Reeves' penultimate film before Witchfinder General and his untimely death at 25 (accidental overdose). Written by he and Tom Baker (not that one), from an idea by John Burke. And what a weird idea. An elderly couple, played by Boris Karloff and Catherine Lacey (the nun in The Lady Vanishes, also Whisky Galore!), develop a mind control machine they use on Ian Ogilvy which controls his actions. The woman (interestingly) gets totally carried away with the power and ends up forcing him to commit murder. His girlfriend Elizabeth Ercy and mate Victor Henry start to get pissed off with his violent behaviour and it all ends in a high speed chase through strangely deserted North London and a fiery finish.
Karloff doesn't have much to do - a lot of the time we see the old couple 'concentrating' whilst the action happens, and in fact Lacey has the more interesting part, and it's her psychotic face you are left with.
Susan George is in it, but I wouldn't have recognised her.
The performed music, from the 'Swinging Sixties', is utterly dire.
Photographed by Stanley Long, whoever she is. Looks like it was filmed primarily on location.
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| "We're controlling his mind." |
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