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Saturday, January 21, 2023

AND SOON THE DARKNESS (1970)

Something of a cult figure for the stylish campy horror of two Vincent Price/DR. PHIBES pics (THE ABOMINABLE/’71; RISES AGAIN/’72), director Robert Fuest had just made this modest, but more than modestly effective thriller featuring Pamela Franklin and Michelle Dotrice as a couple of mismatched student pals biking the backroads of France on holiday.  One always eager to get a move on for the next town (Franklin), the other (Dotrice) hoping to lounge around and flirt with the cute guys hanging at the café.  They hit the road, but not for long as Dotrice quickly needs a break.  Fighting over what their vacation should be, Franklin heads out, leaving her stubborn friend behind.  Big mistake . . . for both of them.  Suspense and surprise only mild, but Fuest nails the inherent creep factor as both young woman have second thoughts but few options (or the language skills) to fix a situation that appears to be spinning out of control.  (Control of uncomfortable story beats & scare tropes just what Fuest excels at.)  Bringing in slightly ‘off’ characters who offer help but may have had something to do with an unsolved murder in the exact same featureless rural spot three years ago.  Yikes!  Ex-pat English lady; bickering couple running a little rest stop; Paris detective a bit too fascinated by the old murder case; local gendarme; who to trust, who to turn to?  With a well structured script from Brian Clemens & Terry Nation and well-caught atmosphere from lenser Ian Wilson, the film sticks with you.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: Pamela Franklin’s best known perf was as the favorite student in THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE/’69, but her specialty in psychological horror roles started right from her unnerving debut in THE INNOCENTS/’61 (aka Henry James’ THE TURN OF THE SCREW.)  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-1969.html  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-innocents-1961.html

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