Bond of Fear

Well done.

A young family named Sewell are planning to take a holiday abroad and with all the mod-cons of the day i.e a caravan they can go anywhere and have decided to travel abroad.

They are making their way to Dover from Birmingham, (no motorways or sat nav, just simple map directions.) Unfortunately, they find some criminal in their caravan, named Dewar.

This man is a bad piece of work and he's just killed a night watchman so he's desperate to get away from the police who want to speak to him. The police are making stop and search road checks to find him. He has found a way of avoiding them.

Recorded from Talking Pictures TV, 2025.

Easy enough to watch but everything was fairly predictable.

The plot was rather unusual; murderer on the run hides up in a travelling holiday caravan while holding a small boy hostage.

Rather preposterous ending with gunman shooting at the police and they returned fire with a blast on their whistles.

It wasn't until the end of "Bond of Fear" that I remembered John Colicos was listed in the cast and realized who he was. Wow.

Dermot Walsh plays a dad taking his family on a trip in a caravan (trailer) when a wanted criminal, Dewar (Colicos) takes over the trip, keeping the son in the caravan with him, gun in tow, and ordering Walsh not to turn him in.

This I think was one of those "quota" films done in Britain, and I found it absorbing and well acted. The little boy was a riot. He tells Dewar, "I said a prayer for you." Dewar asks, what did you pray for? The boy says, "I won't tell you. It's horrible."

It is rather long to start, but the tension rapidly increases for this short length thriler. Directed by Henry Cass, a brilliant grade B British director for whom BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE is the most known movie. But he made other films, thrillers and dramas worth watching too. This one is tense, grabbing your attention after ten minutes, and the family taken as hostages is the main reason to concern many audiences. American film industry made dozens of movies of this kind; so this plot is not purely British, and I find it interesting. It looks like an Andrew Stone's feature. Good cast for a taut film.

There is no bon voyage for this family as they set off for a well earned caravan holiday, they've set off with an unwelcome guest, the killer Dewar.

It's a very good movie, it's well paced, and despite dating back to the 1950's it manages to keep you gripped, with lots of tension. James Colicos is the show stealer as Dewar, there is something very sinister about his performance, it's menacing but understated. The family are all a little straight laced, very much a product of the time, starched collars and stuff upper lips, Dermot Walsh in particular.

Don't expect big budget, but do expect to be entertained, the injured hitcher provides a giggle, but otherwise it's a serious, straight affair.

It's enjoyable. 8/10