The Sorcerers offers horror icon Boris Karloff one of the last truly worthwhile roles of his career. It is one of only three films to be directed by young film-maker Michael Reeves. Film buffs are forever declaring what great things Reeves would have gone on to achieve had he lived longer. Whether these claims of unfulfilled greatness are accurate or not no-one will ever truly know. It is fair to say that his last film, the sublime Witchfinder General, is unquestionably a genre classic, indicating that this young director certainly possessed the potential to become a major force. His second film The Sorcerers is another rather interesting and well-made chiller which shows plenty of early promise. Combining elements of sci-fi and the serial-killer genre, The Sorcerers is an unusual and effective entry from Tigon. Although it has not dated as well as some films from its era, it remains fascinating for a number of reasons – its strong performances, disorientating camera angles and scoring, infrequent but savage violence, and its apparent suggestion that society's drink 'n' drug-fuelled hedonists are potential serial killers-in-waiting. In spite of occasional flaws, The Sorcerers is a film well worth checking out.
A former practitioner of medical hypnosis, Professor Marcus Monserrat (Karloff), now lives in disgrace in a grotty corner of London, sharing a shabby apartment with his wife Estelle (Catherine Lacey). They have built a machine which can induce powerful telepathic hypnosis upon anyone who uses it, giving the Monserrats the ability to control the hypnotised person's mind and, more remarkably, experience whatever sensations they are feeling as if they were their own. All they need now is a young guinea pig willing to submit himself to their mind control experiment. Enter Mike Roscoe (Ian Ogilvy), a handsome but bored youth who has grown dissatisfied with a life of disco, drink and dating hot chicks. He wants something new to inject excitement back into his life and Professor Monserrat's hypnosis machine looks just the ticket. Unfortunately, after Mike has been successfully brought under the control of the good professor and his wife, things begin to take a sinister turn. Drunk on power and unable to resist the intoxicating thrill of controlling someone else's actions, Estelle starts telepathically manoeuvring Mike into darkly dangerous situations, encouraging him to commit escalating crimes, ranging from burglary and assault to murder.
The film cleverly de-romanticises the usual perception of London in the Swinging Sixties, showing a darker place where frustration and cruelty bubble beneath the surface. Karloff gives a solid performance as the frail, well-meaning professor who cannot see the potential for evil in his invention; Lacey is great too as his dangerously unhinged wife. It's often been said that Estelle's descent into psychotic madness is too sudden and complete to be a wholly convincing plot development - a criticism that carries much truth in all fairness - but nevertheless the actress gives a splendidly full-bodied performance as the film's main villain. The way Karloff's character is the more sympathetic and agreeable of the two acts as a nice little twist on expectations too. Overall, The Sorcerers is a solid cult chiller – skilfully-made, thought-provoking and entertaining fare from a young film-maker whose light went out too soon.
A former practitioner of medical hypnosis, Professor Marcus Monserrat (Karloff), now lives in disgrace in a grotty corner of London, sharing a shabby apartment with his wife Estelle (Catherine Lacey). They have built a machine which can induce powerful telepathic hypnosis upon anyone who uses it, giving the Monserrats the ability to control the hypnotised person's mind and, more remarkably, experience whatever sensations they are feeling as if they were their own. All they need now is a young guinea pig willing to submit himself to their mind control experiment. Enter Mike Roscoe (Ian Ogilvy), a handsome but bored youth who has grown dissatisfied with a life of disco, drink and dating hot chicks. He wants something new to inject excitement back into his life and Professor Monserrat's hypnosis machine looks just the ticket. Unfortunately, after Mike has been successfully brought under the control of the good professor and his wife, things begin to take a sinister turn. Drunk on power and unable to resist the intoxicating thrill of controlling someone else's actions, Estelle starts telepathically manoeuvring Mike into darkly dangerous situations, encouraging him to commit escalating crimes, ranging from burglary and assault to murder.
The film cleverly de-romanticises the usual perception of London in the Swinging Sixties, showing a darker place where frustration and cruelty bubble beneath the surface. Karloff gives a solid performance as the frail, well-meaning professor who cannot see the potential for evil in his invention; Lacey is great too as his dangerously unhinged wife. It's often been said that Estelle's descent into psychotic madness is too sudden and complete to be a wholly convincing plot development - a criticism that carries much truth in all fairness - but nevertheless the actress gives a splendidly full-bodied performance as the film's main villain. The way Karloff's character is the more sympathetic and agreeable of the two acts as a nice little twist on expectations too. Overall, The Sorcerers is a solid cult chiller – skilfully-made, thought-provoking and entertaining fare from a young film-maker whose light went out too soon.