A European horror star is hired by Hollywood studio to star for them. Trouble is he's mixed up with a real satanic cult or at least thinks he is.
Film freaks like me always enjoy behind-the-scenes studio plots, and we get lots of that here, where real life evil is blended with Hollywood's make-believe kind. Sounds promising but results don't really come off, despite Christopher Lee in a bushy hairpiece and raccoon eyebrows. As others point out, it's interesting seeing him as the frightened one instead of an imposing figure scaring the devil out of the rest of us. Trouble is the suspense and fright never gels, maybe because scenes too often switch to the mundane studio head and his staff. Menace is not played up beyond Jorla's words, while that overextended opening sequence smacks of padding. Then too, the one attack scene is filmed like a cowboy barroom brawl with no spooky atmosphere at all. The end result is more like an eerie idea filmed too much like an ordinary narrative.
On the plus side, is Myron Healy showing he can play a high-powered exec instead of his usual baddie. Also are the interior and exterior glimpses of the Universal lot where these Hitch's were filmed. At the same time, it's a Lee showcase at a time when his Hammer Films career was flourishing, which may be why he gets so much screen time here. But pity poor ravishing Gia Scala who doesn't get to do much except tag after the boys in ravishing fashion—not that I'm complaining.
All in all, the hour's a promising idea that unfortunately gets treated in rather pedestrian fashion.
Film freaks like me always enjoy behind-the-scenes studio plots, and we get lots of that here, where real life evil is blended with Hollywood's make-believe kind. Sounds promising but results don't really come off, despite Christopher Lee in a bushy hairpiece and raccoon eyebrows. As others point out, it's interesting seeing him as the frightened one instead of an imposing figure scaring the devil out of the rest of us. Trouble is the suspense and fright never gels, maybe because scenes too often switch to the mundane studio head and his staff. Menace is not played up beyond Jorla's words, while that overextended opening sequence smacks of padding. Then too, the one attack scene is filmed like a cowboy barroom brawl with no spooky atmosphere at all. The end result is more like an eerie idea filmed too much like an ordinary narrative.
On the plus side, is Myron Healy showing he can play a high-powered exec instead of his usual baddie. Also are the interior and exterior glimpses of the Universal lot where these Hitch's were filmed. At the same time, it's a Lee showcase at a time when his Hammer Films career was flourishing, which may be why he gets so much screen time here. But pity poor ravishing Gia Scala who doesn't get to do much except tag after the boys in ravishing fashion—not that I'm complaining.
All in all, the hour's a promising idea that unfortunately gets treated in rather pedestrian fashion.