BOND OF FEAR is one of those low key, low budget British thrillers that I love so much. It feels very much like a British reworking of the US thriller THE HITCH-HIKER albeit made on a much smaller scale and with a typically British down-to-earth twist. The main characters are an ordinary family (husband, wife, two kids, one of each gender) who embark on a caravan holiday to France by way of Dover, little realising that a murderer is hiding out in their caravan.
It's a simple tale, well told by director Henry Cass (a steadfast B-picture director whose highlight other than this is probably the full-blooded Hammer horror copy BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE). The script is by the ubiquitous John Gilling with support from comedy writer Norman Hudis. The tale brings to life the English countryside and the journey structure of the narrative means that the viewer never gets bored during the brief running time.
Dermot Walsh is excellently cast as the resourceful father caught up in a nightmare world, but the real stand out is John Colicos, displaying some of the edgy talent that would later make him a popular figure in American TV. Even the child actors give good performances here. Okay, so the tale is occasionally predictable, particularly at the climax, but it's also tense and oddly gripping, which is why I give it the thumbs up.
It's a simple tale, well told by director Henry Cass (a steadfast B-picture director whose highlight other than this is probably the full-blooded Hammer horror copy BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE). The script is by the ubiquitous John Gilling with support from comedy writer Norman Hudis. The tale brings to life the English countryside and the journey structure of the narrative means that the viewer never gets bored during the brief running time.
Dermot Walsh is excellently cast as the resourceful father caught up in a nightmare world, but the real stand out is John Colicos, displaying some of the edgy talent that would later make him a popular figure in American TV. Even the child actors give good performances here. Okay, so the tale is occasionally predictable, particularly at the climax, but it's also tense and oddly gripping, which is why I give it the thumbs up.