La corrupción de Chris Miller

Having been left by their husband and father , a disturbed wife : Jean Seberg and deranged stepdaughter : Marisol hire a drifter handyman : Barry Stokes at their secluded state. While six brutal murders terrorize the town . As a series of killings committed by a psycho murderer starts horrifying the villagers and things go wrong . See it with rains it pours ... blood!. See it with someone you can hold onto!

A thrilling and suspenseful movie about a lurid subject matter concerning two women trapped alone in a locked house and along the way a psychopathic killer is on the loose . Dealing with the peculiar and complex relationships among three main characters played by the French Jean Seberg , the Spanish Marisol and British Barry Stokes . Interesting and twisted screenplay by Santiago Moncada, a prolific and prestigious writer who wrote several stories in all kinds of genres during the 60s, 70s and 80s . Stars Jean Seberg who provides a solid and sensitive acting as the unsettling abandoned wife and the ex- prodigy girl Marisol who is pretty well as the tramautized daughter long time ago suffered a terrible event, while Barry Stokes is nice as as the hunky and suspicious drifter . And a good support cast with some familiar Spanish faces, such as : Perla Cristal, Gerard Tichy , Mariano Vidal Molina , Gustavo Re, Goyo Lebrero, Rafael Luis Calvo and director Juan Antonio Bardem himself.

It contains an intriguing and frightening musical score by the prestigious composer Waldo de Los Ríos who soon after , unfourtunately , committed suicide . Atmospheric musical score by Juan Gelpi, though an adequate remastering being really necessary because of the film copy is washed-out. Being completely shot on location in Comillas, Cantabria, Spain. The picture was competently directed by Juan Antonio Bardem . This director was a good and notorious filmmaker , being his film debut : Esa pareja feliz 1951 co-directed by Luis Garcia Berlanga , after that , he made Cómicos 1953 about stage world , following an enjoyable comedy : Felices Pascuas 1954 . And eventually shooting his big hit : Muerte de un ciclista 1955 . And of course , his another big success : Calle Mayor with Betsy Blair. Some years later, he made this La Corrupcion de Chris Miller that has a rating 6.5/10. Better than average Gialli film. The flick will appeal to Jean Seberg and Marisol fans.

"La corrupción de Chris Miller" is a difficult film to write about. It tells a story that has many layers. There's the straight story the film tells and there are many undercurrents that are left for the viewer to discern.

Ruth (Jean Seberg) lives with her stepdaughter Chris (Marisol) in an isolated mansion in the countryside. Both of them wait for the same man. He was Ruth's husband and the father of Chris. One day, without warning, he left everything. They don't know where he's at. But Ruth and Chris have different feelings about him. Ruth wants to get even with him for what he has done to her, and for doing this she can use Chris, his daughter. Maybe she can corrupt her. But corruption is a vague word, what does it really mean? And Chris waits for her father as if he were the last hope left for her. A traumatic experience she had, has left its mark on her. Maybe her father is the only good thing left in the world...

But it's difficult to classify the relationship between the two women. It's not a traditional love-hate relationship. The same man links them, but there's much more than that.

Meanwhile a serial killer roams about the countryside. Mysterious murders are happening in the area.

One day a drifter, come from nowhere, arrives in the house. As it happens, he (Barney) is engaged to work in the house for doing the odd jobs. His presence will change everything. Slowly a strange kind of threesome is developed - an atmosphere of suspicion, perplexity ... begins to grow. Who is he? What does he want from them? What do they want from him? Ruth and Chris and Barney? Outside, the murders go on happening.

I won't say more because I don't want to spoil the film for you. "La corrupción de Chris Miller" is a refined psychological thriller. Jean Seberg is very good as Ruth, and Marisol's interpretation of Chris is powerful and emotional.

If you like this one, check out also "El ojo del huracán" (In the eye of the hurricane) - it's seemingly a lighter type of thriller, but don't let yourself get fooled, because under the sun there is light and there are also shadows.

Watched this on Tubu Tv. This film is a great mystery about two women living in a large creepy house in the middle of the country. Meanwhile, someone is going around killing people in the town near to where they live. One night, a handsome young man shows up at their door and the two women slowly start to suspect him of being the killer. Are they correct? This film has a beautiful cast, interesting performances, lesbian undertones, a very creepy killer and is ultimately a fun and unpredictable watch. Enjoy it.

The Spanish board of censorship certainly ruined the infinite possibilities of this film. Just think of what it would have looked like if it had been made in Italy, France or Germany, or even in Spain once democracy was restored and censorship abolished: the lesbian pseudo-relationship between Ruth and Chris, the wild eroticism exuded by Barney, the hot scenes with the guy seducing both women by turns, and the gore of the serial killings in the background. Director J.A.Bardem had no choice but to keep the sex and gory elements within the limits imposed by the censors, and that is the reason why this film looks so tame and decaffeinated. Still, it manages to look interesting and keeps a decent degree of suspense. I first saw it when I was 12 or 13, and the multiple murder sequence scared the s*** out of me: the thunderstorm night, the lonely farmhouse, the killer in a black hooded raincoat, the ominous music... Seeing it now in my 40s it looks anything but scary, but when you are a kid... I now was able to watch the English-speaking version, which has a different ending than the Spanish version, and the film sounds a lot better. In the Spanish version the dubbing of Jean Seberg and Barry Stokes is lame, while in the English version the Spanish actress Marisol speaks her lines in perfect English with her real voice, no dubbing involved. Great settings, locations, camera-work, music and an interesting story. Like I said before: if only Bardem had had complete freedom to exploit the story's full potential... A real shame. That is why I am giving it only 7 points.

I guessed the identity and motive of the killer in The Corruption of Chris Miller early on, but this didn't spoil my enjoyment of the movie as a whole, which is a trashy delight thanks to a wonderfully lurid story line, a few bloody set-pieces, and the presence of two very easy on the eye actresses: ex-child star Marisol as tasty temptress Chris (before watching I had assumed that Chris was a man, but how wrong was I?) and Jean Seberg as Ruth, Chris's sexy stepmother (which makes her a SMILF!).

Abandoned by her no good puppeteer husband, Ruth lives with Chris in her secluded country house. When she discovers a charming young drifter, Barney Webster, sheltering in her barn, Ruth initially threatens to call the police, but eventually takes the man into her home for breakfast, and into her bed for desserts soon after. When Barney sees Ruth's ravishing stepdaughter, he goes for the stepmom/stepdaughter combo, actively encouraged by Ruth, who wants to get back at her husband by corrupting his not-so-little girl. This volatile situation is heightened by some latent lesbian urges (Ruth's love for Chris runs a little deeper than she would care to admit), rivalry for Barney's affection, Chris's sudden bursts of stabbiness, and the fact that the ladies' house guest may be the psycho who has been carving up people in the surrounding area.

Opening with the messy murder of a woman by a man dressed as Charlie Chaplin, The Corruption of Chris Miller knows how to grab the viewer's attention, and with the introduction of the film's two lovely leading actresses, it's hard to say no to this sexually charged giallo-esque thriller, no matter how predictable the mystery is. The direction by Juan Antonio Bardem is reasonably stylish, with plenty of atmospheric rainy scenes (which terrify Chris, as we learn that she was raped in the shower when she was younger), and those well-orchestrated murders, which include the slaughter of an entire family by the sickle-wielding sicko, and the death of a major character from multiple stab wounds. Spanish censorship laws of the time prevent there from being too much in the way of nudity, but Marisol in her bikini is still reason enough to watch.