I came by this film by chance. I was looking for any horror from the 1970s and this movie came up. I thought I'd seen every British horror film but apparently not.
That said, it's not really a horror film. More a thriller with psychological elements.
Basically it's about a middle class family, father, mother, son and daughter.
The daughter is 16 years old and her brother looks to be in his early 20s. Both live at home. The girl is still at school and the son works with his father in a company of some sort.
The mother is fragile and obviously has mental issues and is on medication.
The father is a domineering man who thinks nothing of whipping his daughter when she's done wrong. In one instance she is whipped for taking money from her boss - obviously a part-time weekend job.
This violent attack spurs the mother and daughter to hatch a plan to kill the father. They seize this opportunity while he is on a weekend shooting trip. In short, they poison him and set the scene to appear as if he has committed suicide. However, after they leave him, he is seen stirring into consciousness.
The mother and daughter then realise several days later things have not gone to plan. They go back to the murder scene, and see his body has been moved from the bed he was lying in to a trunk. They then dump this trunk over a cliff edge.
But in the last few minutes of the movie the father is apparently still alive and it appears the mother and daughter's actions were just a dream - or maybe a nightmare - experienced by the mother.
The ending is that. But it's ambiguous. It's the conclusion I came to. Initially I was annoyed it was only a dream, but then I thought, no the mother is depressed and suppressed emotionally and physically. The murder plan was a dear wish, but she is too weak to carry it out.
I give this movie 10 out of 10 based on the fact it has escaped my attention for so long and it's a good film. Great performances all round. Gough as usual excels. But the mother and daughter performances are brilliant too. It seems the film is a lost British gem. I'm glad I discovered it.
That said, it's not really a horror film. More a thriller with psychological elements.
Basically it's about a middle class family, father, mother, son and daughter.
The daughter is 16 years old and her brother looks to be in his early 20s. Both live at home. The girl is still at school and the son works with his father in a company of some sort.
The mother is fragile and obviously has mental issues and is on medication.
The father is a domineering man who thinks nothing of whipping his daughter when she's done wrong. In one instance she is whipped for taking money from her boss - obviously a part-time weekend job.
This violent attack spurs the mother and daughter to hatch a plan to kill the father. They seize this opportunity while he is on a weekend shooting trip. In short, they poison him and set the scene to appear as if he has committed suicide. However, after they leave him, he is seen stirring into consciousness.
The mother and daughter then realise several days later things have not gone to plan. They go back to the murder scene, and see his body has been moved from the bed he was lying in to a trunk. They then dump this trunk over a cliff edge.
But in the last few minutes of the movie the father is apparently still alive and it appears the mother and daughter's actions were just a dream - or maybe a nightmare - experienced by the mother.
The ending is that. But it's ambiguous. It's the conclusion I came to. Initially I was annoyed it was only a dream, but then I thought, no the mother is depressed and suppressed emotionally and physically. The murder plan was a dear wish, but she is too weak to carry it out.
I give this movie 10 out of 10 based on the fact it has escaped my attention for so long and it's a good film. Great performances all round. Gough as usual excels. But the mother and daughter performances are brilliant too. It seems the film is a lost British gem. I'm glad I discovered it.