Review of Crucible of Terror (1972) by Rosco B — 20 Aug 2013

No, not a flick involving murder at the Snooker Championships (though that could be a good movie pitch) but a distinctly dodgy yet charming British (but not Hammer) horror from the early seventies.

As directed by Ted Hooker (tee hee), the tale involves a lucrative art deal that leads to a reclusive sculptor - Victor Clare - thought to live in a haunted tin mine in Cornwall (stick with it!). Yet all is not what it seems as Clare is bumping off his models (gasp!) in his uninhibited search for perfection.

Most of the fun here comes courtesy of ex-pirate DJ Mike Raven (what a name) and his meddling, nefarious sculptor. Raven's mistiming of heroine-pestering lines such as "You will pose for me, Millie!" and "Come with me to my studio... COME NOW!" will certainly elicit the chuckles. A jerky, badly filmed dinner-table scene where Clare continually brow-beats his son and berates his weedy wife for her lack of dignity also scores high on the unintentional laugh-o-meter. Ronald Lacey (the memorable speccy Nazi from "Raiders of the Lost Ark") has a meaty early role as the permanently sozzled, ginger-fopped son of Victor Clare.

There's a fairly ace pre-title sequence (involving a victim trapped in the clutches of the sculptor's device) and a striking black-gloved-killer scene very much in tune with the then burgeoning "Giallo" movement in Italy.

Another bonus ball is future TV legend and 'Likely Lad' James Bolam turning up as an art dealer.