I could definitely see this being done with a "Downton Abbey" like atmosphere, showing a classic view of an old-school wealthy family, then the sudden loss of one of the most beloved members, and years from then the presence of a look-alike showing up by accident, somehow destined to be there, but unaware as of why. Such seems to be the case for tourist Katharine Ross who along with her boyfriend Sam Elliott is injured in a motorcycle accident, picked up and brought to a huge country estates for a rest and a cup of tea while the motorcycle is fixed. A group of seemingly unrelated strangers show up, and one by one, they are brutaly killed. The only one who seems to have any connection to what is going on is the polite but dour nurse (the great Margaret Tyzack) who reminded me of Billie Whitelaw in "The Omen".
Bodies are burnt beyond recognition and fed to the dogs, mirrors suddenly break which causes shards of glass to fly at its victim, another guest chokes and 1one drowns. For the most part, this film is not gory, and even with the end, it's up to the viewer to make up their mind as to what exactly has going on and why. Of the featured cast, Charles Gray was the most familiar to me, and he is as regal and commanding as ever. I loved the pacing. It was slow-moving but to the point, and there was enough of the mystery to keep me intrigued. Each of the houseguests have a unique personality, although at the end, I really wondered what the purpose of them being there was to the outcome of the story.
Nevertheless, this is a very well done supernatural horror thriller coming out from success of "Rosemary's Baby" a decade before and "The Omen" just two years before. There were a dozen or so similar films done for TV, but this one has a touch of class and isn't at all unintentionally funny or deliberately campy. Ross and Elliott are very similar to the couple played by Karen Black and Oliver Reed in "Burnt Offerings" which in retrospect is both deliberately campy and unintentionally funny. Tyzack, fresh from playing the regal Antonia in the BBC miniseries "I Claudius", definitely has a sparkle, and her quiet presence is an additional touch of class. In spite of all the great things, I didn't feel frightened or shocked, and watching it late in the evening, didn't fear nightmares coming from it. Had that been my feeling, I would have ranked this a bit higher.
Bodies are burnt beyond recognition and fed to the dogs, mirrors suddenly break which causes shards of glass to fly at its victim, another guest chokes and 1one drowns. For the most part, this film is not gory, and even with the end, it's up to the viewer to make up their mind as to what exactly has going on and why. Of the featured cast, Charles Gray was the most familiar to me, and he is as regal and commanding as ever. I loved the pacing. It was slow-moving but to the point, and there was enough of the mystery to keep me intrigued. Each of the houseguests have a unique personality, although at the end, I really wondered what the purpose of them being there was to the outcome of the story.
Nevertheless, this is a very well done supernatural horror thriller coming out from success of "Rosemary's Baby" a decade before and "The Omen" just two years before. There were a dozen or so similar films done for TV, but this one has a touch of class and isn't at all unintentionally funny or deliberately campy. Ross and Elliott are very similar to the couple played by Karen Black and Oliver Reed in "Burnt Offerings" which in retrospect is both deliberately campy and unintentionally funny. Tyzack, fresh from playing the regal Antonia in the BBC miniseries "I Claudius", definitely has a sparkle, and her quiet presence is an additional touch of class. In spite of all the great things, I didn't feel frightened or shocked, and watching it late in the evening, didn't fear nightmares coming from it. Had that been my feeling, I would have ranked this a bit higher.