Adicionar um enredo no seu idiomaA religious sect called the Brethren has taken control of widow Birdy, sending her unstable son, Kenny, into a spiraling descent into madness. No woman is safe when Kenny's religious mania o... Ler tudoA religious sect called the Brethren has taken control of widow Birdy, sending her unstable son, Kenny, into a spiraling descent into madness. No woman is safe when Kenny's religious mania overpowers him and leads to murder and chaos.A religious sect called the Brethren has taken control of widow Birdy, sending her unstable son, Kenny, into a spiraling descent into madness. No woman is safe when Kenny's religious mania overpowers him and leads to murder and chaos.
Dee Shenderey
- Congregation
- (as Dee Shenderry)
Avaliações em destaque
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.
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.
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.
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.
The main character of Robert Hartford-Davis "The Fiend" is an emotionally disturbed religious nut.He loses grip on his sanity and sets off on a killing spree murdering prostitutes and other sexually active women."The Fiend" is a mildly interesting British serial killer flick with sleazy atmosphere and the background of religious fanaticism.The script is quite warped with religious rituals and misogynistic murders.The gospel songs are fantastic and the killings are nasty.One victim is found skewered on a meathook.I haven't seen Robert Hartford-Davis "Corruption",but I'd like too.If you are a fan of sleazy British horror give "The Fiend" a look.6 gospels out of 10.
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.
Você sabia?
- CuriosidadesMaxine Barrie, who sings at the start of the film, was the first winner of the UK TV show Stars In Their Eyes (as Shirley Bassey)
- Erros de gravaçãoAt the beginning of the movie when the young boy is baptized, the boy is placed inside the baptismal pool. However during one shot of the congregation shouting, he is shown completely dry, back on his pew and seconds again later he is sat in the baptismal pool.
- Versões alternativasFor its original UK cinema release the film was heavily cut by the BBFC with edits to the murder scenes (the torch murder and the strangling/stripping), shots of a girl's body on a meat hook, and the sequence where Kenny listens to the taped pleadings of his victims. The uncut version was once shown on BBC1 though later showings used an edited print. The 2010 Odeon DVD features the fully uncut version.
- ConexõesFeatured in Trailer Trauma 2: Drive-In Monsterama (2016)
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