Curse of the Crimson Altar

1970 "Come face to face with naked fear on the altar of evil!"
5.5| 1h27m| R| en| More Info
Released: 14 April 1970 Released
Producted By: Tigon British Film Productions
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

When his brother disappears, Robert Manning pays a visit to the remote country house he was last heard from. While his host is outwardly welcoming - and his niece more demonstrably so - Manning detects a feeling of menace in the air with the legend of Lavinia Morley, Black Witch of Greymarsh, hanging over everything.

Genre

Horror, Mystery

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Curse of the Crimson Altar (1970) is now streaming with subscription on MGM+

Director

Vernon Sewell

Production Companies

Tigon British Film Productions

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Curse of the Crimson Altar Audience Reviews

Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Prichards12345 Curse of The Crimson Altar, as it's known in the UK, is very loosely based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft - The Dreams In The Witch House. But it's a pretty poor movie overall and the winter night shooting could only have contributed to Boris Karloff's worsening emphysema - in fact he caught pneumonia while filming. Christopher Lee actually looks as if he WANTS to catch pneumonia, and Barbara Steele, in her only British horror movie, is totally wasted.Curse concerns Mark Eden's search for his missing brother, and Eden's zero charisma performance is what helps sink the movie from the beginning. Years later he was to end up as Rita Fairclough's murderous partner in Coronation Street, memorably expiring under a Blackpool Tram! If only that had happened here.Eden's character Robert Manning soon makes his way to Greymarsh Village, where he encounters Christopher Lee's Squire Morley, who seems remarkably liberal to let a wild party take place in his mansion while he quietly reads upstairs! Cue scenes of people painting each other...After Virginia Wetherall's character utters she's expecting Boris Karloff to show up - he promptly does! So we're soon introduced to Boris and his collection of torture implements. Karloff may have been in poor health but he still outshines everyone else. He is, of course, just a red herring. Along the way we've been watching She Hulk and her portly assistant in an antlers and leather thong combo prepare for some diabolical rite. Lovecraft's original tale concerned a trans-dimensional witch and her monstrous human-faced rat familiar Brown Jenkin. Yep, superior for me to She Hulk and Antler Man, any day.For the 876th time in horror films, the mansion grows up in flames at the end. And for the first time in horror films Christopher Lee turns into a woman - the witch Lavinia, who has apparently been possessing him. Bet Lee was chuffed with that...
Nigel P Starring Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee (with support from Barbara Steele and Michael Gough amongst others), and written by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln, who introduced The Yeti to television's Doctor Who – this has all the hallmarks of being a classic. The results, however, are average.'Curse…' opens with a brave and bizarre fetishist torture scene, which recurs throughout in various dream sequences (with some unnerving sound effects – a kind of backward tape loop used as disorientating background noise). The hero of the piece is Richard Manning (Mark Eden) who is sadly less interesting than most of the other characters. He's searching for his missing brother, but succeeds only in revisiting nightmares and tales of witchcraft whilst staying in a sprawling mansion at the generous behest of Lee's Morley. It is revealed that Manning is the direct descendant of the judge who condemned a witch to death many years earlier.Despite labelling the film 'dreadful', Christopher Lee puts in what I think is one of his best performances. Understated and absolutely convincing as a man unable to help Manning locate his brother, whilst concealing darker motives. It's just possible he is the living reincarnation of witch Lavinia Morley (otherwise played by Steele in a green-faced make-up) although this is not explained.Despite a fiery climax, 'Curse…' never escapes from the dullness of its direction. Vernon Sewell also directed Tigon's 'The Blood Beast Terror' the same year with an equally staid lack of ambition.
Scott LeBrun This is a minor horror film with a superior cast but uninspired scripting and directing. It's certainly enjoyable enough, but this viewer wouldn't consider it classic. The actors are better than the material (which is apparently inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's "Dreams in the Witch House"). Mark Eden stars as Robert Manning, an antiques dealer whose brother has gone missing. So he tracks him down to the last place he was supposed to have visited: the Craxted Lodge. Robert discovers a predictably strange community where the people pay tribute to a figure from their history: the witch Lavinia (a green skinned Barbara Steele). Robert does some sleuthing while meeting locals played by the likes of Sir Christopher Lee (as Morley, the lodge operator) and Boris Karloff (as witchcraft expert Professor Marsh).The ingredients are there for a decent horror feature: sets, special effects, atmosphere, entertaining characters. There's also some brief nudity (supplied by beautiful blonde Virginia Wetherell, who plays Morley's niece Eve) and little flashes of gore. In the tradition of old black & white shockers, there's a secret passage as part of the fun. Hypnotism is also one of the elements. Eden is likable, but the lovely Ms. Steele is mostly wasted; she's not required to do much. Michael Gough has his moments as the perpetually harried lodge employee Elder. Rupert Davies has a fine cameo as a helpful vicar. As always, Sir Christopher is elegant and dapper and has a commanding presence. It is a treat to see him sharing scenes with Boris (this was the last film Karloff made that played theatres during his lifetime), who enriches the film with his appearances.Not helping matters is the fact that the story is overly predictable, and that the ending is rather underwhelming. While admirers of the actors and lovers of the genre may find this well worth watching for completion's sake, it's not really essential viewing.Six out of 10.
Joseph Brando Tigon, the off-off-off Broadway of British horror produced a smattering of mostly so-so horror films during the late 60's and early 70's (the exceptional "Witchfinder General" not included) and this production's delicious horror iconous cast including Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Michael Gough and Barbara Steele, is its best attribute. The tone taken is on the silly side for the most part, but the decent Gothic atmosphere and stellar cast begs for something more sinister. Horror aficionados will not want to miss this, for the great cast, and there are certainly far worse horror movies out there, but this will most likely be of little interest to non genre fans.