PARANOIAC (1963)

We see a graveside memorial service for John and Mary Ashby who died in 1950, and their son Tony who, years later, committed suicide at the age of 15 by jumping off a cliff into the sea. Harriet, John's sister, raised his other children: Eleanor, a nervous and sensitive type, and Simon, a cocky and bitter alcoholic who plays the organ at the town church.  Simon is about to come into a major inheritance (which he needs to pay off large gambling debts) but he has to split the estate with Eleanor. Simon frequently implies that Eleanor might be certifiably insane—which would leave Simon sole heir. At the service, Eleanor sees a figure in the woods and is sure that it's Tony come back to life. A nurse, Françoise, has been hired to care for Eleanor, but she's also Simon's lover. Meanwhile, John Kossett, the family accountant, and his son Keith are accused by Simon of embezzlement. That's the dysfunctional situation when Eleanor, certain that the figure she saw at the memorial was Tony beckoning her to join him, tries to kill herself by jumping into the sea. The man saves her and does claim to be Tony, having faked his suicide all those years ago. He is back, it is implied, to save Eleanor from both Simon and Harriet who may not have Eleanor's best interests at heart. Soon after, Eleanor's car is tinkered with and she almost dies in an accident, eerie organ music is heard from an unused chapel, and a choirboy figure in a grotesque mask (which makes his lovely singing seem creepy) threatens Tony.

This is a fun gothic melodrama from Hammer Studios with lots of plot twists. Somewhat bizarrely, the biggest twist of all is given away about 40 minutes into the 80-minute movie, which lets some of the tension out of the proceedings for a time. I'll give no spoilers here, and I think it was done in the name of plot clarity, but I do wish the big reveal had been held for maybe another 10 or 15 minutes. Most critics highlight the work of Oliver Reed as the wicked, no-good, possibly psychotic Simon, and he's fine, but he doesn't stretch much past his early 60s persona. I was more impressed with the lower-key performance of Alexander Davion as Tony; as a figure of mystery, Davion has to be a bit restrained. Is he Tony? Is he an imposter? And in any case, is he a good guy or a bad guy? Was Tony's apparent suicide for real, or did someone try to kill him? And what about those weird incestuous vibes that he and Eleanor (Janette Scott) give off? Scott is good as the damsel in distress, and she has to keep us guessing a bit as well—is she truly unbalanced or is she playing her own games? The film does manage to regain its momentum after spilling its main secret too soon, and a good old-fashioned blood-and-thunder finale wraps things up nicely. Pictured are Reed and Davion. [DVD]