The Fiend

A truly dreadful film, seen during the night on BBC2, but glad I saw it! A fairly comprehensive anti-religion film... anyone who comes into contact with it becomes maniacs! Superb! Notable for yet another Patrick Magee scenery-chewing exercise, a host of unknown actors who remained unknown, and a truly jaw dropping series of appalling songs, sung by the "Shirley Bassey" Stars in their Eyes winner, Maxine Barrie (in her younger days!). Poor dear had to wait over 20 years for public recognition. If I were her, I'd buy all the prints and burn them! Definitely a B-movie for showing in a double bill with some cheapo Hammer concoction, but unintentionally funny in places.

This is one of the more notable British horror films from the early 1970s, a stylish and generally accomplished mix of religion, psycho-drama, music and exploitation. The opening cross-cutting between a prayer meeting – accentuated by a powerful gospel song – and a vicious murder is so stunning that the rest of the film actually struggles to live up to it, though the ending – appropriately over-the-top – is worth waiting for. Thematically, the film anticipates Pete Walker's equally good HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN aka THE CONFESSIONAL (1975) – but here we get the added bonus of a typically intense performance from Patrick Magee as the religious group's fanatical leader. Ann Todd (the former Mrs. David Lean) is one of his closest collaborators – in fact, her house is a converted church! – but who has to keep her diabetic condition a secret because the intake of insulin is prohibited by her faith! Her son (Tony Beckley), a security guard and part-time swimming instructor and pamphlet distributor, is repressed and unbalanced – and soon revealed to be the serial killer of nubile girls terrorizing the neighborhood (he even records on tape the victims in the throes of death a' la PEEPING TOM [1960]!). Todd's new nurse happens to have a reporter sister (genre regular Suzanna Leigh) who, alerted to the inhabitants' conspicuous Puritanism, concludes that all is not well with the house and decides to investigate. Given the permissive era in which this was made, violence and gratuitous nudity (along with the standard prerequisites associated with such fare) contend for the running-time – and the audience's attention – with a moderately serious treatment of the subject at hand. The end result may not be surprising or even particularly insightful but nonetheless proves wholly absorbing, thanks also to its undeniable surface polish.

One should always be wary, and perhaps even slightly skeptical, when it comes to previously unknown horror movies that suddenly emerge out of nowhere on fancy and marvelously restored BluRay editions. I never heard about "Beware My Brethren" (aka "The Fiend") before, and sadly too often this means it used to be obscure for a good reason and probably not worth discovering. However, the recent "88 Films" release looks so amazing and so irresistible for fans of (British) (s)exploitation horror of the 70s that I simply had to purchase it, and I also immediately know that I was going to like it a lot more than I probably should.

In all honesty, it certainly isn't a great movie. It's quite flawed, in fact, and I fully acknowledge the more negative reviews around here, but - in my defense - I was really in need of a brutally violent and sleazy horror, and the restoration of picture & sound is awesome! My apologies in advance, as this won't be a very objective review.

"Beware my Brethren" fits into several categories. It's a stalk-and-slash flick with a sexually repressed killer, inspired by milestones like "Psycho" and "Peeping Tom", but it is also a raw "fanatic religious nut" exploitation flick because of all the slaughtering in God's name and the numerous speeches urging to "repent ye Sinners!". And perhaps, most of all, it's one of those barbarically straightforward early 70s movies that want to state clear the "swinging 60s" are forever over and done with! You can't trust handsome strangers anymore, and skimpy outfits and "free love" will get you killed!

Briefly summarized, Kenny and his beloved mother Birdy are members of a secluded but extremely strict Catholic community called "The Brethren". Birdy attends all the lead Minister's speeches, but Kenny prefers to go out and butcher lovely young ladies who - according to him - dress and behave too indecent. Birdy's nurse-at-home suspects the Brethren is a dangerous cult, and persuades her journalist sister to go undercover and collect evidence.

The poor elaboration of the script and the lack of focused direction are by far the main weaknesses of "Beware My Brethren". During two scenes there seems to be a police inspector working on the cases of the murdered girls, but then he just disappears even though the bodies continue to pile up. The private search of the beautiful sisters Brigitte (Madeleine Hinde) and Paddy (Suzanna Leigh) also remains underdeveloped. Paddy's snooping around in the Brethren's chapel easily could have resulted in a couple of suspenseful scenes, but alas. Instead, Robert Hartford-Davis stuffs his movie with loud & endless preaching and full-length gospel songs. I confess I love the gospel songs, but I also love constructive plot and tension building.

Of course, I know and understand why Hartford-Davis made these choices. The Minister is a role of Patrick Magee, and a year before he just starred in the immensely popular "A Clockwork Orange". The girl who does the cherubic singing - Maxine Berrie - is the winner of TV-talent shows. The film could advertise with these names and thus they received prominent screentime. I'm already glad Hartford-Davis didn't cut back on the amount of vicious gore and gratuitous nudity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. A great sleazy atmosphere pervades throughout, not surprised the censors got their hands on it back in the day, and the UK only saw an edited version. Thankfully the version on the blu ray is the international version, and there is a handy extra feature comparing the UK version th the international.

Acting is excellent throughout, Ann Todd, Patrick Magee and Tony Beckley all do sterling jobs with their major roles, and the supporting cast are no slouches either.

It's a hard film to categorise, not horror really, not a crime drama, I'd call it a thriller more than anything.

Approach it with an open mind, and you'll be rewarded with a bit of a gem.,and a very early appearance fro Maxine Barrie of Stars in Their Eyes fame!

Hats off to 88 films for making this look as good as it does.

Having recently bought a copy of the 2010 release of this lost gem, finally available fully uncut and beautifully presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 - Odeon Entertainmant ODNF162 - I can't recommend it enough. Taking into consideration the very strict censorship laws and general climate the time of it's production, it's easy to see why it was butchered and suppressed at the time of it's initial release in 1972, the Mary Whitehouse brigade would have soiled themselves collectively at the subject matter alone. And the murder scenes, whilst fairly tame compared to some in todays more enlightened times, were way out there for early 70's Britain.

It's not the most polished of films, but the directing is pretty good and the acting pretty solid throughout - with a convincing enough ratio of ham, menace and believability - with the script and storyline excellent. Overall the results, particularly when taking the fairly small budget into consideration, really are very, very good indeed. Which is why I honestly think this film was years ahead of it's time.

An essential addition to any Brit Horror collection - it's a proto-slasher of sorts, imo - and also to anyone with an interest in looking at the darker and less positive sides of religion and it's very strong tendencies towards brainwashing, mind control and even abuse. I'd also recommend it to anyone who just loves a good well made and sincere film, however if you're just a cannibals & zombies or shoot 'em ups only freak, don't bother, it's definitely not for you.