Il rifugio dei dannati

Fascinating film, an exercise in understated British acting. How did I miss this flick? In 1963 I used to go to movies a lot, and surely this film played the drive-in or "B" movie circuit. Howevr, this is a wannabe "A" movie. The story is convoluted, with lots of twists and unexpected turns. Never be sure of anything in Paranoiac. There are even a couple of genuine thrill jumps along the way to the conclusion. Acting is excellent and the music works well. Best of all, Paranoiac is shot in absolutely gorgeous black and white. Since the movie was released in 1963, Oliver Reed was slim and drop-dead handsome.

No one can make suspense thrillers like the Brits. Actually, Paranoiac reminded me of Bunny Lake Is Missing and Midnight Lace. It's now available in a Hammer studios presentation box of 8 films. Since Paranoiac was one of two films in the package I had not seen, ever, I watched it as soon as I opened the package. Heartily recommended.

I'd never seen this Hammer film before and I finally dug it out from my Universal Hammer Collection. What a pleasant surprise it was. It is so refreshing sometimes to see black and white photography at a time when Hammer was known for its colour, and that moody b&w style really compliments this disturbing tale of a family of oddballs and what happens when one of their clan who drowned himself as a boy returns. Oliver Reed drinks as much as he did in real life here (it ultimately killed Reed) and he's really excitingly over the top. A hidden gem in some ways, PARANOIAC is well-scripted by Jimmy Sangster, and nicely directed by Freddie Francis. The more I think about it, the underrated Francis was often better than Terence Fisher. *** out of ****

The wealthy Ashby family grieves the tragedy of the death of the patriarch and matriarch Ashby in an airplane crash and their son Tony, who committed suicide, eleven years ago. Tony jumped off the cliff and his body was never found, only a suicide letter. Presently the dysfunctional Ashby family in composed by the alcoholic and reckless organist Simon Ashby (Oliver Reed); his unbalanced sister Eleanor (Janette Scott); and their overprotective aunt Harriet (Sheila Burrell) and their finances are managed by the accountant John Kossett (Maurice Denham), who tries to keep SImon under control. A couple of weeks before the due date for Simon receiving his inheritance, Tony Ashby (Alexander Davion) surprisingly appears for the joy of Eleanor, but Simon and Harriet believe he is an impostor despite his knowledge about the family.

"Paranoiac" is an intriguing and suspenseful film by Hammer, with great storyline and deceptive conclusion. The screenplay builds tension and mystery with the viewer questioning whether tony is who he says. But unfortunately the rushed and senseless conclusion disappoints. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Paranóico" ("Paranoiac")

I understand that Freddie Francis's "Paranoiac" is a loose adaptation of Josephine Tey's "Brat Farrar", of which I had never heard until now. It sounds as though Hammer tried to make a number of movies like "Psycho". This one isn't a bad attempt. It focuses on a man who arrives at an estate on the coast of Dorset, England, claiming to be a brother long thought dead, causing a bunch of family secrets to come out.

Oliver Reed's unctuous, irresponsible brother is the really intense character. He refuses to believe the newcomer and goes to great lengths to keep him out of the family. Reed's evil-looking face made him the perfect man for the role. A lot of the movie has the usual stuff that we see in these movies: screaming, eerie images, etc. I did like the cinematography showing the rocky English coast; the terrain looks as sinister as anything going on in the house. In the end "Paranoiac" isn't a great movie, but worth seeing, if only once.

The film is about a dysfunctional English family who make the folks on the Jerry Springer show seem very normal in comparison! It seems that many years earlier, two rich parents were killed in a traffic accident--leaving their three children to be raised by a nutty aunt. However, only a few years later, one of the sons apparently kills himself--leaving a flaky and emotionally fragile daughter and a son who is a spoiled little monster. This spoiled monster is played by Oliver Reed and he looked like he was having fun with this vivid role--drinking, being emotionally unstable and being an all-around jerk! The sister, never the poster child for sound mental health, begins insisting that she's seen and heard the other brother--even though he is dead. When he actually turns up alive some time later, you are left wondering if this really is the dead brother or if it's a con man. Due to this return, however, Reed begins acting much more unstable and kooky--as this reappearance has apparently pushed him over the edge of sanity.

How all this is resolved will keep you guessing and the film is a lot of fun even though it isn't exactly subtle. And, when the mysteries are all unraveled, you probably will like the the nice twists and turns. In many ways, the movie seems inspired by films such as PSYCHO and PARANOIAC in turn seems to be, at least in part, the inspiration for future films like STRAIGHT-JACKET--all shrill but exciting suspense films.