The debut feature of underrated director Gordon Hessler ("The Oblong Box", "Cry of the Banshee") is a sadly obscure but effectively sinister and compelling horror/mystery, with stellar performances, stupendous fright-moments, and an ingenious climax. The basic plot-idea is clearly inspired by the French über-classic "Les Diaboliques", but approximately three hundred movies stole from that film, so you can't really hold that against "Catacombs". Trampled husband wants to get rid of his domineering wife, so that he can inherit her fortune and run off with her much younger and prettier niece. He finds an ally in his wife Ellen's oppressed business partner, but nothing goes as planned. I won't go too much into detail of the plot, as it is much more fun to discover for yourself, but I do want to highlight the masterfully tense sequences at the cottage (never thought the sound of a ticking cane could feel so ominous), and the chemistry between Gary Merrill and Georgine Cookson. "Catacombs" really deserves to be better known!
Review of The Woman Who Wouldn't Die
