Paranoiac (1963)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Truly Dreadful Film

That was an excellent one.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Based on the plot description on the DVD case, I was preparing for the Hammer movie "Paranoiac" to more or less be a rip-off of the classic suspense thriller "Gaslight". Indeed, the first ten to fifteen minutes of the movie seem to be heading in that direction. Then there is a sudden introduction of a new character that turns everything around. It really came as a surprise, and I wondered if the movie could sustain the sudden momentum that had come across. It does for the most part. True, at the very end of the movie, there are some minor plot threads that come across as unfinished, as well as some unanswered questions. But the movie manages to hold your interest right to the end, which I think says something. It's also fun to see a youngish Oliver Reed play a slimy figure who is up to no good from start to finish. While the movie isn't a classic thriller, it all the same grabs your attention and has no dull spots. It's a Hammer production that doesn't deserve its present near-forgotten status.

Well plotted black & white psychological thriller from Hammer is loosely based on Josephine Tey's "Brat Farrar". The legendary Oliver Reed stars as Simon Ashby, a snippy, sardonic young man set to inherit a sizable amount of money from his late parents. Part of his problem is his tendency to grossly misbehave. He gets ever so much worse when a man (Alexander Davion) claiming to be his brother Tony shows up. You see, Tony supposedly committed suicide two years ago. Meanwhile, Tony and Simon have a sister (Janette Scott) who is also quite fragile.Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster keeps the twists a-coming in this effectively paced little film, directed capably by talented Freddie Francis. Even if the viewers figure out where this is headed well before the finish, Sangster, Francis, and company do keep you entertained with their stylish telling of this tale. It's very nicely shot in widescreen by Arthur Grant, with fine use of locations and some genuine moments of tension.The main draw are an array of excellent performances, especially from Reed, who doesn't have to stretch himself very much by playing a character who's a bit of a hell raiser. Scott and co-star Liliane Brousse are quite lovely to look at, with Scott earning our sympathies as the girl desperate to have her brother back. Sheila Burrell is appropriately icy as Aunt Harriet, and Maurice Denham (as the family lawyer), John Bonney (as his son), and John Stuart (as the family butler) all lend some valuable support.If you're a fan of Reed or Hammer films in general, you should dig it.Eight out of 10.

This one is one of Hammer's better films... it is horror but more of a good dramatic mystery. The film does take a few twists and turns but it's not hard to figure out... it's how the movie mystery plays out that makes it so good.I have to agree with another reviewer this film almost an A film rather than a B. It's beautifully filmed, well acted, good story... it's a film I would definitely recommend to mystery lovers.Oliver Reed is gorgeous in this film and really just good to watch on screen as Simon Ashby. This is one of his better films.8.5/10

Paranoiac (1963): Starring Oliver Reed, Janette Scott, Sheila Burrell, Alexander Davion, Liliane Brousse, Maurice Denham, Harold Lang, Arnold Diamond, John Stuart, Laurie Leigh, Sydney Bromley, Marianne Stone, Colin Tapley, Jack Taylor....Director Freddie Francis, Screenplay Jimmy Sangster, Based On The Novel By Josephine Tey.The Hammer horror films, a British production, gained rapid popularity and audience in the early 60's, in the wake of such revolutionary new horror movies such as Hitchcock's "Psycho". These Hammer films were still produced well into the 1970's after actor Christopher Lee had earned success in his signature role of Dracula. In this early Hammer film directed by Freddie Francis from 1963, we meet the wealthy Ashby family who live in a beautiful estate by the sea. The entire family has felt the loss of the young Tony, a choir boy who is thought to have committed suicide by throwing himself off the cliffs and into the sea. At first, we are led to believe his older sister Eleanor (played by the beautiful and talented Janette Scott) has been most affected by his death. She begins to see him everywhere - in the church, walking by the estate grounds, etc. No one else sees him and so they believe she is going insane. Things are not always what they appear to be. The nurse hired to care for Eleanor, a French woman named Francoise (Liliane Brousse)is in actuality the lover of Simon Ashby, brother to the deceased Tony. Before long a man claiming to be Tony (Alexander Davion) appears and the drama is set into motion. No one believes that this is Tony, who was reported dead and they don't buy his tale of having been roaming for years and finally decided to show up back home. There are reasons behind the suspicions of Aunt Harriet (Sheila Burrell) that he is an impostor. The movie is slow and more of a murder mystery than anything else, at times needlessly long and very talky. The mystery is slowly revealed by the impostor. Tony was murdered by Simon and he kept his cadaver hidden in a chamber where he, out of guilt and madness, plays the organ and has Aunt Harriet dress up as Tony and mimic singing his voice through a phonograph. "Paranoiac" is a about madness and deception. Aunt Harriet knew about Simon being a murderer and kept it a secret for years. There is also a matter of selfishness and desire for fortune, as portrayed in the characters of Simon and the impostor. He soon begins to change his heart when he falls for Eleanor. The hint of incest is another part of the twisted tale. They are not actually brother and sister and Eleanor learns this but she is drawn to him romantically because she had repressed desires for her brother. All this was very shocking and bold in early 1960's cinema. The film has very little action and could have benefited from supernatural elements. Why no ghost ? But it is still a dark and Gothic film and a product of its time. The dramatic, chilling music is by Elisabeth Lutyens and the impressive cinematography by Arthur Grant. The film was made in England and the panoramic scenes of the high cliffs and the sea is very symbolic of madness. It is almost Edgar Allen Poe, "Fall of the House Of Usher" in style but never quite gets to there because it's a film that does not brake any new barriers except that it has a hint of incest and mystery. It is like the screenwriter was so repressed that they did not dare go too far. But it's not one of the more successful Hammer films. For this reason, I can only rate this film a 6 out of 10. It's still very worthwhile if only to see famed actors Janette Scott and Oliver Reed in well-executed performances. The dialog is solid and the acting is powerful, especially Oliver Reed as the intense and insane Simon. A good film but not great.