Le cercle infernal

The 70's was undoubtedly the heyday for horror cinema, with some well known masterpieces such as Alien, The Exorcist, Suspiria, etc. Still, there were quite a few of them that were just as good, but didn't get the recognition they deserved, and are still quite obscure today. "Full Circle", or as it is better known under it's US title "The Haunting of Julia", is one of these cases.

In many ways a hybrid of Nicolas Roeg's "Don't Look Now" and Mario Bava's "Kill Baby ... Kill", is a slow-burning, intelligent horror film that genuinely scares the Hell out of you. Director Richard Loncraine goes for a stylish yet subtle approach at a somewhat old-fashioned ghost story formula, without resorting to 'in your face' scares that were popular at the time. While it does open with a bang and ends with a bang (probably the films' most powerful and haunting sequences), Locraine goes instead for an interesting psychological analysis of a grieving mother's crisis over her daughter's death. Staring with small things that go grow more and more nasty as the story progresses, and the line between fantasy and reality becomes more and more blurry, The events that go on through the film may well be figment of her imagination, and the fact that, by the film's shocking climax, you still don't know for sure if it did happen at all, only adds to it's creepiness and strange atmosphere.

It's snail-like pace works both for and against it, as some might find it particularly fascinating and delightfully unnerving, while others might find it dull and uninteresting. In fact, it does move a little too slow for it's own sake, but Mia Farrow's gripping, strong performance and Locraime's visual flourishes help it from becoming uninteresting. Speaking of visuals, the film is beautifully photographed by Peter Hannan, but sadly it does show it's full aesthetic power in the bad VHS print it's available on. Nevertheless, one can still see it's impact on the film, particularly on making the wintry streets of London and the old-dark-house setting even more menacing.

The film also benefits from having a lovingly melancholic and often genuinely spooky score by Colin Towns, which blends perfectly with it's visual brilliance, as well as perfectly capturing the characters' emotions.

Overall, a sadly unrecognized classic which, in spite of it's few flaws, deserves much more praise. 9/10

Mia Farrow almost totally controls this movie as the mother whose daughter has just died. She's also estranged from her strange husband (Keir Dullea), but forming a friendship with the nice Mark (Tom Conti). She moves into a new house but after a seance with Mark things start to get strange. Also people start getting bumped off and a mysterious story about a young boy being murdered years earlier.

The cast are uniformaly good and some will be known by British TV viewers of the seventies and eighties. Farrow is very good as the lead but I feel that Tom Conti is very underused as Mark. In all an interesting I'd never heard of before.

Mia Farrow plays upper class woman who lost her eight year old daughter due to tragic circumstances.Her grief is immense.She distances herself from her wealthy husband Keir Dullea and begins to live in a flat on the outskirts of London.When paranormal party séance starts she begins to see sinister manifestations of children around her.As the story begins to unravel it seems that it's connected with brutal torture and murder of a small boy many years ago...Adapted from excellent and truly creepy Peter Straub's novel "Julia" this slow-moving ghost story is effectively eerie.The acting is fantastic and the conclusion is unforgettably devastating.The piano-and-strings score by Colin Towns adds a lot to subtle atmosphere of dread.8 spectral visions out of 10.

Excellent adaption of Peter Straub's haunting (in SO many ways!) and gothic novel.

Mia Farrow is well cast, and supported by tight direction and an intelligent script.

Read the book first, however... Straub is king! (And not Stephen!)

I rated this film tonight, but its ranking is deceptive as far as age groups go. I first saw this film as "The Haunting of Julia" when I was a teen and we first got cable. It's stayed with me since, and a recent re-viewing only affirmed my memories. The storyline was adequate, and Farrow delivers a terrific performance, but what struck me most initially (and remains true after watching it again), is the film's atmosphere. Julia's unease seeps into every frame of the movie. "The Haunting of Julia" features that undercurrent of melancholy (or pessimism, depending on your point of view) that weaves itself into so many 1970s horror films, such as "Don't Look Now"). And, as others have pointed out, although the plot line may be confusing at points, the cumulative effect of the film results in a payoff. then ending, by the way, is amazing. It has a true lingering effect; after all, it remained with me for twenty years.