India 1826: Travellers are disappearing in mysterious circumstances prompting the British East India Company to launch an investigation. Colonel Henderson (played by Andrew Cruikshank) appoints Captain Connaught-Smith (played by Allan Cuthbertson) much to the chagrin of Captain Lewis (played by Guy Rolfe) who considers him to be completely unsuitable due to his lack of experience. But, he gets the job all the same because his father went to the same school as their commanding officer. When Lewis's servant disappears, he conducts his own inquiries and discovers the Thugee cult of robbers and murderers who are devoted to the goddess Kali. They ritually kill their victims by strangling them and then bury them in mass graves. Lewis stumbles upon their secret temple, is captured and condemned to die by the cult's evil High Priest (played by George Pastell). He only narrowly manages to escape and, to his horror, he finds out that membership of the cult extends to the top level of the British East India Company itself...
This Hammer historical drama-horror film walks a tightrope between fact and sensationalism. It's gory set pieces are still very unnerving to this day, but it is still enjoyable for fans of the Hammer studio. There are good performances from Guy Rolfe as the streetwise military man who is passed over for the job of investigating the murders and thefts in favour of a completely inexperienced and unsuited officer who succeeded solely because the commanding officer went to school with his father. Allan Cuthbertson is perfectly cast in the role and he skilfully brings out his character's upper crust arrogance and naivety, which ultimately brings about his doom. Director Terence Fisher, who was responsible for several of Hammer's key productions, seems somewhat at unease with the material, but he does his usual efficient job and ensures the film has some moments of power. The best scene is where Guy Rolfe's Captain Lewis is captured, tied down and left to die at the hand of a deadly cobra. Only his servant's pet mongoose escapes and a fight to the death ensues between it and the snake. Great suspense here. The period detail is quite good thanks to the set design of Bernard Robinson and the fact that one can see that the home counties countryside is doubling for the plains of India is forgivable. Arthur Grant's b/w cinemascope is excellent and captures the sweltering heat of the setting.
This Hammer historical drama-horror film walks a tightrope between fact and sensationalism. It's gory set pieces are still very unnerving to this day, but it is still enjoyable for fans of the Hammer studio. There are good performances from Guy Rolfe as the streetwise military man who is passed over for the job of investigating the murders and thefts in favour of a completely inexperienced and unsuited officer who succeeded solely because the commanding officer went to school with his father. Allan Cuthbertson is perfectly cast in the role and he skilfully brings out his character's upper crust arrogance and naivety, which ultimately brings about his doom. Director Terence Fisher, who was responsible for several of Hammer's key productions, seems somewhat at unease with the material, but he does his usual efficient job and ensures the film has some moments of power. The best scene is where Guy Rolfe's Captain Lewis is captured, tied down and left to die at the hand of a deadly cobra. Only his servant's pet mongoose escapes and a fight to the death ensues between it and the snake. Great suspense here. The period detail is quite good thanks to the set design of Bernard Robinson and the fact that one can see that the home counties countryside is doubling for the plains of India is forgivable. Arthur Grant's b/w cinemascope is excellent and captures the sweltering heat of the setting.