Symptoms (1974)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

José Ramón Larraz

Writers:

José Ramón Larraz (writer)
Joseph Larrza (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A young woman is invited by her girlfriend, who lives in an English country mansion, to stay there with her. The estate, however, isn't quite what it seems--and neither is the friend who issued the invitation. |

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mike Grady		(as Michael Grady)
Lorna Heilbron
Raymond Huntley
Marie-Paule Mailleux
Nancy Nevinson
Ronald O'Neil
Angela Pleasence	...	Helen
Peter Vaughan

Also Known As:

The Blood Virgin

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK | Belgium

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X | USA:R

Company:

Finition Productions

Trivia:

The final feature film of Raymond Huntley.

A strange and wonderful film! A must for horror fans!!!!!

Being a devoted horror buff, I've seen a great many strange and wonderful horror movies in my time, but I tell you none of them even begins to compare to SYMPTOMS! This rarely seen gem centers on Helen(Angela Pleasance), a rather odd young woman who invites her friend, Ann(Lorna Heilbron) to come stay with her at her decaying old house in the English countryside. Terror unfolds as Helen's sinister handyman(Peter Vaughan) discovers the corpse of her previous house guest, sending the disturbed woman into a violent and uncontrollable rage that culminates in the deaths of several innocent people. Though the plot is relatively simple, Spanish horror director Jose Larraz handles the material in a complex manner and like his British counterpart, Alfred Hitchcock, is able to find terror and menace in the most simple and mundane activity. Larraz also milks the strikingly eerie English landscape for all it is worth. The strongest aspect of SYMPTOMS however is the marvellous performaces by Angela Pleasance and Lorna Heilbron. Pleasance, the daughter of famed British character actor Donald Pleasance, is a supremely gifted actress who seldom ever got a role as good or as intriguing as this. Heilbron, a striking British beauty with genuine talent to match her sultry good looks, is a sadly underused actress who is intense and believable every moment as Pleasance's unsuspecting friend. Unfortunately, this is a frustratingly difficult film to find. It's never been released to video in the US, and the only reason I have seen it is because I had the good fortune of catching it on late night television some years back. They really need to release this one to video and DVD. I'm sure it will get the wide audience it deserves if it is given a reasonable amount of build-up and exposure!