The Frighteners (TV Series) The Manipulators (1972) User Reviews

A very strong episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 27 June 2018]

I've been working my way through The Frighteners DVD's, and it's fair to say I've not exactly been overwhelmed by any episode so far, that is until The Manipulators, it's not perfect, but it's very much the type of thing I was expecting from the series, and it has a lot to it. Right from the start you just know this one's going to be good, strong production values, great acting and a cracking story line, finally a huge and unexpected twist.

Mind control dramas were hugely popular in the 70's, this may seem like just another one of them, but there's so much more to it, particularly when you consider the relatively short running time.

As some would say, it has a lot of meat on the bone. 8/10

Rings My Bell

[southdavid · 7/10 · 27 July 2020]

With the series seemingly having been pulled from Youtube, I had to switch to DailyMotion to find this episode of "The Frighteners" and I'm glad I did, as it was probably the best one so far.

In a flat above a Butchers shop, two men, Irving (Stanley Lebor) and Adrian (Bryan Marshall) are observing the couple in the flat opposite. The couple appear to be reaching a breaking point, as not only do they have an infant child, but Adrian has been tasked with making a series of telephone calls and delivering letters to generate the idea that Pat (Kara Wilson) has been unfaithful. As their experiment reaches a conclusion, Adrian's conscience is starting to get the better of him.

Written and directed by Mike "Get Carter" Hodges this is an interesting episode. Away from the central thrust of the drama, the episode cuts to aspects of the couple's life that also feed into the idea of mind control. Pat is attending a typing skills class, in which the room full of people follow exactly the same instruction at the same time, regardless of the legitimacy of it as a learning tool. Her husband, David, played by David Sands is attending a lecture explaining about Pavlov's experiments with his dogs, which refer to mental conditioning.

But it's the flat where the majority of the story takes place. If I'm honest, I did half guess the ending but it doesn't really detract from the performances, as Adrian becomes visibly less and less comfortable with what's going on. Stanley Lebor was the only actor that I recognised, I think from "Ever Decreasing Circles" of all things - but his menacing turn here wasn't anything like his one in that.

A logical plot, decent performances and a dark twist. Good Stuff.