IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
Although the police have termed her mother's death a suicide, a teenage girl believes her step-father murdered her.Although the police have termed her mother's death a suicide, a teenage girl believes her step-father murdered her.Although the police have termed her mother's death a suicide, a teenage girl believes her step-father murdered her.
Peter van Eyck
- Paul Decker
- (as Peter Van Eyck)
Betta St. John
- Jean Edwards
- (as Betta St.John)
Grégoire Aslan
- the Inspector
- (as Gregoire Aslan)
Henri Vidon
- Italian Gardener
- (as Henry Vidon)
Ernest Blyth
- Man in Hotel Lobby
- (uncredited)
Armand Guinle
- Waiter
- (uncredited)
Walter Henry
- Man in Hotel Lobby
- (uncredited)
Louis Matto
- Waiter
- (uncredited)
Irene Prador
- French Woman
- (uncredited)
Robert Rietty
- Station Sergeant
- (uncredited)
David Ritch
- Hotel Clerk
- (uncredited)
Paddy Smith
- Hotel Receptionist
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe screenplay is based on a novel by Anthony Dawson, the British character actor probably best known for playing Professor Dent in 'Dr. No'.
- Quotes
Candy Brown: Jean, is suicide a mortal sin?
- Alternate versionsThe US version of this UK film was cut to 74 minutes to fit on a double bill when first shown theatrically in the United States.
- ConnectionsReferences The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Featured review
Entertaining
Minor but entertaining Hammer thriller, not quite reaching the heights of other entries in their "psychological thrillers" ouevre, but still effective.
The film starts right off with it's main murderer on screen committing his evil deed, clearly establishing his (and the film's) gimmick of the snorkel used as an accessory to murder. So from the very beginning we know this is not going to be a whodunnit. What we have here instead here is a "who will find out" plot.
Once the opening credits have finished, the main plot of the film starts with the daughter of the murder victim feeling almost positive that she knows who is responsible for the deed but at the same time, unable to prove it, as nobody has been able to work out how the act was committed, and therefore the killer has got away with it. The more agitated the daughter becomes, the more the killer starts to see her as a threat to his freedom, and so a cat and mouse game starts to build as both try to outwit each other.
This sounds complicated, and it is, but the roles in the film are quite well defined. The killer is a creepy but charismatic older man, able to convince everyone that he is actually mourning his dead wife, and the "suspector" is a teenage girl who everyone thinks is just over imaginative. I could almost imagine William Castle making this film! The acting is very good, and it's all very British and proper. There are plot twists and the climax is clever and worth waiting for, although as a whole the film has dated somewhat. Quite hard to see now, seemingly only available on the Sony 6 film box set DVD "Icons of Suspense", which is worth a purchase due to it having 5 other hard to see Hammer thrillers. So "The Snorkel" gets a thumbs up from me.
The film starts right off with it's main murderer on screen committing his evil deed, clearly establishing his (and the film's) gimmick of the snorkel used as an accessory to murder. So from the very beginning we know this is not going to be a whodunnit. What we have here instead here is a "who will find out" plot.
Once the opening credits have finished, the main plot of the film starts with the daughter of the murder victim feeling almost positive that she knows who is responsible for the deed but at the same time, unable to prove it, as nobody has been able to work out how the act was committed, and therefore the killer has got away with it. The more agitated the daughter becomes, the more the killer starts to see her as a threat to his freedom, and so a cat and mouse game starts to build as both try to outwit each other.
This sounds complicated, and it is, but the roles in the film are quite well defined. The killer is a creepy but charismatic older man, able to convince everyone that he is actually mourning his dead wife, and the "suspector" is a teenage girl who everyone thinks is just over imaginative. I could almost imagine William Castle making this film! The acting is very good, and it's all very British and proper. There are plot twists and the climax is clever and worth waiting for, although as a whole the film has dated somewhat. Quite hard to see now, seemingly only available on the Sony 6 film box set DVD "Icons of Suspense", which is worth a purchase due to it having 5 other hard to see Hammer thrillers. So "The Snorkel" gets a thumbs up from me.
helpful•121
- adriangr
- Jul 23, 2013
- How long is The Snorkel?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- £100,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 14 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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