This amazing Amicus production from 1966 was directed by Hammer/Amicus stalwart Freddie Francis and written by Mr. Psycho himself, Robert Bloch. The plot involves a seriers of murders by a black gloved assassin who leaves dolls in the likeness of the victims at the murder scenes.
With a cast full of top British actors, taut direction by Francis, and a talkative script that never seems talky, due to the great efficiency of writing by Bloch. Every word counts and there's not a spare syllable to be heard.
This is a really fine example of British suspense filmmaking in the 60s. The entire film can be seen on youtube, but the video is quite intertesting. From what I've been able to gather, this film was never actually released on DVD, and the transfer on youtube is actually a working print made by the team working on the video restoration. The restoration isn't quite done- it looks as if some of the color still needs to be put back in, as some scenes, particularly near the beginning are nearly all black and white with just a touch of color here and there, while other scenes seem fully restored.
It lends a very effecgtive, errie quality to the film, an otherworldly appearance that's mesmerising. Francis is at his best here, with framing and scene composition, blocking, lighting, and yes, color all being used for maximum effect. IMO there's a bit of influence on later films here- particularly Gaillo films. In one scene a woman is even murdered by a black gloved killer wielding a big knife, while she's wearing a bright red raincoat.
If this film were better known I have no doubt it would be viewed as one of the top British mystery/suspense films of the 60s. I strongly recommend fans of British cinema check this out. I'm posting a link to the page on youtube where you can see it, rather than linking directly to the video, cuz I want you to go there and watch it fullscreen. The print is gorgeous and sharp.
Enjoy a great 90 minutes here:
