Leofwine_draca FRIGHT is an early example of the slasher movie, neatly predating BLACK Christmas by two years, and featuring a lone babysitter menaced by a psychopath a good while before WHEN A STRANGER CALLS and HALLOWEEN came along. In fact the film it most reminded me of is TALES FROM THE CRYPT, specifically the segment where Joan Collins is menaced by a psycho Santa.It's a good, if not great little horror movie that takes no time in actually getting on with the storytelling. From the outset, in which sexy Susan George is left to fend for herself in a spooky old house, the chills pile up; the door handles rattle, there are distorted faces at the window and lurkers on the driveway outside. For a horror fan, the story of an escaped lunatic is very familiar, but writer Tudor Gates brings the horror back into the family circle and as the film goes on it moves away from a strict slasher flick and becomes more of a tragedy.It's fair to say that Ian Bannen makes for a complex villain. On the one hand, he's as disturbingly frightening as you could wish for in a scare film, but on the other he's genuinely disturbed and in need of psychiatric attention. Much of the suspense comes from the complex psychological games that victim George plays with him as the story goes on. George, dressed in a torn-open mini dress for most of the running time, looks gorgeous and plays a less irritating character than the one in STRAW DOGS (although there's still a fair bit of shrieking and crying).The supporting cast is packed with familiar faces from British TV (such as George Cole and Dennis Waterman, teaming up long before MINDER), including an amusing bit-part for an extremely young Roger Lloyd Pack as a copper. Honor Blackman appears in one of her more memorable parts – and gets to show a bit of spirit - as the put-upon wife, and Peter Collinson's direction adds an extra sheen of quality to the proceedings. I wouldn't call FRIGHT a classic, as it's too basic and familiar for that, but it's a nice example of what the slasher film can achieve when it doesn't rely on gore for effect.

acidburn-10 The plot = A young girl Amanda (Susan George) babysits a young boy, unaware that the child's real father has escaped from a mental asylum and is coming home.An atmospheric psycho drama from the UK, definitely delivers all the chills in all the right places. One of earilest examples of babysitter alone in the house terrorized by a maniac, and one of the better examples much better than "When A Stranger Calls" original and the god awful remake. It's really the performances that makes this movie work, Susan George really shines as the babysitter whose really put through hell by the child's father played brilliantly by Ian Bannen, really hits all the right notes, he was well and truly demented and was really scary at times as he goes from tenderness to psychotic and it certainly is shocking in places, for instance directors today would never dare film the, up close, scenes where the father threatens to cut his son's throat with a shard of glass. The violence against George and the mental torture she is put through is pretty strong also. We also get Honour Blackman (famous for James Bond Gold Finger, The Cat and the Canary and TV's the Upper hand) playing the madman's ex-wife, she was well and truly beautiful in this role and we also get George Cole and Dennis Waterman from TV's minder, so this movie is full of famous faces.All in all a tense psychological thriller that doesn't deserve to be forgotten.

fidelio74 The sheer simplicity of this film is one of the main things I love about it. It plays upon our most primal fears and proves that you do not need severed, spurting arteries; chainsaws; or monsters to deliver chills. The chills found in 'Fright' are extremely minimal and thoroughly effective: a dripping tap has us genuinely unnerved! The glimpsed, unclear face of a stranger peering in at a window is incredibly frightening.The film's set-up is as old as horror itself: nubile young babysitter alone in house at night menaced by mental asylum escapee. Sounds boring, right? If you are looking for gore then you are definitely looking in the wrong place. 'Fright' offers very little blood but instead serves up excellent tension and a real sense of unease. The only bit that is a drag is the third act, which becomes a little tedious with repeat viewings. In addition, the film's story places a child in harm's way, which is something I never like to see.Susan George is fine as the chaste babysitter Amanda. Dennis Waterman pops up as her sexually frustrated boyfriend, and George Cole is also in it. Waterman and Cole would later star together in the successful television show 'Minder'.There is a delicious timelessness about 'Fright' which makes it an all-time favourite. The film's premise sounds like an urban legend which only adds to the film's appeal. It has nothing on 'The Italian Job' (1969) which was also directed by Peter Collinson, but is most enjoyable nonetheless.At the end of the day, there is just something downright unsettling about being alone in a strange house in the middle of the night, every sound taking on an ominous, sinister quality. The film works especially well when contrasting the loud, brightly-lit environs of The Plover Inn with the heavy silence and shadows of the Lloyd house. They don't make 'em like they used to!

lost-in-limbo You might call this a slasher prototype (since it resembles something of "Halloween" and "When A Stranger Calls"), as your generic staples are there and in full flight. However it's not terribly successful in making it totally effective, but anything with Honor Blackman and the lovely Susan George in a short purple skirt has got to be worth your time. Of course! Being a very minimal production, the Gothic set-pieces are tight and the story quite simple-minded (babysitter terrorised by a escaped homicidal lunatic who returns to his family home for one night), where its all about hysteria and claustrophobic tension in a forlorn staging. The main problem it was just too uneven. Good uneasy first half, let down by a weak, bloated second half. Some plastered jolts, and atmospheric touches worked (mainly those vivid sound effects), but definitely there were moments that didn't have much impact, and fell in the risible bracket. Not helping was the script completely plods along. Peter Collinson's terse direction, along with Ian Wilson's skillful cinematography and Harry Robertson's whimsically edgy musical score build upon the creaky, and moody old-school atmosphere. The dark, gloomy isolated house (you cant go wrong there!) is well-used in many of the set-ups, and they achieve many unique placements (reflections to silhouettes) with the characters. Collinson's framing is first-rate. A busty Susan George (who gets some scenes with her bra-exposed) is superb in her well-rounded performance of conveying the frightening despair that basically overwhelms her. On the other hand Ian Bannen's spaced out, muttering psychotic loony was a bit hit-and-miss. Honor Blackman scores points as the up-tight mother. George Cole, John Gregson and Dennis Waterman provide sturdy support. Passable little horror flick.