I remember seeing this back in 1970 (it was made in 1968) on a double bill with HORROR HOUSE (THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR) which featured Frankie Avalon. Both were released by American International in America but were made by Tony Tenser’s Tigon Films, the company responsible for WITCHFINDER GENERAL. The movie was billed as Boris Karloff’s last film which is why I went to see it but even with a “cool” party scene and flashes of nudity, I didn’t much care for it then. Today, over 40 years later, I find that there is more there to admire than I did the first time around.
While the story really doesn’t make sense (it’s supposedly based on H. P. Lovecraft) and Lee & Steele are underused, there are compensations. The use of color especially during the witch scenes is Suitably artistic and the overall lighting is moody and atmospheric. The location shooting at W.S. Gilbert’s former estate Grim’s Dyke (now a hotel) is remarkably effective as is the rest of John Coquillen’s cinematography. Then there is Boris Karloff. Nearly 81, crippled by arthritis and suffering from emphysema (he did most of his scenes in a wheelchair), he still manages to give a performance by using his distinctive voice and his facial features.
This DVD edition contains the slightly censored version that was released in Britain but contains Peter Knight’s original orchestral score. The American VHS version released a few years ago (as THE CRIMSON CULT) is uncut but features a forgettable synthesizer score composed by Kendall Schmidt. The DVD comes with an informative booklet on the production and the British film industry at the time and reproduces the movie’s color scheme better than the tape. Not a great film by any means but worthwhile for Karloff’s presence, an intelligent use of atmosphere, and the appearance of Michael Gough.
The Capsule Critic 