Fuego

In PYRO... THE THING WITHOUT A FACE, Vance and Verna Pierson (Barry Sullivan and Sherry Moreland) are the happily married parents of a lovely daughter. Vance is a successful engineer, spending his off hours searching for his dream home.

One day, Vance stumbles upon a house where a woman named Laura (Martha Hyer) is about to commit arson. The two hit it off, and an affair ensues. Things get complicated when Vance decides to break it off. Laura's not ready for this, and her firebug ways reemerge with horrific results.

This movie is a grim story of fiery death, anguish, and vengeance. Sullivan is very convincing in his tortured, sympathetic role. His singular mission isn't merely revenge. He's trying to blot out the agony of what happened to his family. An agony that can't be extinguished.

This film deserves to be more widely known...

First of all, this is an English language film, so the title "Pyro" is appropriate. The film was made in Spain, though; with generous location scenes, it's a lovely setting. But, back to the title. "Pyro" is short for "Pyromaniac", or someone who possesses a compulsive urge to start fires. The lead characters in this film - engineer "Vance Pierson" (Barry Sullivan) and beautiful widow "Laura Blanco" (Martha Hyer) are not pyromaniacs. The motives for starting fires in the story are not those of a pyromaniac. Only little "Isabella" shows a brief moment of "Pyro"-type behavior.

Producer Sidney W. Pink's original title "The Phantom of the Ferris Wheel" was much better.

In flashback… The story is "told" by carnival attendee Fernando Hilbeck (as Julio), who becomes an associate of Mr. Sullivan, an admirer of the "Ferris Wheel". Once introduced, we see Sullivan, who appears to be happily married, meet and succumb to Ms. Hyer's seductive charms. Hyer was a model for aging gracefully, looking better in her 40s than she did in her 20s; with her fiery red shirt and black leather pants, she is irresistible. When Sullivan won't give up his wife and daughter, Hyer decides to play with fire...

The story boils down to one about infidelity and revenge, but there is a slight hint of supernatural possession in the script. Mr. Fink coordinates his "Spanish Gothic" story elements smoothly. Later on, the film adopts elements of horror. Sullivan and Hyer perform admirably, resisting the urge to overact. Mr. Hilbeck and the Spanish supporting cast are outstanding. Watch for a young Soledad Miranda (as Liz) to appear late in the third act. Beautiful women of all types can't seem to keep their hands off Barry Sullivan.

****** Pyro (5/64) Sidney W. Pink : Julio Coll ~ Barry Sullivan, Martha Hyer, Fernando Hilbeck, Soledad Miranda

Low budget, odd little movie has some chills, and good performances by MARTHA HYER and BARRY SULLIVAN. Laura Blanco (HYER) is a divorcee with a young daughter who has a fling with family man Vince Pierson (SULLIVAN). When his wife finds out, Vince tries to break off from Laura. She, however, has other ideas and believes that if Vince's wife & daughter are out of the way, she'll have him all to herself. Seeing Vince leave his house with wife & daughter still inside upstairs, Laura slips in and splashes gasoline around and sets the house ablaze. She even goes so far as to cut the water off, and attach a container of gasoline to the plumbing. Vince comes back and runs into the burning house to save his family. I can't say anymore without giving away the ending, but the rest is a pretty good thriller. HYER is very good as pure evil Laura. SULLIVAN also does well as Vince. In some ways this movie might remind you of FATAL ATTRACTION 20 years earlier. A stern warning to married men seeking greener pastures. This was one of AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL pictures, low on production dollars, and yet with its creepy plot, still a worthwhile thriller!!!

A married man named Vance Pierson (an aged Barry Sullivan , though Vincent Price was firstly slated for the character) has a brief affair with a beautiful blonde divorcee called Laura Blanco (Marta Hyer) , but he doesn't want to continue their relationship and returns to his spouse Verna Pierson (Sherry Moreland ) and 10 year-old daughter . Laura's obsession knows no bounds and she becomes increasingly violent , putting Vance's life - and that of his family's - in danger. She begins to threaten him with possesive and violent acts . This unsettling mistress, believing that if he had no more family he'd come back to her, sets fire to his house, hoping to kill them. The man, unsuccessfully attempting to rescue them, is horribly burned . After he undergoes an operation to reconstruct his face. PURE FEMALE every gorgeous inch of her...yet the strange desire that feeds on her cannot be quenched by love alone! Look at this "man" and BEWARE! There is nothing human about him except his desires! See The Thing Without A Face

Intriguing and creepy film with suspense , thrills , chills and terrifying scenes . It has a plot similar to Fatal attraction by Adrian Lyne , adding eerie elements . As a happily married has an affair with a disturbing woman resulting in unexpected and fateful consequences , then the family man starts to plot a merciless vengeance against his former jilted mistress and he will stop at nothing to have his relentless vendetta , as tension is slowly but surely built up . An expertly made , manipulative thriller , one of the most unknown films of the Sixties. This movie had memorable moments that have stayed with us who first saw it at the theater long years ago . A successful change of roles for Barry Sullivan and Martha Hyer , especially the latter as the sexy , scorned and deadly other woman . Both actors do a superb job in here , but kudos also to the rest of the cast as Luis Prendes as Police Inspector , Fernando Hilbeck as Pierson's colleague , Carlos Casaravilla , Hugo Pimentel and special mention for Soledad Miranda , Jesus's Franco muse , and who , unfortunately died early by car accident at 27 .

Colorful and evocative cinematography in Eastmancolor and Panacolor by Manuel Berenguer shot on location in Viveiro, Lugo, Galicia, Spain. However , being really necessary a perfect remastering .This motion picture "Phantom of the Ferris Wheel" or ¨Pyro... The Thing Without a Face¨ or ¨A Cold Wind from Hell¨ or ¨Wheels of fire¨well written/produced by Sidney W. Pink and was professionally directed by Julio Coll , it had an uneven hit , it bombed in some overseas countries , in others was a blockbuster and in Spain had a certain success . Winning some Spanish prizes as Winner Prize of the National Syndicate of Spectacle : Best Music : José Solá . Filmmaker Julio Coll had an important career , being expert on ¨Noir film¨ , he started collaborating in more than 30 scripts , as the classic ¨Apartado De Correos 1001¨(50) by Julio Salvador . His best works were at the beginning his career as ¨Nunca Es Demasiado Tarde¨ , ¨Carcel De Cristal¨, ¨Un Vaso De Whisky¨ and ¨Los Cuervos¨ in which there is social drama , intriguing elements and solid dramatic narrative . In 1958 he created the production company ¨Juro Film¨ with whom he writes , produces and directs his films . As he shoots ¨La Cuarta Ventana¨ (61) , ¨Ensayo General De La Muerte¨ and ¨Los Muertos No Perdonan¨ (63) . Julio , subsequently , made international co-productions as ¨Fuego¨ with Barry Sullivan , ¨Comando De Asesinos¨ with Peter Van Eyck , ¨Persecución Hasta Valencia¨ with Tom Tryon and the historical ¨La Araucana¨ with Elsa Martinelli and based on Luis De Camoens book until his death at 73. Rating : 6.5/10 . Decent and acceptable horror thriller .

Engineer Vance Pierson moves to Spain, where he will oversee the construction of his invention: a generator shaped like a ferris wheel. He meets a desperate young woman, Laura, who is trying to burn down her home for the insurance money she so badly needs. He stops the woman and they become passionate lovers. But soon Vance wants to end the affair he's having with Laura and go back to his wife and daughter. The jilted mistress flares up into a jealous rage and gets revenge on Vance...and he makes it his mission in life to get his own revenge on her. Barry Sullivan and Martha Hyer are excellent as the leads. Cult star Soledad Miranda appears as Liz, the daughter of a carnival worker, who falls for a mysterious older man. This was the first movie to have a $50 million set (Spain's Belesar Dam). Additionally, it was the first horror suspense movie filmed in Spain. It also was the first movie ever to be filmed in the province of Galicia, which is in northern Spain.