This is another solid HHOH entry dealing with a favorite theme (voodoo) and especially reminiscent of the famous Zuni doll segment from the made-for-TV anthology TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975); the "Charlie Boy" of the title is a similarly creepy (and powerful) fetish doll though, rather than come to life and cause mayhem, it wills a number of people to their death after a knife has been stuck, almost in jest, into the puppet! A number of subplots, then, are added to the fray revolving around a family inheritance a long-serving housekeeper is overlooked, the heir suddenly deciding to invest his money into something more secure than a film company (which he had promised a partner/relation he would do in case the estate reverted to him) and a strange incident involving a facially-scarred road-hog. Most of the cast are unfamiliar but reasonably adequate; it was, however, a joy to watch Marius Goring (a stalwart of Powell & Pressburger films) as an antique dealer. The downbeat finale is typical of the cynical era in which this was made. By the way, director Young had helmed the unusual Hammer outing VAMPIRE CIRCUS (1972).
Review of Charlie Boy
