Interesting British horror with sci-fi overtones (the premise concerns hypnotism, which leads to a string of murders): basically, a belated follow-up to star Boris Karloff's myriad mad scientist roles of the 30s and 40s! Still, he apparently resisted this angle of the script and worked with writer-director Reeves to give his character greater sympathy!
Both he and co-star Catherine Lacey are wonderful - but while Karloff delivers a dignified and understated performance, she tends towards hamminess (being the more overtly villainous of the two) but still emerges as equally effective. Ian Ogilvy (star of all 3 films Reeves directed!) is a brooding and mod 'monster'; throughout the course of the film, he interacts with three attractive girls (two of whom eventually end up dead!) - leading lady Elizabeth Ercy, ex-flame Susan George and pop singer Dani Sheridan.
Despite the film's low-budget - and the soft, scratched print utilized for the transfer - its hip Swinging Sixties look provides some definite eye candy (and not just girls in mini-skirts!), particularly during the hallucinatory if low-key experiment in which Ogilvy is an unwitting guinea pig. Paul Ferris' score, including a couple of tunes (though the flat audio on the DVD doesn't really do them justice!), is pretty good. The climax - involving a chase scene in which Ogilvy is pursued by a police car (and featuring Ivor Dean as a vaguely nonplussed, pipe-smoking Inspector) - is terrific, if slightly confusing for, while it's been shown that Lacey has greater control over Ogilvy, suddenly the situation is reversed somehow and Karloff deliberately wills the boy - and the two 'sorcerers' with him - to a fiery death!
Both he and co-star Catherine Lacey are wonderful - but while Karloff delivers a dignified and understated performance, she tends towards hamminess (being the more overtly villainous of the two) but still emerges as equally effective. Ian Ogilvy (star of all 3 films Reeves directed!) is a brooding and mod 'monster'; throughout the course of the film, he interacts with three attractive girls (two of whom eventually end up dead!) - leading lady Elizabeth Ercy, ex-flame Susan George and pop singer Dani Sheridan.
Despite the film's low-budget - and the soft, scratched print utilized for the transfer - its hip Swinging Sixties look provides some definite eye candy (and not just girls in mini-skirts!), particularly during the hallucinatory if low-key experiment in which Ogilvy is an unwitting guinea pig. Paul Ferris' score, including a couple of tunes (though the flat audio on the DVD doesn't really do them justice!), is pretty good. The climax - involving a chase scene in which Ogilvy is pursued by a police car (and featuring Ivor Dean as a vaguely nonplussed, pipe-smoking Inspector) - is terrific, if slightly confusing for, while it's been shown that Lacey has greater control over Ogilvy, suddenly the situation is reversed somehow and Karloff deliberately wills the boy - and the two 'sorcerers' with him - to a fiery death!