Fright (1971)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Peter Collinson

Writer:

Tudor Gates (writer)

Release Date:

30 May 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The scream you can hear is your own

Plot:

Young babysitter Amanda arrives at the Lloyd residence to spend the evening looking after their young son...

Plot Keywords:

Babysitter | Terror | Relative | Psychopath | Alone

Cast

Honor Blackman	...	Helen
Susan George	...	Amanda
Ian Bannen	...	Brian
John Gregson	...	Dr. Cordell
George Cole	...	Jim
Dennis Waterman	...	Chris
Tara Collinson	...	Tara
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Inspector
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Constable
Michael Brennan	...	Sergeant

Also Known As:

I'm Alone and I'm Scared (USA) (reissue title)
Night Legs

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:(Banned) (1972) | Norway:15 | Norway:18 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | UK:X (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating)

Company:

Fantale Films

Trivia:

In an interview with star Honor Blackman she said that she feared the young child in the film would have damaging repercussions from having been in scenes with intense violence. She said that there was no psychical danger at all, as the 'shard of mirror glass' was really a fake prop, but worried the sheer intensity of the actors would be disturbing to the child.

Quotes:

Inspector: How do you spell that word, "psychotic"?
Dr. Cordell: You may have to spell it M-U-R-D-E-R, murder, if you don't get someone over there quickly!

Movie Connections:

Features The Plague of the Zombies (1966)

More like "Disappoint"

While this British horror movie has a good premise and some good ideas, it overall doesn't work. There are a number of minor nitpicks, like some really stupid actions by several characters, but I believe the main problem is when Bannen's character enters the movie. Coming across like Anthony Newley, Bannen is too hammy in the role, alternately overacting and being too "nice" in his delivery to be considered menacing. Perhaps the British filmmakers - who were still confined by some draconian censorship laws at this time - were too afraid to go all out, and be *really* nasty and scary. Had the movie been made by Americans or Italians, it may have fulfilled its potential. Still, may very well have influenced filmmakers several years afterwards, quite possibly WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (even though that movie was rooted in an old urban legend.)