"I think we probably have another reptile loose on the premises."
My mistake in approaching this film was to start watching it as a serious horror film. I blame that on having just seen a good documentary about Bram Stoker and it appearing on the Horror Channel.
As a horror film it's pretty poor: terrible acting; dated video effects inserted into film; cliché ridden plot...
...but once you twig that it was Ken Russell having a laugh, it became very entertaining. The acting is all part of the joke; the video effects provide over the top kitsch; the cliché ridden plot is deliberate and the script full of fnarr fnarr moments to make you giggle.
The cast clearly were in on the joke. Amanda Donohoe is deliciously camp; Hugh Grant can be seen honing that stiff upper lip that would make his fortune and Peter Capaldi hit the Scottish stereotype perfectly twirling a reel on bagpipes for no real reason other than to give you a sly wink as to the true nature of the film.
It makes a fine companion piece to 'Carry on Screaming' in the British comedy horror genre.
I've rated it 5/10 as a film because that is how I unfortunately had watched most of it, but it has far higher entertainment value... as long as you start in the right frame of mind.
My mistake in approaching this film was to start watching it as a serious horror film. I blame that on having just seen a good documentary about Bram Stoker and it appearing on the Horror Channel.
As a horror film it's pretty poor: terrible acting; dated video effects inserted into film; cliché ridden plot...
...but once you twig that it was Ken Russell having a laugh, it became very entertaining. The acting is all part of the joke; the video effects provide over the top kitsch; the cliché ridden plot is deliberate and the script full of fnarr fnarr moments to make you giggle.
The cast clearly were in on the joke. Amanda Donohoe is deliciously camp; Hugh Grant can be seen honing that stiff upper lip that would make his fortune and Peter Capaldi hit the Scottish stereotype perfectly twirling a reel on bagpipes for no real reason other than to give you a sly wink as to the true nature of the film.
It makes a fine companion piece to 'Carry on Screaming' in the British comedy horror genre.
I've rated it 5/10 as a film because that is how I unfortunately had watched most of it, but it has far higher entertainment value... as long as you start in the right frame of mind.