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The Keeper (1976)
The Keeper says "Feel free to laugh when you see movies so terrible that they are funny!"
27 June 2001
I have recently become a fan of British horror film actor Christopher Lee. I have found that there are bad Christopher Lee movies such as "The Passage," "End of the World," "To The Devil A Daughter," "Bear Island," and "Howling II."

And, then, there is "The Keeper."

Lee plays a psychiatrist who runs a mental asylum for the wealthy and is murdering the relatives of his patients so he can gain access to their fortunes. Many of these murders have been set up to appear as accidents. A private investigator and the police hope to eventually "catch him in the act."

Not even Christopher Lee can save this movie. I found this movie in the Horror section of my video store but it is actually more of a detective movie((Another Lee movie, "The Wicker Man," also combined different genres(Including the Horror movie and Detective story), but please don't try to compare this movie to "The Wicker Man." There is absolutely no comparison.)) At best, parts of the story are unclear. The screenwriters don't even give Lee's character an actual name; he is simply referred to as "The Keeper." Lee's character is somewhat physically disabled and operating completely on his own, so it's not made clear how he is able to commit all of the murders so adeptly. Lee's performance is fine but the rest of the acting in the film is hopelessly amateurish. The film is apparently meant to be a serious suspense film but lame humor is inexplicably weaved throughout the entire story. The hypnosis sequences in the film are absolutely laughable.

For a great Christopher Lee film, see "The Wicker Man," "The Devil Rides Out," and the ORIGINAL "Horror of Dracula."
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A tragic misfire
27 June 2001
I rented this movie because I have recently become a great fan of Christopher Lee. Many reviewers seem to think of this film as a great horror masterpiece. I think of it more as a film that COULD HAVE BEEN a masterpiece.

Director Freddie Francis had an opportunity to create a great thriller. The three principal players are perfect in their roles: Peter Cushing(Emmanuel Hildern), Christopher Lee(James Hildern), and Lorna Heilbron(Penelope Hildern). The film primarily focuses on Cushing's character, so I don't understand why the top billing was given to Lee. I must also admit that the film becomes very frightening towards the end. Unfortunately, the film misses great opportunities. Francis should have focused solely on Penelope's lack of emotional development and Emmanuel's efforts to shelter her from the real world. These concepts alone would have provided the foundation for a great psychological thriller. The prehistoric monster and the subplot regarding the escaped mental patient were completely unnecessary. The film also needed to go into greater detail about Emmanuel's mentally ill wife; viewers are simply treated to an almost silent flashback. "The Creeping Flesh" also suffers from a somewhat blackly humorous ending that seems out of step with the rest of the film.

A tragic misfire. I give this film a strong **1/2 out of ****.
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