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

The film was released as a double bill with The Kiss of the Vampire (1963).

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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 Paranoiac; The Making Of (2017)

User Reviews

Not the usual Hammer Horror

I'm a big fan of Hammer Horror, and have seen a fair few of the films made by the studio. However, none of my previous viewings could prepare me for this film - it's absolutely nothing like the Hammer Horror we know! And luckily, that isn't a bad thing. Hammer are most famous for producing fun, colourful flicks - and this one is neither of those things. Shot in black and white, and without a slither of humour in sight; Paranoiac is an entirely serious horror-drama. It's a good one too, as Oliver Reed steps into the role of spoilt brat Simon Ashby brilliantly, and you can really believe his every motivation. The plot follows Simon and the rest of the Ashby family, which is thrown into disarray when Simon's long lost brother Tony turns up. Believed to have committed suicide eight years ago, Simon and his Aunt don't believe the man claiming to be Tony and think him to be an impostor. The only member of the family who does believe that it really is Tony is the sister, Eleanor, whom Simon has being trying to drive insane so that he can get his hands on the family fortune.

'Paranoiac' is a great title for this film, as it breathes a very paranoid atmosphere throughout. Oliver Reed's facial expressions and mannerisms help it to achieve this, and Paranoiac wouldn't be the film that it is had it not been for him starring in it. The beautiful Janette Scott stars alongside him, and makes up the rest of the central ensemble along with Alexander Davion and Sheila Burrell. The colours tend to be my favourite thing about most Hammer films, and thus I tend not to like the black and white ones as much. The lack of colour doesn't harm this film, however, as it makes up for it with a suburb atmosphere, much of which comes from the excellent black and white cinematography. The pace of the film can be a little slow at times, but it never becomes boring and Paranoiac always has enough up it's sleeve to compensate for it's less exciting moments. The plot has enough surprises entwined within it, and even though the film only has an eighty-minute running time - there's a lot of development, and the final twist is bound to catch you off guard. While this film isn't very well known - it is very good. I don't hesitate to call Paranoiac one of Hammer Horror's best little-known gems.