[psycho d]

And Soon the Darkness (1970). Moped menace. It's really fun to say, and even more fun to watch. I have always thought of mopeds as that form of transportation that removes any sense of threat from its rider, but And Soon the Darkness has breathed some unlikely dread into this little vehicle identified more with fat girls than murderous mayhem.

This English gem starts out nice and slow, and perfectly so. What a beautiful day for a bike ride. But as the title suggests, this ride quickly turns murky. And the barrage of information that follows only serves to create more and more distrust. Each character becomes more threatening, suspicious, and distantly foreign. Language becomes more a weapon than a vehicle for comprehension.

The acting was indeed splendid. As the lead, Pamela Franklin accomplishes more with her expressions than her misunderstood English could ever hope to do, even if she was amongst the English speaking set. Mystery man Sandor Elès instills a perfectly misunderstandable motive, solidifying a policy that none should be trusted.

The direction was stellar. The creation of a world where nothing makes sense, where the more we know the more confused we are, and where every new character is suspect, could have easily been off-putting in lesser hands. Every scene serves to fuel our imagination's sense of dread that only master of horror can accomplish without, at least without a guy in a green slime suit. But Robert Fuest handles the mystery with a deft hand, resulting in a movie classic fueled by the mistrust of foreigners.

The use of sound was biting, and the acutely creepy moments were amplified by sounds that would have left Hitchcock in a flurry. The camera work was ambitious and appropriately so, not so much recording events but spying on its touristy prey.

In an end that is not overly predictable , our worst fears are confirmed more in the groping ickiness of these filthy foreigners than in the origin of the horrors. And if creepy was the contest here, then freaky farmer guy gets the top honors. Just the thought of that guy's family life is enough fodder for a week of nightmares. Even so, I still want his hat. Merci.
d