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"He's come to fetch me!"
by Richard Glenn
Schmidt
NOTE: I do spoil a few twists
of Paranoiac here but also leave a many things uncovered.
One of my favorite Hammer Films’
productions is the Psycho-inspired
Paranoiac.
This finely executed modern gothic tells the tale of a family slowly
destroyed by madness and the promise of a bountiful inheritance. The greedy
Simon Ashby (played by Oliver Reed), a spoiled and drunken sot, has his
heart set on not only his own share of his dead parents’ money (which he is
constantly borrowing against) but his sister’s share as well. Sweet Eleanor
(Janette Scott) doesn’t give a damn about the inheritance, she is haunted by
the death of their brother Tony who drowned himself 8 years prior and whose
body was never recovered.
Eleanor is so tormented by the spirit of Tony that she has become sickly
over the years and needs Françoise (played by Liliane Brousse) to take care
of her. The sexy Françoise is kind of in cahoots with Simon (I think, it’s
hard to tell with them Frenchies) to drive Eleanor insane so that he can get
her committed and collect her cash when he turns 25 in a few weeks. Let’s
just say that patience is not one of his virtues. The only other family
around is Aunt Harriet (Sheila Burrell), a waspish woman who is trying to
hold the family together in spite of it all.
And then Tony shows up… Well, sort of. A clever impostor (played by
Alexander Davion) who just happens to be the spitting image of the dead
Ashby brother arrives much to the delight of Eleanor but to the disturbance
of everyone else. We never learn this dude’s real name but he is part of a
plan by the Ashby family lawyer’s son who is also after the inheritance.
Almost immediately, faux-Tony does two things: 1. He nearly gets killed by
Simon and 2. He falls in love with Eleanor. Nice job with not sticking to
the plan, duder. Once he discovers the family secret, that Simon is
completely bonkers, faux-Tony tries to set things right with predictably
fiery results.
Paranoiac
is a hypnotic and eerie film that features phenomenal black and white
cinematography by Arthur Grant, a man who shot over 20 horror titles for
Hammer Films. There is also economic (only 79 minutes!) and engaging
storytelling by Jimmy Sangster, a prolific horror screenwriter, producer and
director. Sure there are some huge plot holes and loads of melodrama but who
cares when you’ve got Janette Scott in a flowing nightgown wandering the
grounds of the estate under a day-for-night filter while chasing the phantom
of the brother who she totally has inappropriate feelings for.
The theme of incest in
Paranoiac is implied,
hinted at and in one moment, directly addressed. Eleanor is so unnaturally
attached to Tony that I immediately start wondering what their deal is
before he “killed himself”. And then when faux-Tony and she have their
little lip-lock, things get a little awkward to say the least. We know the
guy ain’t Tony and the kiss between them seems nice (and legal) but wait,
she still thinks faux-Tony is the real Tony. She runs away screaming “I’m
dirty!” Oh yes oh YES, you are, young lady! My guess is that the kiss would
have been even deeper had it been the real Tony and that’s just messed up,
yo. Even Aunt Harriet and Simon have their own thing going on too. It may
seem like she is just protecting her nephew who is as mad as a hatter but I
think their relationship is quite special, perhaps even more special than I
want to imagine. “Simon belongs to me!” Wow yeah, he’s all yours, lady.
Oliver Reed knocks it out of the park with his portrayal of Simon Ashby, a
bitter young man corrupt to the core and totally off his rocker. At first,
Simon seems like your typical soap opera baddie: an irresistible schemer and
handsome son of a bitch with a drinking problem who uses everyone he can get
his hands on (especially Françoise). Then we discover (in a truly
frightening scene) that this young man has a dark and terrible side lurking
just beneath the surface. Of course, Reed isn’t the only one in top form
here. Janette Scott of
The Day of the Triffids
is great as Eleanor, a character who could easily have become very annoying
with a less capable actress in the part. I think I have a crush on Sheila
Burrell (of Cold Comfort
Farm (not horror but
totally essential)). I hope that when I finally go insane, she’ll be there
to watch over me. I really liked French-born actor Alexander Davion of
The Plague of the Zombies
and Valley of the Dolls.
The dude could not have been any better as faux-Tony, a conflicted antihero
to say the least.
So, if unwholesome longings for siblings, an insanely creepy baby doll-like
mask, a hot French nurse, and Oliver Reed tearing shit up are your thing,
then do yourself a favor and check out
Paranoiac.
Inheritance scam flicks come and go but oh man, this one is a doozy. Some of
Hammer Films’ other psychodramas are worth a look but none are as successful
as this one at delivering a fascinating set of circumstances, complex
characters, genuine scares, and a beautifully made movie as well.
Sources
Paranoiac IMDB
Paranoiac Wikipedia
Hammer Films Wikipedia
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