Incense for the Damned (1971)

A group of friends search for a young English Oxford student who has disappeared whilst researching in Greece. They are shocked to find that, wherever he has been, certain unsolved murders ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Hartford-Davis (as Michael Burrowes)

Writers:

Julian More (screenplay), Simon Raven (novel)

Stars:

Patrick Macnee, Peter Cushing, Alexander Davion

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Macnee	...	Derek Longbow
Peter Cushing	...	Dr. Walter Goodrich
Alexander Davion	...	Tony Seymore (as Alex Davion)
Johnny Sekka	...	Bob Kirby
Madeleine Hinde	...	Penelope (as Madeline Hinde)
Edward Woodward	...	Dr. Holstrom
William Mervyn	...	Marc Honeydew
Patrick Mower	...	Richard Fountain
David Lodge	...	Colonel
Imogen Hassall	...	Chriseis
John Barron	...	Diplomat
Valerie Van Ost	...	Don's wife
Theo Moreos	...	Mayor
Nick Pandelides	...	Monk Superior
Andreas Potamitis	...	Police Chief

Storyline

A group of friends search for a young English Oxford student who has disappeared whilst researching in Greece. They are shocked to find that, wherever he has been, certain unsolved murders have taken place. Not believing that their friend could be the perpetrator of such acts, they press on with their search, finding him under the spell of a beautiful Vampire, whose blood-sucking methods include the use of sado-masochism. Believing they have killed her, the group return home, unaware that their friend is now a Vampire.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | falling from cliff | orgy | hallucinations | drug party | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

On several different-titled versions of the film ("Incense For The Damned", "The Pleasure Seekers" and perhaps others), there is no director credit. On others, direction is credited to Michael Burrowes, a pseudonym for Hartford-Davis.

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Quotes

Tony Seymore: Are you trying to tell me that a girl sucking blood from a man's neck can induce an orgasm?

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Alternate Versions

The film had been extensively re-edited during post-production and the initial UK cinema version was cut further by the BBFC with the orgy scene being extensively shortened and a shot of a man kissing a woman's breasts completely removed. The film then reverted to the title of "Bloodsuckers" in the UK and the 1986 video release featured the same cut cinema print. The 2003 DVD release featured a re-edited print (including previously excised shots of the body of a stabbed topless woman) but the orgy scene was only included as an extra on the disc. BBC TV show the uncut version (with the orgy scene included in the movie) as "Incense For The Damned".

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Connections

Featured in Shiver & Shudder Show (2002)

User Reviews

Messy Brit-horror

Incense for the Damned is a huge mess. The director, Robert Hartford-Davis changed the name he would be credited as for this movie, and anyone that sees the film will see why he did that.

The movie tries to be a horror movie and a social satire, but it succeeds at being neither; it just can't get away from the fact that it's a trashy load of rubbish. The plot is meandering, and is loosely strung together by a narration, which seems more like a way for the movie to save money from it's poor budget than anything else. It follows the story of Richard, an upper class Oxford University student that has got lost somewhere in Greece. A group of his friends then set out to find him, only to discover that he has come under the spell of a female vampire, and then, believing they have killed her, the group take Richard back to Oxford, unaware that he is now a vampire also.

This movie bills Peter Cushing as one of it's main stars, but in actual fact he appears in the movie for a combined time of about five minutes. Furthermore, Edward Woodward appears in the film, just before he would go on to make the best British horror movie of all time; The Wicker Man. However, his appearance is little more than a cameo. Patrick Mower, who was in The Devil Rides Out, also appears in the film, and he is an actor that will be best known by British people for his role in the rubbish, yet popular soap opera; Emmerdale. The movie also features performances from Patrick Macnee, who would later appear in The Howling and Alexander Davion, who appeared some years earlier in the British horror; Plague of the Zombies. The cast is very much B-movie, but all are somewhat experienced in the horror genre. The fact that the cast is B-grade is evident through the acting if nothing else; which, with the exception of Cushing and Woodward (both of which also aren't great) leaves a lot to be desired.

Overall, Incense for the Damned is a waste of time that manages to be neither memorable nor interesting. I even recommend that Peter Cushing fans skip this one.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blood Suckers

Filming Locations:

Worcester College, 1 Walton St, Oxford OX1 2HB, United Kingdom

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lucinda Films, Titan International Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1