From Beyond The Grave
Apr 4, 2007 10:20:50 GMT -5
Post by Gloomy Sundae on Apr 4, 2007 10:20:50 GMT -5
From Beyond The Grave (1973)
"Why, customers. Come in, come in. I'm sure I have the very thing to tempt you. Lots of bargains, all tastes catered for. Oh, and a big novelty surprise goes with every purchase."
Deceptively fragile, cloth-capped Northerner Peter Cushing runs Temptations Ltd, an antique shop reminiscent of Geoffrey Bayldon's sinister establishment in The House That Dripped Blood. Taking him for a pushover, a succession of customers try rip him off only to learn that his "big novelty surprise"s aren't conducive to their continued well-being.
First through the door is Edward Charlton who duly knocks the Cush down to a ridiculously cheap price for an antique mirror. It comes into its own when one of Charlton's groovy guests suggests they hold a seance. This segment is faithful to RCH's original, although, as RCH ruefully reflected in the Steve Jones-Jo Fletcher interview I'm always going on about, he felt the audience wouldn't realise the demon who steps out from the glass and controls Edward's actions is supposed to be Jack the Ripper.
Our next victim is henpecked Christopher Lowe who lies about his war record so that the kindly proprietor will sell him a distinguished service medal. In reality, he only wants it to impress Underwood, a war veteran reduced to selling matchboxes to make ends meet. Underwood and his daughter Emily are the only people who show him any respect, but slowly they inveigle themselves into his life to the point where they've taken it over completely, Emily first seducing him and then ridding him of his battle-axe of a wife Mabel by means of her witchy powers.
Reggie Warren swipes a snuff box and is henceforth preyed upon by an ever-present, invisible entity for his sins. After he's attempted his wife, he turns to Madam Orloff - a veteran of several RCH stories - to exorcise it, she being the first person to warn him of its presence when they shared a tube journey together. It's a painful exorcism and those who've encountered the self-styled 'Medium Extraordinary' will know that she hasn't the most encouraging success rate.
Even if you play straight with the proprietor, there's no guarantee that your purchase will be to your satisfaction, as author William Seaton discovers when he decides to buy The Door (it originates from the recently demolished Clavering Grange, the most haunted stretch of ground in Kent). The door is a portal to and from the past and is the means by which cavalier and black magician Sir Michael Sinclair is released back to life to continue his malarkey. The Seaton's survive, but there's still time for the proprietor to visit ghastly retribution on a thuggish burglar before the end.
Producers - Max J. Rosenberg & Milton Subotsky
Director: Kevin Connor
Writers: Raymond Christodoulou and Robin Clark, adapted from the original stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes.
Peter Cushing - Proprietor of Temptations Ltd.
David Warner - Edward Charlton
Wendy Alnutt - Pamela
Rosalind Ayres - Prostitute/Edward's first victim
Marcel Steiner - The demon in the mirror
Ian Bannen - Christopher Lowe
Diana Dors - Mabel Lowe
Donald Pleasence - Jim Underwood
Angela Pleasence - Emily Underwood
Ian Carmichael - Reggie Warren
Margaret Leighton - Madame Orloff
Nyree Dawn Porter - Susan Warren
Ian Ogilvy - William Seaton
Lesley-Anne Down - Rosemary Seaton
Jack Watson - Sir Michael Sinclair
Tommy Godfrey - Mr. Jeffries
"Why, customers. Come in, come in. I'm sure I have the very thing to tempt you. Lots of bargains, all tastes catered for. Oh, and a big novelty surprise goes with every purchase."
Deceptively fragile, cloth-capped Northerner Peter Cushing runs Temptations Ltd, an antique shop reminiscent of Geoffrey Bayldon's sinister establishment in The House That Dripped Blood. Taking him for a pushover, a succession of customers try rip him off only to learn that his "big novelty surprise"s aren't conducive to their continued well-being.
First through the door is Edward Charlton who duly knocks the Cush down to a ridiculously cheap price for an antique mirror. It comes into its own when one of Charlton's groovy guests suggests they hold a seance. This segment is faithful to RCH's original, although, as RCH ruefully reflected in the Steve Jones-Jo Fletcher interview I'm always going on about, he felt the audience wouldn't realise the demon who steps out from the glass and controls Edward's actions is supposed to be Jack the Ripper.
Our next victim is henpecked Christopher Lowe who lies about his war record so that the kindly proprietor will sell him a distinguished service medal. In reality, he only wants it to impress Underwood, a war veteran reduced to selling matchboxes to make ends meet. Underwood and his daughter Emily are the only people who show him any respect, but slowly they inveigle themselves into his life to the point where they've taken it over completely, Emily first seducing him and then ridding him of his battle-axe of a wife Mabel by means of her witchy powers.
Reggie Warren swipes a snuff box and is henceforth preyed upon by an ever-present, invisible entity for his sins. After he's attempted his wife, he turns to Madam Orloff - a veteran of several RCH stories - to exorcise it, she being the first person to warn him of its presence when they shared a tube journey together. It's a painful exorcism and those who've encountered the self-styled 'Medium Extraordinary' will know that she hasn't the most encouraging success rate.
Even if you play straight with the proprietor, there's no guarantee that your purchase will be to your satisfaction, as author William Seaton discovers when he decides to buy The Door (it originates from the recently demolished Clavering Grange, the most haunted stretch of ground in Kent). The door is a portal to and from the past and is the means by which cavalier and black magician Sir Michael Sinclair is released back to life to continue his malarkey. The Seaton's survive, but there's still time for the proprietor to visit ghastly retribution on a thuggish burglar before the end.
Main Cast & Crew
Producers - Max J. Rosenberg & Milton Subotsky
Director: Kevin Connor
Writers: Raymond Christodoulou and Robin Clark, adapted from the original stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes.
Peter Cushing - Proprietor of Temptations Ltd.
The Gate Crasher
David Warner - Edward Charlton
Wendy Alnutt - Pamela
Rosalind Ayres - Prostitute/Edward's first victim
Marcel Steiner - The demon in the mirror
An Act of Kindness
Ian Bannen - Christopher Lowe
Diana Dors - Mabel Lowe
Donald Pleasence - Jim Underwood
Angela Pleasence - Emily Underwood
The Elemental
Ian Carmichael - Reggie Warren
Margaret Leighton - Madame Orloff
Nyree Dawn Porter - Susan Warren
The Door
Ian Ogilvy - William Seaton
Lesley-Anne Down - Rosemary Seaton
Jack Watson - Sir Michael Sinclair
Tommy Godfrey - Mr. Jeffries