The Curse of the Wraydons

Manifestly melodramatic maniac, Tod Slaughter remains one of the more, how shall I put it?, 'esoteric' fear figures in the glorious pantheon of classic British horror. All too many disdainfully regard his unhinged 'murder in the barn-storming' performances as, perhaps, being of a singularly 'acquired' taste. Sadly, masters of bravura acting eccentricity are rare, and arguably one of the more unfiltered examples of a serially scenery-chewing actor would be that towering, taste-tottering titan of vintage Gothic grisliness, Tod Slaughter!

Slaughter is on mesmerisingly melodramatic form in this creepy-creaky, cobwebbed Gothic plot-boiler. Turgidly directed by, Victor M. Gover, this remains an undeniably stagy, musty film artefact, it is then no small testament to the hyperbolic mannerisms of the estimable, triple-glazed terror Thespian, Tod Slaughter who almost manages to revivify this otherwise moth-eared melodrama. The multifarious double-dealing, chivalrous duels, perfidious murder plots are wickedly energised by the unconscionable devilry of Slaughter's despicably murderous cad 'the Chief'. Wherein no tottering scenery is safe from that tenacious terror termite, Tod Slaughter as he gluttonously consumes all available celluloid as though desperately breaking an extended fast! Good films are very rarely as entertaining the really bad ones, and this is undeniably poor, but, by Jove! Its objective 'badness' proves subjectively entertaining! Depending on ones mood, 'The Curse of The Wraydons' is a not infrequently hilarious, deliciously camp vintage creepshow!

The Lord Chamberlain's Department in Britain actively discouraged Tod Slaughter's usual type of film during WWII, so it was not until this little costume melodrama that he was able to return from exile on the stage. It's the usual hammy stuff; only this time the setting is Napoleonic and we are smuggling information not brandy. The "Wraydon" family are meant to be a little bit bonkers - well rest assured, you are left in no doubt as our tale of camp espionage gathers pace. We've got spies, duels and treason a-plenty to keep us entertained for a slightly over-long hour and forty. Lovely to watch with a cup of tea on a dreich afternoon...

The Curse of the Wraydons was made in 1946 but feels like it was made in 1934, such is the creaky pace, static scenes and slow, exaggerated acting on display throughout the yarn. The film is slow, but the day is saved by the majestic turn of Tod Slaughter as the fiendish Chief, an arch villain in the employ of Napoleon, who murders, schemes and plots aplenty. Tod is always lurking in the shadows, laughing maniacally (often at nothing in particular), and is prone to nodding to himself repeatedly when spying through various windows. Yet, while there is scarcely an inch of the scenery that is left unchewed, Tod Slaughter really animates every scene he is in with his unrelentingly evil antics, as he was a unique acting talent in his dogged adherence and revival of the classic elements of the penny dreadful tradition and I truly love his work. So, there is much talk of the exploits of Spring-Heeled Jack, but no heel-springing is ever evident, but there are secret passages, a proto trash compactor, duels, braces of pistols, French spies, and Tod watching and anticipating torture with hand-rubbing glee. So, the film is not as fun as the other Tod Slaughter films, but there are still melodramatic larks galore.

THE CURSE OF THE WRAYDONS is another murky potboiler that comes to us courtesy of Tod Slaughter, the era's top ham actor. This Napoleonic-era story tells of traitors working for the French against the English, mixing it in with a Gothic-style story of family curses and inherent madness.

Of course, it's all just a vehicle for Slaughter to show off his undeniable talents, which consist of playing up his role theatrically. He's a villain prone to uncontrollable laughter, murky mannerisms, and outlandish facial expressions. His acting belongs on a Victorian stage, but here he was, starring in sensation films for over a decade, and aren't they a lot of fun!

THE CURSE OF THE WRAYDONS is a mixed bag of a film and certainly not perfect by anybody's measure. It's overlong, it feels very staged, and it's also incredibly slow with lots of added on dialogue scenes that go nowhere. However, scenes of Slaughter and his comrades plotting and committing murder are worth watching for, and the Grand Guignol-style climax has to be seen to be believed. There are some references to the legendary figure Spring-Heeled Jack here, but sadly no actual springing - the budget wasn't big enough for that.

Many years ago my parents attended an estate sale and obtained an old 16mm projector. We were also given several 16mm films, one of which being the Curse of the Wraydons. It is one of the all time funniest "bad" movies ever made: how none of Slaughter's films made in onto Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (MST3K) is a mystery unto itself. The production values are not too bad, considering the high-end period costumes, but the cinematography and audio is so amateurish as to make this a great film for a group whose minds easily work in MST3K mode. One shot cuts to an extreme close up of Slaughter: it is clearly obvious it's supposed to be scary, but the shot is out of focus enough, and he's grinning from ear to ear enough that when showing the film to a fellow fan of Entertaining Bad Films nearly fell off his chair laughing. Some of the scenes' audio sounds as though recorded in someone's bathroom (particularly an odd fencing duel scene): no one at the time (or at least with this production) ever considered recording the lines separately and replacing inaudible lines with audible lines. Not all bad films are entertaining (e.g., In the Name of the King, D-Wars, etc.), but it's safe to say as a "film maker," Tod Slaughter gives Ed Wood a run for his money when it comes to his Inadvertently-Entertaining Bad films.