The Fiend

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.

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.

British horror/sex shocker about an overbearing mother (played by Ann Todd), her psycho son Kenny (Tony Beckley) and a very strict religious cult, led by Patrick Magee (great actor but this is far from being his best performance). Pre-opening credits we see a young boy being baptised by being immersed in water at the cult's chapel, at the same time a young woman is chased, stripped and thrown dead into water. Early on we see that Kenny is the killer, so there is no mystery in that respect. His mother relationship reminded me of Norman Bates in "Psycho" (1960), they both live in a large Gothic house, only Norman's mother was dead, Kenny's isn't (though she is very ill). There is plenty of female eye candy amongst the cast, and also female nudity, including one scene with full frontal. The murders are fairly vicious but nothing to write home about. I watched the uncut version which is rated BBFC 15, I dread to think how tame the heavily cut X version would have been. I did find it laughable how two young women were happy to accept lifts of a stranger (Kenny in his van). One corpse can be seen breathing and the inclusion of three pop songs throughout the movie proved detrimental to my viewing pleasure, I will add that the film is also a bit boring at times and relies on the kills and nudity to liven it up. Pete Walker made far more enjoyable British shockers than this, The Fiend is watchable but unremarkable.

Raised by an overbearing mother with diabetes (Ann Todd) and indoctrinated by a religious order called The Brethren, security guard Kenny Wemys (Tony Beckley) takes it upon himself to punish wayward young women by killing them. Meanwhile, nurse Brigitte Lynch (Madeleine Hinde) begins to suspect that something is very wrong in the Wemys house and convinces her sister, newspaper reporter Paddy (Suzanna Leigh), to write an expose on the Brethren.

Anyone who has seen director Robert Hartford-Davis' Corruption knows only too well that he is capable of making a genuine shocker, and Beware My Brethren has, in theory, got what it takes to be another excellent piece of exploitation horror. However, while the scenes featuring Tony Beckley doing 'God's work' tick all of boxes - nudity, violence and general sleaze - there is far too much of the runtime dedicated to the brethren and the sermons of the minister (Patrick Magee), which seriously cause the film to drag.

Had Hartford-Davis cut out at least one of the gospel songs and reduced the amount of preaching, and spent that time on police procedure, the murders, and Paddy's snooping, Beware My Brethren could have been another gem in his filmography. As it stands, it's a missed opportunity that is equal parts entertaining and tedious.

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

Beware My Brethren (1971): An English fundamentalist church has a small but committed (they should be) congregation. They listen to tapes from their Leader in Arizona. Crazed scenes as they respond to Preacher Patrick Magee who puts in a worthy performance. Amazing how many low budget horror features he starred in along with Pinter and Beckett plays, exploitation movies paying the rent I guess. Anyway one of his flock, Tony Beckley is a few psalms short of a psalter and has become a serial killer. A demented portrayal , not just as he gruesomely dispatches his victims but also as he simultaneously listens to tapes of their pleadings along with his Leader's rants. Some really good editing as the action cuts between a full immersion baptism and the drowning of one of those murdered by Beckley. Production values suffer from a limited budget but it;s certainly worth watching. Directed by Robert Hartford-Davis, written by Brian Comport. On Legend Channel. 6.5/10.