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Steve_L
Reviews
Supernatural (1977)
My two penn'orth
I just got a set of these on DVD. I have to say I like them as good examples of well-made drama. They're well-acted, well-scripted, very atmospheric, great characterisations and all that, but they do seem a bit slow at times.
While I realise this is the essence of this style of Gothic horror, there were times when I felt I was sitting waiting for something to happen, and often when the final credits start to roll, I found myself thinking, "was that it?", so I can understand the idea of them being thought a bit boring
That said, the horror bits when they arrive are chilling and unsettling rather than in-your-face, and all the better for it. The casts give great performances throughout; even without the horror element they're superb pieces of drama. And they simply look gorgeous throughout.
Here are my appraisals of the episodes. May contain spoilers: GHOST OF VENICE An actor returns to Venice to right a wrong from long ago - but what is real and what is imagined? Not a great opener. Scare factor pretty low, lots of long slow bits where little happens, a little disappointing. The storyline tends to wander a bit, leaving you wondering where it's all going. Nicely wrapped up at the end though, and a superb performance from Robert Hardy. COUNTESS ILONA The Countess invites her ex-lovers to join her at her castle - but with what motive? And what of the rumours concerning her ex-husband? A great piece of drama with a fine performance from Ian Hendry. There is little horror subject matter throughout most of this, so you can almost forget you're watching a horror. It is subtly implied by mutterings and frantic POV-shots, and the ending is similarly more implied than revealed, to great effect. The series starts to find its feet. THE WEREWOLF REUNION Following from the previous episode, the tension builds to a powerful climax, with wonderful performances from all concerned. The series is now in full stride. MR NIGHTINGALE A quiet, shy man is slowly possessed by his rather vile alter-ego, with devastating consequences for his host family. One of the better episodes. A stunning performance from Jeremy Brett at his cackling, insane best. LADY SYBIL An imagined stalking phantom (or is it? What are those wet footprints leading from the river?) is haunting Lady Sybil, but what do her sons have to do with all this? This one's a bit nutty. At times slow and meandering, hard to follow where it's going, and the ending is a real "huh?" moment. Still the performances are sublime, especially Denholm Elliott' finale as the demented, clown-faced son. VIKTORIA A neglected daughter uses the spirit of her down-trodden (and murdered) mother to take revenge on her debauched father and scheming governess. A series highlight for me. Well-paced and atmospheric, with nice acting and good scene setting. The scene where the ghosts appear to the father as he drinks by the fireside is one that has stayed with me since I first saw this nearly 30 years ago! If you are at all creeped out by dolls - don't watch this! NIGHT OF THE MARIONETTES A student of Mary Shelley brings his family to a Bavarian hotel, where the owners stage bizarre, Frankenstein-like marionette shows. Another high-point. The horror is less subtle and much more in your face, but it loses none of its character and atmosphere. Some good chilling moments that genuinely shock. Fine performances, especially Gordon Jackson and Vladek Sheybal DORABELLA A friend watches helpless as he sees his friend become more and more obsessed with a sinister but alluring vampire. Can he escape the same fate himself? Not one of the best episodes to end the series, IMHO, but by no means a weak one. Fine performances and characterisation and plenty of suspense, tension and atmosphere.
The Shuttered Room (1967)
Nasty and unsettling - a classy, atmospheric little number
An excellent and criminally underrated film. I remember seeing it years ago one night just before we were going on holiday to a little sleepy fishing village in Cornwall (SW England). This grimy little film, with its sea-side and coastline scenes, all added to the excitement of it all. I remember finding it a bit nasty and creepy (the soundtrack was the insane jazzy flailings you always got in strange, uncomfortable 60's movies), and it left me uneasy about what we were going to find in Cornwall. I imagined us driving into a sleepy, half-deserted village just like the one on the film. Now this film really stuck in my mind, and I've always kept an eye out for it being repeated ever since, and only saw it again maybe once in all that time. Got it on DVD yesterday, and as soon as I watched it a massive blooper hit me straight away. SPOILERS - DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM
At the beginning of the film, we see a 4-year old Suzannah being frightened be some creature that has escaped from the attic. Later the adult Suzannah returns looking about 25.
It turns out that the creature is Suzannah's sister, but the creature is about the same age as her.
Does this mean that creature we saw at the beginning of the film hasn't aged at all in the last 20-odd years? Or perhaps the creature was also 4 years old at the time? If so, come off it, a 4-year old mentalist just isn't frightening, even to another 4-year old.