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Information
- Year
- 1945
- Runtime
- 77 min.
- Directors
- Charles Crichton, Alberto Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden
- Genres
- Drama, Horror
- Rating *
- 7.5
- Votes *
- 6,360
- Checks
- 2,622
- Favs
- 213
- Dislikes
- 25
- Favs/checks
- 8.1% (1:12)
- Favs/dislikes
- 9:1
Top comments
-
dombrewer
Extremely influential and entertaining portmanteau style horror film from Ealing Studios - the first British film of its kind in the 1940s following the ban on production of horror films during the second world war. Part directed by some of top talents of British cinema - Alberto Cavalcanti ("Went the Day Well"), Charles Crichton ("The Lavender Hill Mob"), Basil Dearden ("The League of Gentlemen") and Robert Hamer ("Kind Hearts and Coronets"), it features short supernatural stories that have all since become horror staples - a premonition that averts a fatal accident, an unusual encounter revealed to be supernatural after the event, possession via a malevolent item, a ventriloquist's puppet that may not be as innocent as it first appears, and a man doomed to act out his nightmare over and over again.
For the most part, even though the accents are clipped and the scares mostly suggested and subtle, it really works thanks to excellent pacing, strong performances and some brilliant cinematography.
The inclusion of the comical tale of two golfers, one haunted by the other after cheating on a vital match to decide who will take the hand of the woman they both love is an odd inclusion, featuring the renamed popular double act of Charters and Caldicott from "The Lady Vanishes" played by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne. It's well done but unfortunately lifts the tension expertly built up by the Haunted Mirror episode - possibly the best of the stories - before leading into the most famous segment featuring Michael Redgrave's twitchy, driven ventriloquist Maxwell Frere and his unpleasantly subversive dummy Hugo Fitch. The real mark of genius is how If you want some old fashioned scares and some masterful examples of subtle suspense this is a must see. 11 years ago -
TalkingElvish
Fantastically moody and stagey in a really good way. The acting, structure and stories are so uniformly strong that the slightly dated script still works wonderfully. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever watched more than one episode of the Twilight Zone in a row. A truly pioneering film. 9 years 6 months ago -
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 9 official lists
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This movie ranks #54 in TSZDT's The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films
TSZDT's The 1,000 Greate…
54 -
This movie ranks #69 in iCheckMovies's 1940s Top 100
iCheckMovies's 1940s Top…
69 -
This movie ranks #70 in Time Out's The 100 Best British Films
Time Out's The 100 Best …
70 -
This movie ranks #125 in Doubling the Canon
Doubling the Canon
125 -
This movie ranks #162 in Emma Beare's 501 Must-See Movies
Emma Beare's 501 Must-Se…
162 -
This movie ranks #164 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…
164 -
This movie ranks #225 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
The Guardian's 1000 Film…
225 -
This movie ranks #313 in Jennifer Eiss's 500 Essential Cult Movies
Jennifer Eiss's 500 Esse…
313 -
This movie ranks #985 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
985