#MONSTERMONDAY:
Today's monster is Sir Henry Fengriffen played by Herbert Lom from
Amicus's 'And Now The Screaming Starts!' (1973) One of their few
non-anthology horror films.
THE FILM was based on an obscure novella entitled `Fengriffin,' after the
name of the cursed family line around which the story centres, though
the film goes for a more 'shocking' sounding title courtesy of Max
Rosenberg. The film boasts an impressive cast with Peter Cushing, Ian Olgivy, Stephanie Beacham & Patrick Magee.
PETER CUSHING'S DR POPE, arrives late too. It's not a performance that is going set any screen a flame, but Pope provides a calming influence, other than when he's pushing the buttons that reveals, what is causing all the spooky shenanigans. Sadly for our young couple, all does that not end well. It would have been interesting to have seen any audience response from pre-opening tests, if there were any. The final moments compete with Price's Witchfinder General and 'Blood On Satan's Claw'. I would have guessed the schlocky title and that down beat ending didn't bring in good returns for the distributor or Amicus, thus bringing the company's short flirtation with period ghost stories, to a sudden end, setting the course firmly back on chartered waters, tried and tested . .. the portmanteau film.
ALTHOUGH HERBERT LOM is second-billed in the film, does not appear at all until
the last quarter of the film, and only appears in an extended flashback
sequence, however with the screen time he does have, he certainly make
an impression.
How do you rate Herbert Lom's performance in the film?
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