CRUCIBLE OF HORROR (1971) Blu-ray
Director: Viktors Ritelis
Scream Factory/Shout! Factory

A nearly forgotten and often neglected (even amongst diehard fans) early 1970s British horror film, CRUCIBLE OF HORROR with its trials and tribulations of the dysfunctional unit known as the Eastwood family, bypasses any kind of proper DVD release and goes straight to Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory’s “Scream Factory” arm.

Walter Eastwood (Michael Gough, HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM) is a cold-hearted, germaphobe stockbroker – an upper middle class family man who only seems to get on well with his similar-minded son Rupert (Simon Gough) with whom he works with. His long-suffering wife Edith (Yvonne Mitchell, DEMONS OF THE MIND) spends her time painting macabre artwork in her private room while delinquent 16-year-old daughter Jane (Sharon Gurney, DEATH LINE) has it worst. After family friend Gregson (David Butler, BEAR ISLAND) informs Walter that his daughter has stolen some pound notes from the Golf Club's open safe, he sadistically beats Jane in her bedroom that night. The following day, mom Edith suggests to Jane that they kill daddy, and there’s a perfect opportunity when he takes off alone to the family’s country cottage for a weekend retreat of grouse shooting. After Walter settles in to indulge in whiskey and his classical LPs, Edith and Jane hold him at gunpoint, as he refuses to talk or listen to them, and they poison him, leaving him in his bed to make it appear as a suicide. The duo head back home, waiting for the results of someone finding him dead, but as he is no longer where they left him, that’s certainly not going to happen! Apparently, Walter doesn’t go down too easily.

Shot in 1969 but not released until 1971 (it played in the U.S. with CAULDRON OF BLOOD starring Boris Karloff), CRUCIBLE OF HORROR is also known as THE CORPSE and was shot under the title “The Velvet House.” Owing a bit to LES DIABOLIQUES (especially when Edith and Jane attempt to dispose of the body), the film strays from the familiar gothic thrills of Hammer and the more conventional scare tactics of Amicus in what results in a unique psychological thriller. Shot on a extremely low budget on location and at London’s Merton Park Studios, the film is minimal in its characters, and though they have a sense of morbid ambiguity about them, they're interesting and well developed as performed by a perfectly solid cast. The outcome is up for interpretation, as it’s really more concerned with repression and severe patriarchy as much as it about a cadaver that doesn’t want to stay in one place. Director Viktors Ritelis was rooted in British television (he worked on the late 1960s BBC “Sherlock Holmes” series starring Peter Cushing), and was likely not very familiar with the horror genre and its then-popularity in the UK. That seems to work to his and the film’s advantage, for at times it relies on close-ups of inanimate objects and facial expressions (as well as Walter obsessively soap-scrubbing his hands) and employs a meticulous editing style which successfully builds tension. Psychedelic dream sequences involving middle-aged Edith parading outdoors in low-cut attire are legitimized by her torturous imprisonment in a loveless marriage, as well as her penchant for grim artistry (including a painting of her husband’s dour mug which any Michael Gough fan would love to have hanging in his or her living room).

Gough was known for hamming it up in his various horror movie roles (especially the ones produced by Herman Cohen), and that’s all fine and fun, but he’s totally under control here (despite the obvious opportunities to go over the top), giving what’s possibly his best leading genre performance. Perhaps this is because the film was shot more as a drama than a horror film, or maybe because he was working with his son Simon and daughter-in-law Gurney (the couple is still married to this day)? At any rate, Gough fans who haven’t seen this film should seek out this Blu-ray at once. Screenwriter Olaf Pooley (a familiar British character actor also in THE GAMMA PEOPLE) — a friend of Gough’s — wrote the screenplay and producer Gabrielle Beaumont (who was later married to Pooley) later directed the Brit horror film THE GODSEND (1980) and had a successful career in American television. The compellingly haunting score is by John Hotchkis, and it’s too bad he didn’t compose for any other horror movies.

Distributed theatrically in the U.S. by Cannon, CRUCIBLE OF HORROR was released on VHS by Paragon in the 1980s and then by MGM/UA in the 1990s, yet rights holder MGM never released the film on DVD during their “Midnite Movies” heyday (we’re not counting grey market DVDs of the title). Scream Factory’s much-welcomed Blu-ray presents the film in 1080p HD in its proper 1.66:1 aspect ratio, and detail is sharp throughout, with colors looking vivid and black levels strong. The grain structure is well rendered and there are only a few scattered blemishes on the source negative; this is a fantastic looking HD transfer of one of the rarer British horror films, with most scenes being nothing short of stunning in appearance. The audio comes in 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio mono, and the mix is not too problematic, but can vary in range; dialogue is mostly clear (except for when certain actors mumble) and Hotchkis’ memorable score comes across quite pleasingly. Optional English SDH subtitles are included. Although the film was originally rated “GP”, it now carries an "R", likely due to several nude glimpses of Gurney (who was around 20 at the time of filming despite the age of her character).

There’s a video interview (9:12) with assistant director Nicholas Granby, who starts out by confirming that the film was shot as “The Velvet House.” He talks about the family atmosphere of the set but that there wasn’t much luxury in its low budget (shooting the scenes in the tiny cottage for instance) as well as the difficulty in raising money for English films in those days. He also mentions that his friend Nicholas Jones (who plays a young man trying to court Jane with phone calls and letters) was sort of embarrassed by being in the film, and he also touches upon Cannon’s involvement a bit. Granby also worked as an assistant director on a handful of Hammer films around the same late 1960s/early 1970s period (TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN, SCARS OF DRACULA) and it would be wonderful if someone could interview him about those! Also included is the rarely-seen original Cannon theatrical trailer (2:17) and the Blu-ray’s cover art is reversible, with the cover art of the old MGM/UA VHS release (depicting Gurney in rubber gloves mixing some chemical concoction and Gough’s shirtless sleeping body) on the opposite side. (George R. Reis)

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