I was chomping at the bit when I found this movie at Rite Aid for $2.99 (Terror was on the flip-side). Set in lovely Greece, it stars Peter Cushing as a high priest the same year he starred as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars. Pre-Halloween Donald Pleasance plays the pious detective in this 2nd rate Wicker Man knockoff. Target audience = Johnny Sweatpants in the year 2007.
A hippie bus rolls into a town full of culties. They all worship a stone statue of a minotaur who whispers things like "You entered the chamber of forbidden Minotaur! You must die!" and angrily and blows smoke out of his nose. I know what you're thinking - this one can't miss - I thought the same thing. So how do they screw this one up?
The middle section is slow and dull. Seriously, a half hour goes by where absolutely nothing happens whatsoever. What they were talking about, or even had to talk about completely escapes me. I stared at the screen with a blank expression on my face (the expression I tried to capture on my avatar).
Such is the way with many 70's British horror films. They're doing you a favor and they have the right to pad it out and talk complete nonsense and you're going to sit there and take it. They're saying "You already paid the admission fee, what are you going to do, leave? Come on, it can't be that bad." If you do make it through the boring middle, the grand finale might be worth it. In this case we have an elaborate ceremony complete with chanting, flame circles and a human sacrifice.
Next!
5 comments:
That's too bad, the description does sound like it had promise. You're right about 1970s British films. They always start out promising and then tend to lag in the middle. It's like, "Wow, we just survived a terrible vampire attack, let's go to my place and have a tea party. We don't have to talk about what just happened at all. In fact, I have some ideas about Parliament that I'd love to run by you..."
That image of Donald Plesence is so great. It's like the ultimate Donald Pleasance picture. That look on his face! He always seems vaguely perplexed and annoyed that this is his career.
jpx, what you're saying here (hilariously) is totally true. It's kind of what ruined Get Carter (the original Michael Caine "classic") for me. They keep breaking off to go have a pint.
That's so damn funny about Donald Pleasence's expression! He's embarrassed to be seen next to that guy.
What, the dude with the shaggy white mane and the shaggy black eyebrows? I totally want to party with that guy.
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