I have always championed this film, partly because it was always so underrated and also because of the wonderful and poignant performance from Boris Karloff very near the end of his amazing career. Watching it again in crystal clear Blu-ray, it struck me it was a little too clear. I remember the film being bold and violent with daring suggestions as to what really excites people but I was surprised to find it quite so grubby this time around. Karloff is masterful, even if he has to spend half the movie on the floor (partly because of actual walking difficulty by this time). Ian Ogilvy is perfect as the young man who becomes the vehicle for the elderly couples violent fantasies. Well, those of the wife, anyway, played all too well by Catherine Lacey who is really scary here and possible candidate for scariest woman in a horror film? The grubbiness even extends to the naming of the antique shop, ostensibly run by Ogilvy, as The Glory Hole! Michael Reeves would make Witchfinder General the following year but this is just as good as the more famous film and even more uncomfortable to watch.
Review of The Sorcerers
