HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 11: PARANOIAC (1963)

Hammer time! In the 1950's a little movie studio in England began adding horror films to their repertoire. They remade many of the classic horror films from 1930's and 40's Hollywood, modernizing them, showing blood, fangs, and graphic violence for the first time on screen. While Hollywood had yet to bring that bloody edge to their horror films, overseas they embraced it. This is the same country where Alfred Hitchcock came from and he brought that edge with him to Hollywood.

HAMMER Studios became known for their risque and violent films. Their legacy has been cemented in the firmament by such wonderful actors as CHRISTOPHER LEE, PETER CUSHING, OLIVER REED, RAQUEL WELCH, and many others. Just mentioning the name of Hammer Horror conjures up the images of Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Mummy. But while they were reinventing the classic monsters they were also producing twisted, disturbing psychological thrillers in the same vein as the great Mr. Hitchcock.

PARANOIAC is a 1963 black & white Hammer horror thriller of Hitchcockian flavor starring the incredible Oliver Reed. Directed by Freddie Francis and screenplay by Jimmy Sangster, both Hammer horror legends responsible for many horror cinema greats, this film being one of them. This film proves that Alfred Hitchcock wasn't man around who produced disturbing, horrific films like Psycho. Not only does Paranoiac prove this, but dare I say I prefer this movie to all of Hitchcock's.

THE PLOT

The Ashby Family have suffered many losses over the years. First Mr. and Mrs. Ashby's tragic death leaving behind three children. Then the suicide of the eldest of the children, Tony Ashby, jumping from a cliff to the rocky waters below, his body never recovered. Now only Simon and his sister Eleanor remain, their Aunt Harriet staying with them and watching over the wealthy family estate until the siblings come of age.

Simon has given himself to drinking and excessive spending with everyone else wondering about Eleanor's delicate mental state, a possibly disturbed mind. Eleanor claims that she's been seeing their long lost deceased brother. If Eleanor persists in this delusion she may find herself committed and Simon will stand to inherit the entire family fortune. Then a man appears looking identical to their long dead brother and claiming to be Tony Ashby. Is this man really their deceased brother come back from the dead? Or is this a trick of Simon's designed to finally drive his sister over the deep end? Who is the more mentally unbalanced of the two?

THE GOOD

It doesn't appear like much at first but as the story progresses it draws you in more and more. I know what you're thinking, "How good could it really be?" I thought the same thing. But the moment you think you know whats going on the plot takes another turn and then another. Then it pulls out something truly creepy and bizarre. The way this film keeps you engaged is quite impressive. I keep comparing the film to the works of Alfred Hitchcock and that's because no other films from that era come close to matching it.

I want to tell you all more but when I saw this movie I had no idea what it was about nor the cast or crew involved. All you need to know is in the brief plot synopsis above and my word that this movie is worth it. The strength of it comes from what you don't expect. 1: You don't expect much from an early 60's horror film. 2: You don't expect the plot to take the route that it does. 3: You don't expect your skin to crawl (that certain something creepy and bizarre that I was talking about earlier).

THE BAD

If  I was comparing it to the films from the same era I'd have nothing bad to say about the film. Comparing it to today's thrillers I still have nothing bad to say about this movie save the fact that the film feels somewhat dated, only from the modern conveniences (no cell phones, no hash tags, no pop culture references). As far as camerawork and storytelling go the film is still top notch. Again it feels like something from the best of Hitchcock. I guess one could say the film is trying too hard to be like Hitchcock and not its own (like that's a bad thing?). Now I'm the one trying too hard.

THE VERDICT

Paranoiac is a horror thriller of the finest quality. It doesn't suffer from slow pacing like many other films of its era (including some of Hitchcock's). It has a unique and engaging plot with enough twists and turns that M. Night Shyamalan would be impressed. In short it has all the things that make a quality movie even by today's standards without many of the genre conventions that certain audiences find difficult to stomach (basically anybody whose a fan of a good movie would enjoy this or you could use this film as a gateway drug to the horror genre for those just getting their feet wet). All in all a film worthy of the masters.

Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10

Nude-O-Meter: 1 out of 10

Want more psychological thrillers ahead of their time? Check out the post linked below...

Blood in Black & White: Eyes Without A Face (1960)