| The Horror of It All | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Terence Fisher |
| Written by | Ray Russell |
| Produced by | executive Robert L. Lippert associate Margia Dean |
| Starring | Pat Boone Erica Rogers Dennis Price |
| Cinematography | Arthur Lavis |
| Edited by | Robert Winter |
| Music by | Douglas Gamley |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date | 19 August 1964 |
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Horror of It All is a 1964 British horror comedy film directed by Terence Fisher and with a screenplay by Ray Russell. It stars Pat Boone and Erica Rogers.[1][2]
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Transcription
Plot
American encyclopedia salesman Jack Robinson arrives at a dilapidated mansion in the English countryside, which belongs to the Marley family. Robinson has fallen in love with Cynthia and wants to ask permission to marry her.
Cynthia's family includes: her uncle Percival, an inventor; her cousin Natalia, a macabre, vampire-like creature; Cornwallis, a hammy ex-actor; her uncle Reginald; Grandfather, who lies bedridden upstairs; and cousin Muldoon, who is kept locked up in the fear that he will harm someone.
A cousin of Cynthia has just died and Cornwallis dies after drinking a toast. Jack wants to get the police but they are 20 mi (32 km) away and the family have no car (Jack's has broken down).
Several attempts are made on Jack's life. He learns that the family fortune consists of one million dollars, and one of the Marleys intends to end up with all of it. Later, grandpa is killed.
Jack and Cynthia make a dash for freedom and Cynthia reveals that she is the murderer. She conks out Jack.
In hospital, Jack discovered that Cynthia made up the confession to protect him - the real killer is Cornwallis, who was pretending to be dead.
Cast
- Pat Boone as John Robinson
- Erica Rogers as Cynthia Marley
- Dennis Price as Cornwallis Marley
- Andree Melly as Natalie Marley
- Valentine Dyall as Reginald Marley
- Archie Duncan as Muldoon Marley
- Erik Chitty as Grandpa Marley
- Jack Bligh as Percival Marley
- Oswald Laurence as Doctor
Production
The film was made at Shepperton Studios in England. The story is essentially a remake of the classic Universal Studios comedy horror film The Old Dark House (1932), which had already been remade a year earlier. The plot also has elements of the horror comedy Murder, He Says (1945).
Reception
The Los Angeles Times thought Terence Fisher "had the right idea playing the silly plot for laughs but his snail's pace spoils the show. He kills much of the humour by holding a scene after he's made his point."[3]
According to Diabolique magazine "The movie is populated by a fine supporting cast of English character actors playing various eccentrics [...] Boone is a solid straight man, and the film is lively. It’s not up to something like The Cat and the Canary (1939) which it was clearly aping, but those films are harder to do than they look. It’s not bad. It could have done with color and songs."[4]
References
- ^ "The Horror of It All (1964) - Terence Fisher | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
- ^ "HORROR OF IT ALL, The". Monthly Film Bulletin. London. 33 (384): 124. 1 January 1966. ProQuest 1305828238.
- ^ Creaky Plots Mark New 'Horror' Program Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 11 Sep 1964: F12.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (10 September 2019). "The Surprisingly Interesting Cinema of Pat Boone". Diabolique Magazine.
External links
- The Horror of It All at IMDb
- The Horror of It All at AllMovie
- The Horror of It All at the TCM Movie Database
- The Horror of It All at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Horror of It All at BFI
This page was last edited on 21 December 2023, at 00:24