El filo del miedo

1964's "The Edge of Fear" is a low budget Spanish thriller that found its way on to Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on Mar 25 1972, paired with first feature "Picture Mommy Dead," equally matched films focusing on dysfunctional families, though from two different cultures. Shot in black and white and not issued for three years, "The Edge of Fear" is a literal translation of its Spanish title "El Filo del Miedo," its director/co-writer, Jaime Jesus Balcazar, known in the US for his involvement with "Superargo Against Diabolicus" and Christopher Lee's "The Castle of Fu Manchu," plus a number of European Westerns. Attention is focused early on, as Don Cesar de Urdaz (Jose Calvo) toasts his offspring around the table, checking off his disappointment with each one before revealing that he received an anonymous letter announcing his imminent death that very evening. Eldest son Carlos (Fernando Cebrian) is a spineless weakling married to frightened Julia (Mercedes Borque), younger brother Javier (Oscar Monzon) is a mediocre medical student in love with Elena (Sara Lezana), beautiful ward of gardener Sebastian (Carlos Lemos), while sister Amelia (Yelena Samarina) had disgraced the family years ago by giving birth to a son out of wedlock. Cesar is a tyrannical patriarch feared by everyone, Julia imploring husband Carlos to leave his ancestral estate to start a family. By morning Don Cesar has disappeared, and local inspector Don Antonio (Jorge Llopis) remains baffled that he too received a note announcing the death of the missing Cesar. The suddenly aggressive and overbearing Carlos becomes obsessed with finding his father's will, only to vanish himself the following night. Amelia's now adult son is considered a suspect, then she too falls victim to the unknown culprit, lured outside by someone she obviously knows and trusts. The abrupt conclusion was correctly guessed by this viewer, who was still enthralled by its quietly chilling atmosphere, such earnest efforts only now reemerging after decades of obscurity.

A fine movie with accurately depicted characters and with the support of dialogues that are never out of tune , adding a captivating atmosphere due to its disturbing incidents . The bossy father (José Calvo) of Urdaz family (Yelena Samarina, Fernando Cebrián , Óscar Monzón..) , as during the inaugural dinner he shows his wrath and crushes his children in a display of extreme cruelty and sadism . Then he receives a unsettling note with a death threat . The surprise is the next day, when he disappears. Later on ,happening a series of mysterious disappearances, both relatives and workers of the farm where they live. There are no traces of him . And fear and despair invades the old house at times... starting with the tyrannical father that everyone fears !.

A passable and absorbing film at times , with an intense intrigue that's reinforced by means of various kinds of shocks , chilling score although in some sequences it becomes too boisterous, and dark cinematography that almost produce a hypnotic effect on the viewer. The plot is typical and ordinary , a variant of the case of successive disappearances that take place in an environment that involves a small group of characters, and subsequently things go wrong . Dealing with strange disappearances and without a trace , as one by one, the Urdaz family is plagued by strange happenings , while glimpses of fine psychology are not lacking . The fear and bewilderment that take over the main roles are combined with a sensitive love story between a wealthy young -Oscar Monzón who has not managed to make a career- and a poor girl -Sara Lazana who had a long , successful career- , whose romance is opposed his family . Some weaknesses in the script is made up for the appropriate , suggestive atmosphere and Balcázar makes good use of the performers, all of them fascinating by the way, as are the characters they play . Balcazar skillfully developed the story and keeps the mystery alive until a denouement that manages to surprise and convince us , earning well-deserved applause. A decent film at the time , quite unknown and whose modest reputation is far below its quality .

The music by composer Adolfo Waitzman is very appropriate and inspired, and the photography by cameraman Juan Jurado is nice , giving the film a strong visual force with its lights and shades . Good cast of actors, well directed, with a lot of familar faces of the Sixties and Seventies such as José Calvo of For a fistful of Dollars, Yelena Samarina , Sara Lezana, Carlos Lemos , Fernando Cebrián , Manuel Guitián , Francisco Álvarez. Here excels the evocative cinematography in black and white shot on location in Comillas, San Vicente de la Barquera y Santillana del Mar with its Colegiata incluided .This was a very promising debut by Jaime Jesús Balcázar., though he falls short . It was shot in 1964 but premieredthree years later with little success. After "The Edge of Fear" Jaime Balcazar wrote/produced/directed irrelevant subsequent products . He was author of the outrageous script for ¨Superargo contra Diabolikus¨, and he managed to make some entertaining movies , though sometimes very mediocre . Juan Jose Balcazar alongside his brothers Francisco Balcazar and Alfonso Balcázar produced and directed a lot of Tortilla or Butifarra Western , most of them starred by Jorge Martin or George Martin , Luis Davila , Daniel Martin or Robert Woods ; such as 1972 The return of Clint , 1972 Judas... ¡Toma Monedas! , 1968 Sartana no Perdone or Sonora , 1967 With Death on Your Back, 1966 Dinamita Jim , 1965 Doc , Manos De Plata , 1965 Viva Carrancho , 1965 Five Thousand Dollars on One Ace . But J. J Balcazar also made other genres such as : Action as 1968 Crónica de un atraco , 1967 El hombre del puño de oro , 1967 El filo del miedo and Erotic as : Catherine Chérie , 1982 , Playa azul , 1979 Inés de Villalonga 1870 and 1970 El misterio de la vida and hisonly Musical : Españolear . Rating 5.5 /10 . Average though some brief moments fun . If you like traditional Spanish thrillers remains watchable. This movie is a good example that with a little budget but with expert skillness , appreciable results can be achieved in the crime genre.