(1961)
Dir - Georges Franju
Overall: MEH
Gothic horror in tone with some familiar motifs thrown in for good measure, Spotlight on a Murderer, (Pleins feux sur l'assassin), was French director Georges Franju's follow-up to his eventually much lauded Eyes Without a Face. It has a more sensationalized and silly plot than its presentation would allude to, concerning a wealthy Count who has mysteriously disappeared and is presumed dead, though we witness his demise and accidental entombment from behind a mirror in the first scene. Yet since no body has yet to be discovered, his greedy family must wait five years until receiving any of their inheritance. An old dark house set up if ever there was one, the movie entirely takes place at the Count's castle where everyone is tasked with maintaining the sprawling abode, searching for his body, and putting on a son et lumière, (sound and light), show in the meantime to raise some funds. None of the characters are likeable and this is on purpose, plus the film has a lackadaisical pace that is occasionally punctuated by still stretches of eerie atmosphere and tension, usually revolving around an elaborate sound and detection system that has been installed in the castle that kicks on and spooks some of the guests before they meet their doom.
(1964)
Dir - Edwin Zbonek
Overall: MEH
Krimis be krimi-ing. The Monster of London City, (Das Ungeheuer von London City), finds Bryce Edgar Wallace taking inspiration from Jack the Ripper, one of the umpteenth movies to do so. To be technical, this is not set in Victorian era London, but instead modern day London where Hansjörg Felmy is performing on stage as the Ripper while a mad man is simultaneously stalking the streets and knifing away at ladies of the evening. All fingers point to Felmy's thespian protagonist, who oozes about as much charisma here as a jar of shoe polish. Of course he is not the actual culprit, that would be another character who does so for one of the least convincing reasons imaginable, but every plot needs to wrap itself up eventually. We even get a Psycho-style rundown of the murderer's troubled mind, possibly because the filmmakers knew that they were working on flimsy ground. Stylistically though, it is as competent as any other krimi from the era, with expressive camerawork from Siegfried Hold, and director Edwin Zbonek only allowing the pacing to lull at irregular intervals. This is usually when Felmy is getting a stern talking to by his love interest's asshole uncle, or the usual monotonous scenes of Scotland Yard investigators discussing the case and asking questions while standing around.
(1968)
Dir - Paul Almond
Overall: MEH
The first of Canadian filmmaker Paul Almond's "metaphysical trilogy" which all starred his then wife Geneviève Bujold in the lead, Isabel is the only one that can be described as a horror movie of sorts, at least on paper. Bujold portrays the title character; a young, pixie-esque French Canadian woman who has reluctantly returned to her seaport home upon hearing of her mother's illness, said mother dying before she arrives. The place is littered with the ghosts of her past, though this is purely in a psychological sense since it is never even implied that such visions are tangible. In fact, the audience is hard-pressed to even notice them, as the movie plays out almost entirely in a still and uneventful manner. We are nevertheless able to pick up on the troubled nerves of our protagonist, and this is due to Bujold's strong performance which matches the film's tranquil tone. The hardships that her character has faced are alluded to more than explicitly stated, but jarring, rapid-fire flashbacks and her docile decision to stick around such a traumatic place are enough to sell the inevitable moments later on when Bujold breaks down under the simmering anguish that has caught up with her. It is too labored of a watch to consider it a success, but it works to a point as a fly-on-the-wall look into unhealed wounds.
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