Il buio macchiato di rosso

A nutty antiques dealer (Jack Palance) starts to sacrifice women in different scary methods ,as he executes them in honor to an African idol named Chuku , whom he believes will reward him with immense power . He's reluctantly helped by his young helper (Martin Potter) . Meanwhile , two Police Inspectors (Detective Constable Michael Jayston and Percy Herbert) start investigating the strange events and along the way , things go wrong .

Tongue-in-cheek and offbeat tale of a crazed antique dealer who slays a number of women , as he sacrifices in honor of an African God . The story is uneven paced , suffering from some weak incidents and of varying quality , packing nice as well as fleeble moments. The main amusement results to be to guess the kind of murder to carry out by the creepy killer , ranging from impalement , stabbing , burning , to scaring people to death with an ooga-booga fright mask . Here stands out Jack Palance playing as a demented art dealer & antique-shop owner who performs nightly rituals thinking of being rewarded with unimaginable wealth if he merely offers up human sacrifice , as Jack gives an overacting but attractive performance . He's well accompanied by a great support cast formed by a lot of familiar faces , giving brief but charming performances , such as : Martin Potter , Michael Jayston , Percy Herbert , Diana Dors , Julie Ege , Edith Evans , Trevor Howard , Hugh Griffith , David Warbeck , Suzy Kendall , Kathleen Byron , among others .

The picture was regular but professionally directed by Freddie Francis , as it has somes flaws , shortcomings and failures . Freddie studied engineering but changed his career direction when he developed an interest in photography and cinema. Became a clapper boy at Elstree Studios in 1935, eventually working his way up to camera assistant at Pinewood. Wartime service with the Army Kinematograph Unit, then became camera operator at London Films. Worked on several films for Powell & Pressburger and John Huston. Full lighting cameraman from 1956. A noted exponent of British 'New Wave' cinematography . Started to direct from 1962, particularly horror films for Hammer and Amicus. Accepted many assignments to make a name for himself, but regretted this later when he became somewhat typecast in the genre. However, he was a stylist who created superior visuals for several poorly written films. After reading a script, he would 'photograph the film in his mind'. One of his personal favorites among his work as a director was The Skull (1965) and he replaced Terence Fisher as director on Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968) . As this craftsman director made several horror fims, such as : Dark tower, The Doctor and the devil, The Ghoul, Craze, Legend of the werewolf , Tales that witness madness, The creeping flesh, Tales from the crypt , The vampire happening, Dracula has rising from the grave, They came from beyond space , Torture garden, The skull, Hysteria, The evil of Frankenstein, Day of the triffids, Nightmare, Brain, Paranoic, among others . Rating : 5.5/10 . The flick will appeal to Jack Palance fans.

working from memory here so forgive the hazy details..... jack palance chews the scenery as an antique dealer who becomes convinced that by sacrificing women to an african idol in his cellar he will have good fortune bestowed upon him. cue lots of crazy 70's fashions,music,drugs references etc etc. the film follows jacks downward spiral as he tries to keep the idol satisfied. cleverly the film never makes it clear whether jacks good luck is coincidence or whether it really does bring good luck. this film is well worth picking up for entertainment value.

I must say I'm very surprised, even quite shocked, to see all the negative ratings and read the downright harsh reviews on "Craze". Sure, it's far from original and probably not even all that memorable, but one simply has to admit it provides tremendous 70s horror entertainment thanks to its schlocky plot, Grand Guignol make-up effects and the fabulously over-the-top performance by the great Jack Palance! Honestly, if you love the horror genre, I cannot believe, nor accept, that you won't enjoy "Craze". Good old Jack depicts financially struggling antique dealer Neil Mottram, living in the heart of London. He organizes ritual sacrifice games in his basement to honor the God ChuKu, which is a hideous African statue with huge eyes and razor-sharp fingers. Neil already was loony, but he gets dangerously disturbed when he learns the tacky sacrifices weren't sufficient. In return for dead female sacrifices, ChuKu offers wealth and luxury. So, predictably, Neil gets hooked on the thrill of both money and committing murder, and roams around London to scout for potential new victims. As soon as the police begins to suspect him, Palance's murder schemes turn into meticulously prepared plans, and I thought this was great. The whole set-up to get rid of his rich aunt, for instance, with waterproof nightly alibis and even his own car sabotaged, is very ingenious and fascinating to observe. The kills are deliciously gruesome, nasty and perverse. Poor ladies get impaled, stabbed, viciously strangled or even stuffed in the incinerator. "Craze" clearly isn't director Freddie Francis best work, but his weak direction is widely compensated by the unhinged Jack Palance and the numerous guest appearances from great starts in minor roles.

Jack Palance plays an antique dealer who dabbles with murder & black magic in 1970's London. There's many familiar faces in the cast here. The film starts & ends, predictably, well but sadly the middle part goes a bit flat. The picture quality wasn't great on my DVD but I think they did the best they could with what print was available.

Unassuming antiques dealer, Neal Mottram (Jack Palance) acquires an African idol called Tuku. We were already shown in the opening scene that Mottram has a dark, homicidal side.

When a woman is inadvertently impaled, Mottram quickly discovers a cash windfall. Putting two and two together, he starts trolling for female sacrifice candidates. While the bodies pile up, so does the money. Mottram's lifestyle gets a serious upgrade!

With the police closing in, Mottram fears nothing due to his megalomaniacal madness.

CRAZE is a twisted tale of insane greed and karmic retribution. Palance is incredible in his despicably devilish role. He's really good at playing these unhinged characters!

Watch and be amazed!...