The Hellfire Club (1961)

Years after fleeing his ancestral home with his mother, Jason returns home to claim his birthright, only to find his way blocked by his evil cousin Thomas. In order to reclaim his title, ... See full summary »

Directors:

Robert S. Baker, Monty Berman

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (story), Jimmy Sangster (screenplay)

Stars:

Keith Michell, Adrienne Corri, Peter Cushing

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keith Michell	...	Jason Caldwell
Adrienne Corri	...	Lady Isobel
Peter Cushing	...	Mr. Merryweather
Peter Arne	...	Thomas - Earl of Netherden
Kai Fischer	...	Yvonne
David Lodge	...	Timothy
Bill Owen	...	Martin
Miles Malleson	...	Judge
Martin Stephens	...	Jason Junior
Jean Lodge	...	Lady Netherden
Francis Matthews	...	Sir Hugh Manning
Desmond Walter-Ellis	...	Lord Chorley (as Desmond Walter Ellis)
Denis Shaw	...	Sir Richard Benlow
Tutte Lemkow	...	Higgins
Rupert Osborne	...	Thomas Junior

Storyline

Years after fleeing his ancestral home with his mother, Jason returns home to claim his birthright, only to find his way blocked by his evil cousin Thomas. In order to reclaim his title, Jason must do battle with his cousin, who calls upon the members of the deadly Hellfire Club to stop him.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | ancestral home | nudity | skinny dipping | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

[print ad] Her body was her membership card in THE HELL FIRE CLUB

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Genres:

Adventure

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Pokoltüze klub

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The real Hellfire Club was a group of 18th century aristocrats dedicated to the violation of local virgins.

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Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'U' rating. All cuts were waived in 2012 when the film was granted a '12' certificate for home video.

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Connections

Referenced in Demonlover (2002)

User Reviews

Cheapo swashbuckler

This cheap 'n' cheesy British swashbuckler is very much like the costume adventure films that Hammer were making during the same period, albeit on a much lower budget. There's a wobbly, fake look to the whole production; the costumes are anything but authentic, and nothing looks very believable when it comes down to it. It has the same authenticity as an episode of DOCTOR WHO around the time of Jon Pertwee, but that's not to say it isn't fun.

The plot is completely predictable, involving a guy who comes home to claim his inheritance, only to discover that a bad guy (his cousin) has taken his place. It's rather amusing to see Keith Michell (THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII) as the straight-laced lead, but the prevalence of familiar faces in the supporting cast helps to even things out a bit. Watch out for a small, fussy turn from Peter Cushing, Peter Arne and Francis Matthews as the suave villains, Adrienne Corri (VAMPIRE CIRCUS) as a potential love interest, Miles Malleson as a judge and Bill Owen (LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE's Compo!) as a circus performer (!).

The production is quite poorly staged and the fight choreography is all over the place, with punches thrown so badly that you can clearly see they never connect. There's a half-rousing sword fight at the climax but it still pales in comparison to other fare from the era. There's lots of titillation though, thrown in as if to make up for the other deficiencies. Nevertheless I love period films from this era, so I still enjoyed THE HELLFIRE CLUB despite the obvious shortcomings.