moonspinner55 Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, king of the recycled thriller, here does an uncredited rewrite on Josephine Tey's novel "Brat Farrar", with siblings Janette Scott and Oliver Reed on the verge of sharing the family fortune when their brother, long thought a suicide, returns to the fold. Hammer Films production, distributed stateside by Universal, eschews the Gothic castles and ghouls for psychotic relatives--and when Oliver Reed gets wound up, there's hardly anyone more off-balanced. Melodrama is certainly crisp and well-mounted, balancing shudders with general hysteria, but these mad, maddening characters do not merit much interest. ** from ****

Spondonman I have a soft spot for this Hammer psycho-thriller – at 12 years old it was the first film I'd seen which I noted down as being worth watching again, and which over the following decades I dutifully have. It was shown on UK ITV's long-running Appointment With Fear on Friday night 15th October 1971, before the ATV Midlands linkman Peter Tomlinson started devaluing the experience with toy panda's et al. Looking back through rose tinted spectacles at this rather nasty film it obviously made a huge impression on me, but what of now?A dysfunctional household sitting on a half million pound fortune seem to have plenty of problems: a suspiciously sympathetic nurse who could have a few screws loose looking after a feeble minded girl apparently on the verge of madness while her madly impetuous arrogant brother drinks himself to death (Oliver Reed of course), all overseen by a bizarre aunt. Even the family lawyer and his son have axes to grind; then at last along comes someone who seems open and likable, the only trouble being he's supposed to have committed suicide 8 years before. Which of them is honest, crooked or both? Good acting captured by atmospheric black and white filming, with exceptional production values when you remember it was made on Hammer's usual shoestring budget. It holds the attention well until the climax when with 3 minutes left it unfortunately veers into contrived melodrama - as you watch more movies you lose count of the number of times you see story resolution in this flame - sorry, lame manner. Reed put the Ham in Hammer in those last minutes, even if he was performing a unique Danse Macabre with his ultimate skeleton in the closet!However, still excellent admirable stuff with many plot twists and turns to savour and enjoy, and still on my Watch Again list.

JoeKarlosi I'd never seen this Hammer film before and I finally dug it out from my Universal Hammer Collection. What a pleasant surprise it was. It is so refreshing sometimes to see black and white photography at a time when Hammer was known for its colour, and that moody b&w style really compliments this disturbing tale of a family of oddballs and what happens when one of their clan who drowned himself as a boy returns. Oliver Reed drinks as much as he did in real life here (it ultimately killed Reed) and he's really excitingly over the top. A hidden gem in some ways, PARANOIAC is well-scripted by Jimmy Sangster, and nicely directed by Freddie Francis. The more I think about it, the underrated Francis was often better than Terence Fisher. *** out of ****

Woodyanders Loutish, selfish, psychotic spoiled rich jerk Simon (a typically fine and intense Oliver Reed) plots to drive his troubled sister Eleanor (a strong and sympathetic performance by the lovely Janette Scott) crazy so he can inherit all of their wealthy deceased parents' substantial fortune. Simon's plans go awry when a mysterious man (nicely played by Alexander Davion) shows up claiming to be Eleanor's beloved long lost brother Tony. Director Freddie Francis, working from a clever and twist-ridden script by Jimmy Sangster, maintains a steady pace throughout, ably creates an edgy atmosphere of seething guilt and suffocating paranoia, and relates the involving story in a pleasingly straightforward manner. The excellent supporting cast are another significant asset: Sheila Burrell as the kindly, concerned Aunt Harriett, Liliane Brousse as Simon's gorgeous mistress Francoise, John Stuart as loyal butler Williams, and Maurice Denham as uptight family lawyer John Kossett. Arthur Grant's polished black and white cinematography, Elisabeth Lutyens' moody orchestral score, and the rousing macabre conclusion are all up to par. As usual, it's Reed's brooding and explosive acting that really makes this picture so enjoyable and hence well worth a look.