Un tueur sous influence

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.

This film begins with a man named "Neal Mottram" (Jack Palance) performing a black magic ritual in front of an African idol called "Chuku" in the basement of his antique shop. Immediately after the ritual, a woman named "Muriel Sharp" (Kathleen Byron) storms in, demanding the African idol, claiming Neal stole it from her. A struggle follows, ending with Muriel impaling herself on the idol. Using her death as a sacrifice to gain favor with the African idol, Neal then disposes of her body in a nearby river and continues with his day. A few days later, two detectives from Scotland Yard, "Sergeant Wall" (Michael Jayston) and "Constable Russet" (Percy Herbert), arrive, and because his name was found in Muriel's address book, they begin questioning him about her. Based on his answers, Detective Wall quickly suspects that Neal knows more than he admits. Meanwhile, as Neal talks to his assistant "Ronnie" (Martin Palmer), he happens to find some gold coins in an old desk, which he immediately believes are a sign of Chuku's blessing for the sacrifice of Muriel. From that moment on, Neal decides to keep sacrificing women at the altar of the African idol, firmly believing that Chuku will protect him from the consequences of his actions. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay British horror film, largely thanks to the solid acting from everyone involved. Admittedly, the idea of anyone worshipping an idol as silly-looking as Chuku is somewhat laughable, but even so, the film managed to hold my interest for the most part, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Jack Palance plays an antique dealer Neal Mottram,who worships creepy looking statue of African God Chuku.Chuku is supposed to bring wealth and good fortune,but it also demands human sacrifices.Neal starts killing sexy British ladies to satisfy Chuku."Craze" by Freddie Francis features an over-the-top performance of the great and sadly missed Jack Palance.There are some comedic moments as well as plenty of suspense.Sexy Suzy Kendall of "Torso" and "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" shines as a hooker/dominatrix."Craze" is based on Henry Seymour's book,but I found that Chuku was a creator deity of the Ibo people of Nigeria.Diana Dors is superb in a supporting role here and also in "Nothing But the Night",a horror film which was the only movie ever made by Christopher Lee's own production company.7 out of 10.

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.