gothic horror in rural settings. While "Demons of the Mind" had a lot going for it, this thriller, which also stars the dreadful Shane Briant, is a travesty from start to finish. Hammer was on its last legs as it struggled to maintain its lead in the horror market, with a new film revolution taking place in the US with the likes of Romero and Peckinpah and films such as "Rosemary's Baby" and "Night of the Living Dead" revitalising the horror genre across the the Atlantic. That is why "Demons of the Mind" and "Straight on Till Morning" represent two very different changes of direction for Hammer. They knew that they had to adapt to the changing times, but unfortunately, as it the 70s went on, it failed. Just as a sidenote, "Fear in the Night" was another Hammer film released that year that sought a change in style and that was a solid film, with Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing and Judy Gleeson leading and with the well-capable Hammer veteran Jimmy Sangster at the helm.
This strange and boring film sees a naive and shy young woman move to London so that she can find a man to impregnate her. While wandering the streets one night she spots a handsome looking man up on a bridge walking his dog (Shane Briant). She does what any self-respecting young woman would do in that situation - she kidnaps the dog so that she has an excuse to return it to him. She enters this strange man's apartment and after some back and forth he invites her to move in. Of course, she accepts, but she soon finds out that this man is far from the prince she dreamed him to be.
Briant looks like a oversized and evil cherub with his hairstyle and Rita Tushingham is completely bonkers, so they make a very odd pairing in the film and it only serves to further hinder it. This was a party that I wanted to leave very early on. I noticed in the first half of the film that they were dabbling in some experimental editing. It was dreadful; scenes were cutting back and forth and intersecting with headache-inducing clarity. Very little actually happens in this film; essentially, we have a very annoying and gullible young woman being tormented by a psychopath for the duration. This was part of a Hammer Collection boxset that I have and I think that I would be best removing it. They managed to make a worse film than "Rasputin: The Mad Monk"...
This strange and boring film sees a naive and shy young woman move to London so that she can find a man to impregnate her. While wandering the streets one night she spots a handsome looking man up on a bridge walking his dog (Shane Briant). She does what any self-respecting young woman would do in that situation - she kidnaps the dog so that she has an excuse to return it to him. She enters this strange man's apartment and after some back and forth he invites her to move in. Of course, she accepts, but she soon finds out that this man is far from the prince she dreamed him to be.
Briant looks like a oversized and evil cherub with his hairstyle and Rita Tushingham is completely bonkers, so they make a very odd pairing in the film and it only serves to further hinder it. This was a party that I wanted to leave very early on. I noticed in the first half of the film that they were dabbling in some experimental editing. It was dreadful; scenes were cutting back and forth and intersecting with headache-inducing clarity. Very little actually happens in this film; essentially, we have a very annoying and gullible young woman being tormented by a psychopath for the duration. This was part of a Hammer Collection boxset that I have and I think that I would be best removing it. They managed to make a worse film than "Rasputin: The Mad Monk"...