For her masters degree in music, Susan Roberts (Stefanie Powers) intends to write a thesis on the late composer Henry Ryman and accepts an invitation to stay at the Ryman villa in the south of France, home to Henry's widow Danielle, her wheelchair-bound son Georges (James Olson), and their staff: manservant Carter (Joss Ackland) and maid Lillianne (Jane Lapotaire). However, soon after arriving, Susan realises that something is very wrong in the Ryman household.
This psychological horror from Hammer is admittedly slow-moving, and instead of building to a crescendo, it closes with a rather trite twist that I imagine most will have seen coming a mile off. That said, the film does score major points with its fine cast of five, who deliver memorable performances despite the predictability of the script. The gorgeous Stefanie Powers is terrific as the woman-in-peril, proving a far more capable actress than her role in Hart to Hart ever suggested; Ackland is very effective as menacing manservant Carter; Olson is required to run the gamut from pitiful to deranged, and does so admirably; Scott is relatively restrained, but still acquits herself well as the clearly not-quite-right matriarch; and Lapotaire steals every scene she is in, oozing sultriness with a side-order of insanity.
Those looking for horror in this particular Hammer outing might be disappointed by the one murder, but the film offers up some sleaze by way of compensation, with Georges revealed to be a heroin addict who is sexually teased by Lillianne, who wants to become his wife so that she can quit her job and live the high life. Lapotaire strips off several times, most notably for a naked swim in the Ryman pool, while Powers flaunts her bod in a blue bikini and briefly gets topless for a dream sequence.
Not nearly as bad as others might have you believe, this is definitely worth checking out if you've enjoyed Hammer's other psychological thrillers (or if you've always wanted to see Jennifer Hart's jubblies).
