User Reviews

This movie was one of the very last accomplishments of the legendary Boris Karloff (not quite sure if those Mexican junk movies were shot before this one but they definitely remained shelved until after his death) and reportedly he got really ill shortly after – or even during – the shooting of "Curse of the Crimson Altar". If this is a true fact, it definitely gives the film some sort of sour aftertaste. With a career like his, Boris Karloff should have enjoyed a well-deserved retirement instead of catching pneumonia on draughty film sets at the age of 82. On the other hand, of course, "Curse of the Crimson Altar" wouldn't have been half as good if it weren't for him. It already isn't much of a highlight in the genre, but Karloff's presence (along with three others horror veterans) provides an extra dimension of horror greatness.

This is one of the Tigon Production Company's more mediocre efforts – completely incomparable to "The Witchfinder General" and "Blood on Satan's Claw" – but still a remotely entertaining Brit-horror flick containing all the traditional ingredients, such as witchery, torture devices, old mansions with secret passageways, ritual sacrifices and psychedelic hallucination sequences. The plot revolves on an antique dealer (and ladies' man!) who heads out to the countryside in search for his mysteriously vanished brother. He arrives in a remote little town during the annual memorial of the legendary witch Lavinia Morley's burning. Mr. Manning is exaggeratedly welcomed at first, but he gradually senses something strange and sinister has happened to his brother in the mansion he's staying. When he then begins to suffer from vivid nightmares involving Lavinia herself, he realizes his name is historically linked to the witch and that he's been put under a sardonic curse.

Apart from the cast, "Curse of the Crimson Altar" benefices the most from its occasionally very moody atmosphere, the eerie scenery and the impressively staged witchery sequences. Even though these scenes might appear a little silly overall (what with the bodybuilders wearing leather S&M outfits), but they're still definitely a joy to watch when you're a fan of old-fashioned Gothic horror. Barbara Steele is underused and extremely typecast as the malignant Lavinia, but what the heck, even with her face painted green and ridiculously over-sized goat horns on her head, she still remains a luscious beauty. Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee (in their second teaming after "Corridors of Blood") are wonderful together, but the still heavily underrated Michael Gough shines as the weird and mentally unstable Elder. Unfortunately, however, the shoddy script contains too many holes and improbabilities, and director Vernon Sewell lacks the talent and horror knowledge to cover these up.

One last and perhaps interesting little trivia detail; although entirely devoid of humor otherwise, "Curse of the Crimson Altar" features one intentionally wit and unsubtle inside joke. Whilst talking about the old and secluded mansion, the main character mentions something in the lines of "I expect Boris Karloff to walk in at any moment" and – in fact – he does only a couple of minutes later. He rolls in, to be exact, since he plays a wheelchair bound character.

Three of all-time's greatest Horror icons in one movie - which true horror fan would not love a film like that? Vernon Sewell's "Curse Of The Crimson Altar" of 1968 may not be a particularly memorable example for British Gothic Horror from the late sixties. More precisely, it is often extremely cheesy, and far from being a masterpiece, but the brilliant casting of Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee and the wonderful Barbara Steele makes this a must-see for every lover of Gothic Horror.The story is apparently loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft's "Dreams in the Witch House". The film bears little resemblance to the short story by Lovecraft, however. It does, however, resemble several other Horror films from the 1960s in many aspects, especially the brilliant "City Of The Dead" of 1960s, which also starred Christopher Lee (even though it comes nowhere near its brilliance, of course).

After his brother has gone missing, Antiques dealer Robert Manning (Mark Eden), travels to the village of Greymarsh, where his brother was last seen in a huge mansion. Manning is kindly welcomed by the mansion's owner Mr. Morley (Christopher Lee), a descendant of Lavinia Morley (Barbara Steele), a 17th century witch, who, before being burned at the stake, put a curse on the people of Greymarsh. Manning, who has no clue of where his brother is yet, gets along very well with his guest-keeper's beautiful niece Eve (Virginia Wetherell). Somehow, however, the area still seems to be under the menacing spell of Lavina...

The film is, of course, particularly worth watching for its three stars. Christopher Lee is, as always, great and the incomparable Boris Karloff shines in one of his last roles as an eccentric old witchcraft expert who collects 'instruments of torture'. The greatest treat is the wonderful Barbara Steele (one of my favorite actresses and the greatest female Horror-icon ever) in the role of the green-faced witch Lavina wearing a bizarre horned crown. The supporting cast includes two other memorable British actors, Michael Gough ("Horror Of Dracula"), who plays a butler, and Rupert Davies ("Witchfinder General"). Beautiful Viriginia Wetherell fits well in her role as Eve, and also grants a peak at her lovely backside. The film is practically blood-less, but it is partly quite atmospheric, and occasionally quite weird, as several scenes seem quite bizarre and feature weird S&M style costumes. All things considered, the film is great fun to watch. It is certainly not highly memorable in any aspect except for the cast, but what a cast that is! No true lover of Horror can afford to miss a film starring Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee and Barbara Steele. Steele alone makes this a must for Horror fans in her green make-up! Recommended.

The cast were the source of interest for Curse of the Crimson Altar in the first place. The film though doesn't see any of the cast at their best and doesn't do them justice. That said Curse of the Crimson Altar is far from terrible. The cinematography and settings are appropriately eerie, and the music gives a real sense of creepiness. Three members of the cast shine. Boris Karloff is even when ill and late in his career commanding and acerbic. Christopher Lee is similarly wonderful and has a character that suits him to a tee. And Barbara Steele is wonderfully wacky and sensual, her costume and make-up are a knockout. Mark Eden however is a monotonously bland lead, and Virginia Weatherell while very pretty is lacking in charisma too. Michael Gough does deserve credit for doing shifty so convincingly, sadly he's woefully underused, and that's pretty much the same with Rupert Davies. While the film doesn't look so bad visually, the special effects do look rather cheap. The script is a complete muddle, it has some amusing lines from Karloff but too much of it is cheesy and severely underwritten. The story drags quite badly and even for a short running time feels on the thin side, complete with an ending that is both under-explained and dramatically undercooked. The dream sequences did come across as hilariously weird too, and the direction is rather flat and doesn't do anything to make the film less dull and muddled. Overall, not a terrible film but a strange one, somewhat difficult to rate this time around. 5/10 Bethany Cox

An underrated slice of late Sixties horror/psychedelia. It was filmed in 1968 and reminded me somewhat of The Dunwich Horror which was made around the same time and similarly attempted to update Lovecraft with setpieces inspired by the drug culture and the Summer of Love. The difference with the Crimson Cult is that it was filmed in England with a stellar cast who can actually act, unlike poor fish-out-of-water Miss Sandra Dee in Dunwich. It is a treat to see Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee trading pleasantries in their scenes. Michael Gough extracts the maximum from his small role as a pitifully unhinged factotum. Barbara Steele exudes a grandly Gothic malevolence in her scenes as Lavinia. She is probably the single most memorable presence in the film and whatever power it possesses is largely thanks to her. (Great costume, too!) The dungeon sequences are probably the best though my favorite moment in the film occurs when the innocent young man asks Karloff's sinister professor "What do you collect?" and with a friendly grin Karloff replies, "Instruments of torture!" Marvelous moment.

This movie is ridiculously difficult to find. After years of searching I located a bootlegged videotape which is in terrible condition--grainy and the colors which should be vividly over-the-top are quite washed out. Also the print lacks the original score which was quite nifty as I recall from seeing it on American television in the early 70s. There is supposed to be a laser disc version from the early 90s. It would be great if a patron who owns this would do a review of that.

This routine horror film has something of a maligned reputation (Christopher Lee himself refers to it as being "dreadful" in the accompanying interview), but the remarkable credits involved - stars Boris Karloff, Lee, Barbara Steele, Michael Gough and Rupert Davies, director Sewell and cameraman John Coquillon - and the familiar plot elements involving witchcraft make the concoction quite irresistible.

The stars are generally well cast: Karloff is given a great entrance and his character is amusingly acerbic, particularly with regards to bland leading man Mark Eden; Lee basically repeats his role - though here is given greater screen-time - from the superior black-and-white classic THE CITY OF THE DEAD (1960); Steele (in another of her long line of witches!) only appears in various characters' hallucinations - but this, and the fact that she's painted green all over and saddled with a silly horned head-dress, in no way undermines her peculiar beauty and commanding presence; Gough, however, is wasted as a vaguely sinister yet dim-witted manservant; Davies, too, is underused in an all-too-typical vicar role (though his belated involvement does bring about Lee's come-uppance); Virginia Wetherell isn't bad as Lee's niece, who's unaware of his secret lifestyle (despite herself having a predilection for throwing wild parties in their mansion, giving rise to some hilariously dated grooviness!), endangers her own life by falling for Eden practically at first sight (thus incurring Lee's wrath) and even appears briefly in the nude (this was her film debut!). There's nothing remotely memorable about the film (except, maybe, some of its imagery in the scenes where Steele shows up or, rather, is manifested) and can only be seen as a major disappointment given the enormous talent on hand - though the main culprit has to be its lazy scripting, since all the stars have treaded this path too many times before!

Lee's interview about Karloff is one of his most interesting and affectionate: I was surprised to learn that he considered SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) the best of Karloff's three stabs at the role of The Creature (though I adore the film myself), but he also erroneously mentioned that Karloff and Bela Lugosi had made a film called "Pit And The Pendulum" (which the interviewer - who I assume to be Marcus Hearn - didn't correct...but, then, nor could he help Lee when the latter asked whether the Karloff vehicle in which the actor played twins was called THE BLACK ROOM [1935]!; in this regard, I have to say that I'm irked no end every time an interviewer shows up without having done any preparation about his subject!!). It's also disappointing, to us genre fans, that the great horror stars never discussed their work amongst themselves (at least, according to Lee), as it would have been awesome to know just what they felt about it - and themselves for doing such films!

The DVD quality is on a par with the two recent DD Video releases I watched - ISLAND OF TERROR (1966) and NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT (1967) - and, like the former, has been trimmed slightly for this edition! Having watched all of them now, I'm almost sorry that I didn't pick up DD Video's THE BLOOD-BEAST TERROR (1967) and THE DEVIL'S MEN (1975) as well...and even more that I didn't order their SE of THE CREEPING FLESH (1972) earlier, since I've never watched it and is now practically impossible to find in this guise - having unceremoniously gone out-of-print!!

Robert Manning (Mark Eden) searches for his vanished brother in a rural English village, where he is entangled in the legend of Lavinia (Barbara Steele), a witch killed 300 years ago. Lavinia's heir, J. D. Morley (Christopher Lee), wants revenge on anyone related to her killers, such as Robert. Robert romances Morley's niece, Eve, and is aided by occult expert Prof. Marsh (Boris Karloff), but it is up to him to repel Morley's evil designs.

Boris Karloff became ill with pneumonia while shooting this project in the freezing rain. It was his last British feature, begun January 22 1968, and he would recover enough to shoot four Mexican features in May 1968, his final screen work. Barbara Steele is always a treat, and she is especially interesting with green skin and a large, feathery hat (if you can call that a hat).

Loosely based off of H. P. Lovecraft's "Dreams in the Witch House", how does it stack up to the Stuart Gordon version forty years later? Honestly, you cannot even compare them. If there is a connection, it is very limited. There is a witch, there are dreams, but the two films are worlds apart.

Howard Maxford calls the film "dated and somewhat slow", having "a better cast than it deserves". How a film that runs only 87 minutes can be slow is a legitimate question. Ivan Butler also feels the film falls short, saying the "promise of a combination of Lee, Karloff and Barbara Steele is not fulfilled". These are fair assessments.

I recommend the film for the cast and the awesome organ track that opens the film. Beyond that, it is hit and miss and you could skip it.

This movie is disappointing for numerous reasons. It's a disappointing entry within its genre, that besides is a waste of its impressive cast.

This is a late British horror movie, of the more old fashioned sort. The sort of horror that started off during the '50's and got made big by mostly the Hammer studios. The sort of horror that is not always too well written and not with the most impressive sets or budget behind it but horror with an always great atmosphere and distinctive style to it, which often made them a true pleasure to watch.

You could tell that the era was nearing its end and was more or less over already. This movie is more consistent with other British horror movies from the late '60's, which often focused on the far more psychological horror aspects, rather than old school gore and scares. It's something you could more refer to as Gothic horror. Boris Karloff actually played in quite a lot of movies like this, near the end of his career.

And this movie actually was one of last ones. He died one year after the release of it and it was also quite sad to see how he had to play his role entirely in a wheelchair because of his declining health. Still he is one of the highlights of the movie. Not too many people know it but Karloff was actually one fine, great actor, who was capable of way more than just playing the Frankenstein monster.

Of course it was also great to see him act along sides other great horror icons, such as Christopher Lee, Barbara Steele and Michael Gough. But it's not like their roles are that great really. The story is also not very consistent with any of its characters. Sometimes they disappear out of the story completely for a too long time.

And here is one of the biggest problems of the movie; its story. It's a quite messy one really, that besides is lacking in some real good tension or mystery. The movie remains barely interesting enough to keep watching, which is still mostly thanks to its compelling actors, who still of course have some great screen presence. And the real horror lover will of course still get a kick out of it, seeing the likes of Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee interacting and doing a scene together. This alone should be reason enough for them to go and watch this movie.

However let me just warn you by saying that the movie itself isn't much good really.

5/10

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Filmed in a "Real" Haunted Mansion...

Boris Karloff Exiting Career with Grace...

Christopher Lee Adding Gravitas...

Barbara Steele Doing a Bizarre,Colorful Barbara Steele, but Given Little Screen-Time...

Michael Gough as a Dumb-Waiter...

and a Story Cribbed Unaccredited from Lovecraft.

The Film also Employees a Lead Actor that has No On-Screen Chemistry, Dull as Dirt and is at Best, Mis-Cast.

This Bit of Late-Sixties Horror, Including Witchcraft, Sacrificial Virgins, "Instruments of Torture", is Inexplicably Lack-Luster and Unengaging.

A Typical Cornball and Cringe Inducing Miss-Step, Common in the Era, was to Emphasize the "Hip-New" Counter Culture "Freaking Out" in Orgiastic Ecstasy with Sex, Drugs, and...

Speaking of Drugs...the "Dream-Hallucinations" are another Mis-Handling of LSD, Hypnosis, using Weak and Cheap Kaleidoscopic Effects with No Explanations or Exposition.

It's Not Awful (How could it be?) but it Lacks Imagination and Energy.

Tigon Studios, Hammer's British Rival, Never had the Class, Subtlety, and Charm that made Hammer the "Talk of the Town" in the B-Movie Domain for 2 Decades.

This Made it to the Screen Towing some Marquee Attractions but Disappointed Almost Everybody, Fans and Critics Alike.

Worth a Watch with Low Expectations.

When his brother dísappears Robert Manning: Mark Eden, pays a visit to the far country house where his brother stayed . While his host : Christopher Lee is outwardly welcoming, his niece is very agreeable with him . But Manning feels a sinister threat across the weird house due to a creepy legend of Lavinia Morley , Black Witch of Greymarsh, she is the high priestess of Evil, a monstruos fiend with an overpowering lust for blood . Terror fills the night as she stalks her prey !. The World's Masters of Terror in a New Blood-Curdler ! What obscene prayer or human sacrifice can satisfy the Devil-God ?

The Crimson Altar or Curse of the Crimson Altar is a creepy and mysterious film in which a guest at a luxurious house comes face to face with naked fear on the altar of evil . Stars three greatest terror actors : Christopher Lee , Barbara Steele , and , of course , Boris Karloff , the Master of Evil in his last and most shocking role, though he was 80 and confined to a wheelchair . Despite ads claiming this as his last film, he made four more in Mexico. Adding other prestigious actors as Rupert Davies and Michael Gough who also starred a lot of terror movies .Highlights of the movie include the scantily clad Barbara Steele in sado-masochistic sequences and a psychodelic party with body painters and strippers , in addition, the eerie and supernatural final.

The motion picture was regularly directed by Vernon Sewell, packing some flaws and gaps . He was one of the mainstays in the B niche of the British film industry and in his almost 40 years shooting made all kinds of genres as Noir , action , terror , sexploitation , spy thrillers . Filming a number of movies such as : Stricly for the Birds , Urge to Kill, Master of Choice , The Man in the Back Seat, Battle of the V-1 , Wind of Change , Rogue's Yarn, Dangerous Voyage , Soho Incident , Johnny You're Wanted , and being his last one Burke and Hare. Adding his ordinary TV works as The Human Jungle , Kraft Mystery Theater , Sailor of Fortune , Edgar Wallace TV series and The Avengers .

I'm neither old enough to have seen this sort of horror at the time (barely born, in fact) nor a real horror fan, but this came up late on BBC2.

The opening scene is nicely weird enough, with various symbols of witchcraft, with various symbols in sorts of colourful panto vignettes and then soon settles into normal life, old cars, Britishness and all that.

Looking for his disappeared brother, Robert Manning (a fairly ordinary, nice Mark Eden) drives off to this lodge, from where his brother's last letter was addressed from. On the way up, he is told that the village in question is holding an anniversary witchcraft celebration and finds cars of men chasing a girl running through the woods.

Reaching the Lodge, the owner, one J D Morley (Peter Cushing, no less) naturally denies any knowledge but offers him a room for the night. As one (naturally) does, in a big, strange old house, where there was a party that involved painting young lady's breasts (and similar!), Manning accepts. A joke with one young seductress about 'the sort of old house from the movies, where Boris Karloff appears' is nicely tongue-in- cheek, as the other big star here, is indeed, Karloff himself.

He plays a wheelchair-bound professor, who's hobby is collecting instruments of torture. And, of course there's a dodgy chauffeur who goes around shooting at things in the woods (including 'our' man) and who so happens to be mute and an even stranger caretaker. Them there's loads of kaleidoscopic hallucinatory nightmares, with electronically distorted sound FX that our Robert suffers, which are interesting, at least. Then he toddles off, sleepwalking down to the local graveyard.

It's all hoary nonsense, of course, but whilst a bit dated, there's enough interesting characters played by interesting - and/or sexy people, if you get my drift, for the film to remain entertaining and enjoyable.

I'd give the actual film 5/10 for its real merit and maybe 7 for the other, entertainment aspects, as I've outlined. I don't think many fans of this genre would be too disappointed either and for them it's definitely worth checking out.

Man tries to find his brother who may have gotten himself mixed up with witches and witchcraft. Opening scenes of what appears to be an sadomasochistic orgy is what you'll remember about this ultimately dull uncredited HP Lovecraft adaption. Barbra Steel in green makeup and wild head dress and a leather clad dominatrix are the the shots often used as stills from the film for good reason, they are what you remember. I put the film in last night and started to watch it and realized ten minutes in that I had seen it before and had been bored silly by it every time I tried to get through it. I scanned through it to make sure I was remembering it right and realized I was repeating myself. A disappointment. Sure it has Steele, Christopher Lee and Boris Karloff, but its wholly unremarkable with some explanations that are less then satisfying.

Well it's not the great story; it's certainly not the curious nearly S and M moments, although I probably found them interesting as a kid, and it's not the technical brilliance although I must say that cinematographer Johnny Coquillon does an excellent job of lighting and utilising the interiors of the delightful Grims Dyke manor where the majority of the movie was filmed, and it's definitely not the annoying Mark Eden. So just what is it? Well, first and foremost there's the wonderful pairing of Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee, both of whom give performances way above the level of the product they were working with, and there's the lovely Barbara Steele portraying the green skinned witch Lavinia. On top of that there's the very 'Britishness' of it all… it's like a mad little time capsule; the sophisticates chasing a cat suit wearing girl through the forest, explaining to the hero that 'it's a rather sophisticated kind of hide and seek' (what?) and the anything goes swinging sixties party blend wonderfully with the slightly psychedelic hallucinations experienced by Robert Manning. Then there are little moments like the gas station attendant (Ron Pember) actually filling the car ('Craxted Lodge', he says, 'oh, yeah, I know Craxted Lodge' in a slightly sinister and loaded way); when was the last time that happened? And the cost, the total for petrol is 1 pound, 7 shillings and six pence (about 90 pence in new money)! On top of that there is a nice feeling of the 'village where something is not quite right' and the useful device of having the world's foremost expert on witchcraft, Professor John Marshe (Boris Karloff) as a resident and his friendship with a descendant, Squire Morley (Christopher Lee), of the notorious witch Lavinia (Barbara Steele) whose burning at the stake is commemorated in an annual festival which just so happens to be occurring just as the hero, Robert Manning (Mark Eden), arrives on the scene in search of his missing brother Peter (Denys Peek). In a knowing nod to the genre Manning, commenting about the house, says at one point that you expect Boris Karloff to pop up any minute and, of course, he does. Add to this the slightly sinister man servant Elder (Michael Gough), the romantic interest Eve Morley (Virginia Wetherell), and a wonderful old house and what you get is a really nice little movie, but one whose parts are, unusually, better than the whole. Incidentally I stayed at the house back in the 80s and it really is a lovely place, loaded with atmosphere and I was genuinely thrilled knowing the movie was made there. Of course, there are downfalls. Tigon have been accused of taking a rather crude and exploitative approach to horror, although at least two of their films, 'Witchfinder General' (1968) and 'Blood on Satan's Claw' (1970) are, in their own ways, outstanding, but the script here is rather weak and fails to flow from time to time which is not helped by the somewhat pedestrian direction. It would be pointless, however, to attempt a dissection of this movie's technical merits, if you want to do that, take a look at the same year's 'Rosemary's Baby'. If, on the other hand, you just want a great, if somewhat silly, old British witchcraft movie, then look no further than this.

This incredibly average horror film was the last film released during Boris Karloff's lifetime- here we see him as he literally is approaching death and yet he offers us some great lines in this H P Lovecraft inspired effort. The execution of the plot, the hero, and filmography are only so-so- I give a higher rating for the use of an allegedly real haunted manor house, the Grims Dyke manor. This one could have been better if the opening scene had not been so over-done and garish, and we see this opener re-hashed periodically as visions ? of the bland hero. What really drew me to the film was the use of several horror heavy weights- Christopher Lee, Barbara Steele, and the aforementioned Boris Karloff. This is why anyone would ever watch this one, and it is sad that Steele and Lee were not allowed to be more properly presented here. This is a perfect movie to watch if you are home sick with the flu ....or you are a Karloff completion-ist....5 stars.

Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff and Barbara Steele all in one horror flick. How can any fan of British horror from the 1960s fail to be enticed by such a top line-up?

As it happens, Curse of the Crimson Altar is actually an OK film. It was critically mauled and failed to impress at the box office, but it has some enjoyable moments if you're prepared to forgive its rather dated feel. The story is unoriginal and bland, with a young antiques dealer visiting a spooky looking house in search of his missing brother, only to uncover a witchcraft cult. But there are still plenty of moments to savour, such as some deliciously over-the-top sacrificial rituals, plus expertly acted scenes between Karloff and Lee.

The lead character played by Mark Eden (eagle-eyed viewers may remember him as nasty Alan Bradley in the British soap Coronation Street) is a crashing bore, and is nowhere near as handsome as he clearly thinks he is. However, some of the more bizarre characters in this film are really well delineated and make the film worth watching at least once.

After a good start, Curse of the Crimson Altar loses a bit of momentum before getting back on track, but anyway, the cast is the true star here: Boris Karloff (this is one of his last movies), Barbara Steel and Christopher Lee united. For that reason alone and some nice cinematography the connoisseur of classic horror should have watched this at least once in this existence before entering the next domain and greeting the Great Old Ones. My rate 5 + 1 for starpower. Recommended for the aficionado of horror with some inclination to nostalgia.

This film has been rather unfairly rated on this site. It's hardly a horror classic, but The Curse of the Crimson Alter boasts a strong horror cast, a nice storyline and an atmosphere borrowed from one of Hammer Horror's many successes. When you look at all elements, to be honest, it should have been a lot better; but you cant expect too much from a sixties low budget horror movie, and this film delivers one and a half hours of fun. Usually with this sort of film, if it bills two or more big actors; you can expect to see them for all of about five minutes. However, this movie stands out because the film's two big heavyweights; Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee appear for quite a while, and while they don't exactly 'star' in the film; their big billing is justified by the amount of time that they appear in the film for. Joining these two is cult beauty Barbara Steele, who basically reprises her role from the Mario Bava masterpiece 'Black Sunday'. She stars as a witch that was burned at the stake, but not before putting a curse on the descendants of the people who killed her. We pick up the story when one of those descendants travels to the town to find his brother.

While Curse of the Crimson Alter doesn't offer us anything new where the story is concerned ("if I had a pound for every witch curse movie ever made..."), it still manages to add some verve and imagination to the familiar plot. Not a great deal, mind; but enough to keep it an interesting ride throughout. The atmosphere is well done, and while it's obvious that the film only had a small budget to work with; it makes the best of it, and the house at the centre of the film makes for a nice location to film a horror movie. The two biggest billed stars; Karloff and Lee, haven't been given characters that require them to really flex their acting muscles, but even on autopilot; these two great thespians are able to show what it is about them that makes them so important to the horror genre on the whole. It's obvious that the people who put this movie together wanted to ensure that it had everything about it that made Hammer's films a success; and although it doesn't quite capture the high camp style, it does well enough to ensure that it's still a fun movie. On the whole, it's not great; but fans of this sort of stuff will no doubt find something to like.

"Robert Manning" (Mark Eden) is an antiques dealer who has become concerned about his brother not showing up at his office for over 10 days. So he decides to go to the last place his brother visited which happens to be at a large manor in a village called Greymarsh. The notable feature of this town is that every year the villagers put on a ceremony reenacting the burning of a witch named "Lavinia Morley" (played by "Barbara Steele") which happened over 200 years previously. Since the owner of the manor, "J. D. Morley" (Christopher Lee) happens to have a room that is readily available he offers it to Robert so that he can continue his search. However, later that night Robert has a strange nightmare which involves his being held against his will by a woman who greatly resembles Lavinia Morley. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that the combination of 60's psychedelia with a Hammer-style occult backdrop was most enjoyable. Likewise, the inclusion of Boris Karloff (as "Professor Marsh") along with the aforementioned Christopher Lee and Barbara Steele was equally appreciated. On top of that, having an attractive actress like Virginia Wetherell ("Eve") certainly didn't hurt either. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end and the negatives begin as the story devolved into mediocrity which culminated into a rather disappointing ending. To add insult to injury, Barbara Steele's role was woefully inadequate and essentially wasted. In short, what could have been a fantastic horror film turned out to be essentially adequate. No more and no less.

If I told you about Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee and Barbara Steele being in the same movie, you would instantly assume I'm talking about some horror movie from middle of the last century and, if you hoped to see horror, you would be very disappointed. Although it was classified as one, this movie does not have H of horror. It is not frightening, has no supernatural elements, it is not suspense, there's no blood or sudden scare scenes. The movie is totally realistic and music and effects are more appropriate for some alien SF than for horror, which this movie is not anyway. This is a mediocre thriller that has pretty scenography and slightly spooky atmosphere, few resonant names and absolutely nothing more than that. I'm not sorry about spending 90 minutes on it, but I definitely do not recommend it.

6/10

Mark Eden shows up at an old country home, looking for information on his missing brother. Owner Christopher Lee -- in what he claims was his worst movie -- tells him he's never heard of the man. Since the place is having a local festival, all the rooms at the local pub or booked, so he invites him to stay at the house, remarking it's the sort of place that one would expect to see Boris Karloff. After Lee's daughter, Barbara Steele, shows him to his room, Karloff shows up in a wheelchair, and we're off to the races.

It's a rather incoherent, uncredited version of Lovecraft's The Dreams In The Witch House, most notable for its cast, which includes Michael Gough, than for anything else, although cinematographer John Coquillon shoots the dark interiors.

I really wish I had not been loaded on cold medicine and halfway to comatose when I sat down to watch this movie, because from what I remember through the Robitussin haze, it was pretty cool.

A young man named Peter goes missing and his brother Robert tracks him to a grandiose country estate which is lorded over by the elegant Christopher Lee and his blonde bombshell niece, Eve. The village is gearing up for a yearly celebration not unlike The Burning Man, and Robert has no place to stay while continuing the search for his brother. Mr, Lee kindly offers him a room in his mansion, although Robert really seems less interested in finding his brother than in getting Eve into bed. However, when Robert begins having dreadful nightmares that may not exist only in his head, it is up to him, Eve and a wheelchair bound Boris Karloff to solve the mystery.

There's some really cool stuff in this hard-to-find film, not the least of which is Barbara Steele with blue/green skin and a headdress of rams horns, surrounded by guys in leather, whips and goats masks. As Lavinia Morley, the centuries dead witch who may or may not be possessing one of her descendants, Steele has rarely looked more beautiful and seductive as she does here. This film never takes itself too seriously and there are some wickedly funny moments, something which is all too often missing from horror films, or just isn't done right. Boris Karloff is a riot in one of his last film roles - the stories go that he was plagued by pneumonia on the set of this film and died from complications soon afterwards, but that did not stop him from playing the part of a slightly eccentric, somewhat snooty but always likable scholar to absolute perfection. The opening scenes are great fun, going from Black Mass to psychedelic 60s party (bordering on orgy) within minutes. You won't be bored by the visuals, that's for sure.

The story may not be anything new, but it is cleverly told and seems always fresh and bright for all that the film is 40 years old. The performances are really great and the characters are truly likable, even the bad guys. It's not an easy film to find, but if you can, grab it. It's worth seeing, even if only once.