Paranoiac (1963)

Loosely based on Josephine Tey's "Brat Farrar;" a man long believed dead returns to the family estate to claim his inheritance.

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writer:

Jimmy Sangster (screenplay)

Stars:

Janette Scott, Oliver Reed, Sheila Burrell

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Janette Scott	...	Eleanor Ashby
Oliver Reed	...	Simon Ashby
Sheila Burrell	...	Aunt Harriet
Maurice Denham	...	John Kossett
Alexander Davion	...	Tony Ashby
Liliane Brousse	...	Françoise
Harold Lang	...	RAF Type
Arnold Diamond	...	Publican
John Bonney	...	Keith Kossett
John Stuart	...	Williams

Storyline

Eleven years earlier, the wealthy Ashby family was shattered when Mr and Mrs Ashby died in an airplane crash and their grieving son Tony committed suicide. All that remains of the family is cruel Simon, an alcoholic in desperate need of funds; his mentally fragile sister Eleanor; and his protective aunt Harriet. Simon is just weeks away from receiving his inheritance, but there is a hitch in his plans when the long believed dead Tony Ashby suddenly arrives.

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Plot Keywords:

inheritance | secret room | hidden room | imposter | eavesdropping | 

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Taglines:

A harrowing excursion into terror that takes. you deep inside the twisted mind of a... PARANOIC.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Haus des Grauens

Filming Locations:

Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Antony James Ashby was born in 1938 and died in 1953.

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Goofs

As Simon plays the congregational hymn on the organ in the opening scene at the church the music shown on his stand in the organ loft is an oratorio/anthem music score with SATB lines (soprano/alto/tenor/bass) and a two-stave orchestral/keyboard reduction, emphatically not a church hymn.

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Quotes

Simon Ashby: [stumbles through the door inebriated]
Aunt Harriet: Where have you been?
Simon Ashby: [smirk on his face] I've been drinking.
[Looks at the liquor on the bar in the entryway]
Simon Ashby: Now I need to drink some more.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Maniacs (1996)

User Reviews

A dandy little suspense film

The film is about a dysfunctional English family who make the folks on the Jerry Springer show seem very normal in comparison! It seems that many years earlier, two rich parents were killed in a traffic accident--leaving their three children to be raised by a nutty aunt. However, only a few years later, one of the sons apparently kills himself--leaving a flaky and emotionally fragile daughter and a son who is a spoiled little monster. This spoiled monster is played by Oliver Reed and he looked like he was having fun with this vivid role--drinking, being emotionally unstable and being an all-around jerk! The sister, never the poster child for sound mental health, begins insisting that she's seen and heard the other brother--even though he is dead. When he actually turns up alive some time later, you are left wondering if this really is the dead brother or if it's a con man. Due to this return, however, Reed begins acting much more unstable and kooky--as this reappearance has apparently pushed him over the edge of sanity.

How all this is resolved will keep you guessing and the film is a lot of fun even though it isn't exactly subtle. And, when the mysteries are all unraveled, you probably will like the the nice twists and turns. In many ways, the movie seems inspired by films such as PSYCHO and PARANOIAC in turn seems to be, at least in part, the inspiration for future films like STRAIGHT-JACKET--all shrill but exciting suspense films.