THE HORROR OF IT ALL (1964)

Oh my God! Did you see that, dear reader? Did you see that thing that happened to that thing about that thing-thing? What? No? No you didn't! Then what are you waiting for? Quickly, watch this 75 minute movie made in 1964. It was Directed by: Terence Fisher; and Starred: Pat Boone, Erica Rogers, with Dennis Price.

THE STORY:

As you know, Cynthia (Erica Rogers), I've turned up here today so I can ask your family for your hand in marriage. Yet if you don't mind me for saying so, do they always act this weird around people they don't know?

Hey! Please don't get me wrong, sugar pie. Of course do I mean this with all due respect! But let's face it! You're cousin Natalie (Andree Melly) would give Elvira a good run for her money. Your uncle Reginald (Valentine Dyall) reminds me of a frigid mortician. Your other uncle Percival (Jack Bligh) keeps on inventing things which have already been invented. And as for your other cousin, Cornwallis (Dennis Price), well?

ARRRRGHHHH!

Oh, dear. Cornwallis has just been poisoned, hasn't he? Still. That's most probably why what next transpires all goes for a song when you say to me, 'Don't worry yourself John (Pat Boone). If you think their nuts, wait until you see my cousin, Muldoon (Archie Duncan)'. As a family starts talking about a will - please, there's no need to take that evil-pill - Cynthia's uncle somehow lends a helping hand - and at the end of the day, wedding bells go off strictly as planned.

THE REVIEW:

In a round about way I'd say 'The Horror Of It All' reminded me of a strange mixture of 'Scooby Doo' meet's 'The Munsters', complemented with the usual dose of sixties hi-jinks. For a start you have an initial introduction that's fairly easy to understand -- a man turns up to so he can ask his girlfriend's family for her hand in marriage. Then you have the cast of well presented yet colorful characters -- and I do mean very-very colorful. And last but not least you finally have the twist -- a member of this family wants to kill the rest so they can inherit a vast fortune.      

Now to be completely honest with you, dear reader, I didn't mind watching this film at all. Even though the comedy was more amusing than laugh out loud funny, most of the actors did a pretty good job at playing their respective parts. What's more, the set design and the camera work wasn't that bad either, despite a couple of obvious pitfalls along the way.

Yet from my point of view the only thing I wasn't too keen on -- and I do mean the only thing -- is that the actual story-line presented had a rather palpable manner of unfolding itself.

A good example of this can be found at the beginning when Pat Boone's character -- who was very good in it by the way -- declared that someone was trying to kill him not so long after he arrived. But instead of the plot tackling this dilemma head first, it decided to introduce each of the subsequent family members beforehand, and then -- eventually -- deal with this story-strand further down the line.

OK. I know I'm being a bit nit-picky with my critique here, dear readers. But as I said previously, I did love watching this adventure because each of the characters had a real spring in their step. Pat played the part of the everyman with some real gusto to his performance. Andree's version of Elvira was a right blast to watch. Plus to a certain extent I can say exactly the same thing about John's version of a doddery old inventor.

Anyway. By now I'm sure you got the basic gist of what I thought about this movie. So how about we all now sit back, relax, and check out the following filmic facts. (1) '20th Century Fox' first released this production in Phoenix, Arizona, on exactly the same day the Beatles started their first US Tour. It was on the 19th of August, 1964. (2) Loosely translated, this project was entitled 'House of Ghosts' in Brazil; 'The Innocent Intruder' in Mexico; and 'The Horror Concealed Always' in Greece. (3) Ray Russell, who was the screenwriter that penned this flick, was in the business from 1961 to 1982, and he's best known for devising the Ray Milland classic, 'X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes'. (4) Excerpts from this film can be seen in a 2002 episode of the 'Shiver & Shudder Show'. (5) That nice English chap who directed of this adventure, Terence Fisher, has directed four Frankenstein films throughout his fifty-three year career. This includes 'The Curse of Frankenstein' in 1957; 'Frankenstein Created Woman' in 1967; 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' in 1969; and 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell' in 1973. (6) Even though Pat Boone is best known for being a successful pop singer / actor, you might like to know that he was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on the 1st June, 1934, and obtained a degree in Science at Columbia University. (7) If you look at that scene where Jack is trapped in a room whilst the ceiling is closing in on him, you'll notice that when he screams out for help his lips never move. Ops! Slight glitch! (8) After this picture took its final rest, Pat Boone appeared on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'; Erica Rogers starred in the television series, 'Gideon C.I.D.'; and Dennis Price starred in the drama, 'The Comedy Man'.

Overall I'd say 'The Horror Of It All' was a pretty decent film to spend some time with. Even though the story-line let it down in places, as push comes to shove this was one hell of an amusing yet rhythmical movie for all the family. 

Well, unless your family are a pack of killers of course. Ha! Nuff said.

THE RATING: B