You would be forgiven for thinking this is another anthology movie from Amicus. Unfortunately they never quite descended to this level of entertaining mind-boggling idiocy in their scripts. This is a fun, watchable, utterly silly movie, with far-fetched plots that have to be seen to be er, witnessed. A really good cast must have been monumentally embarrassed (and short of a few quid) to appear in this.
Our linking narrative concerns Donald Pleasence demonstrating some sort of cure he has found for mental illness to Jack Hawkins. Shades of the Amicus movie Asylum. We have four cases presented for our delectation.
Mr. Tiger. Donald Huston and Georgia Brown have a son who has a fantasy pet tiger. The lad is bothering his parents with stealing meat from the fridge to feed his imaginary pet. Huston, who does nothing but shout a lot when he comes home from work, finally is nagged into confronting his son over it, and his parents discover the tiger is real. Yeah, right...
Our second story concerns an antique dealer dealing with his late aunt's furniture, and discovering an old picture of his uncle and a penny farthing cycle have the power to compel him into the past to relive his uncle getting, er struck by lightning. Director Freddie Francis stages some sort of miracle in making these first two stories utterly watchable.
AND NOW. HERE IT COMES. OUR THIRD CLASSIC. Joan Collins in a career low (and that's saying something if you've seen I Don't Want To Be Born) as a sexpot wife getting cuckolded by... a tree! This episode is hilarious as Joanie gets into a battle of wits with said tree, which resembles a female form...very slightly. No real excuse for her hubby to do her in and replace Joan with the tree in his bed! I'm not kidding. He really does! I think this episode deserves some sort of award for utterly demented script-writing.
Fourth one concerns a cleverly planned human sacrifice during a Hawaiian-themed party set up by Kim Novak for a writer. Nope I did not make that up, either. This one is quite compelling, although Kim obviously let her acting lessons lapse after Vertigo, as she is astonishingly awful. Ed Wood's actors were better. Mary Tamm has some tasteful nudity. Didn't she marry Richard Dawkins - ah no, that was Lalla Ward. Shame!
The whole concoction is utterly daft and yet never boring. Best viewed after about 8 pints in the pub...
Our linking narrative concerns Donald Pleasence demonstrating some sort of cure he has found for mental illness to Jack Hawkins. Shades of the Amicus movie Asylum. We have four cases presented for our delectation.
Mr. Tiger. Donald Huston and Georgia Brown have a son who has a fantasy pet tiger. The lad is bothering his parents with stealing meat from the fridge to feed his imaginary pet. Huston, who does nothing but shout a lot when he comes home from work, finally is nagged into confronting his son over it, and his parents discover the tiger is real. Yeah, right...
Our second story concerns an antique dealer dealing with his late aunt's furniture, and discovering an old picture of his uncle and a penny farthing cycle have the power to compel him into the past to relive his uncle getting, er struck by lightning. Director Freddie Francis stages some sort of miracle in making these first two stories utterly watchable.
AND NOW. HERE IT COMES. OUR THIRD CLASSIC. Joan Collins in a career low (and that's saying something if you've seen I Don't Want To Be Born) as a sexpot wife getting cuckolded by... a tree! This episode is hilarious as Joanie gets into a battle of wits with said tree, which resembles a female form...very slightly. No real excuse for her hubby to do her in and replace Joan with the tree in his bed! I'm not kidding. He really does! I think this episode deserves some sort of award for utterly demented script-writing.
Fourth one concerns a cleverly planned human sacrifice during a Hawaiian-themed party set up by Kim Novak for a writer. Nope I did not make that up, either. This one is quite compelling, although Kim obviously let her acting lessons lapse after Vertigo, as she is astonishingly awful. Ed Wood's actors were better. Mary Tamm has some tasteful nudity. Didn't she marry Richard Dawkins - ah no, that was Lalla Ward. Shame!
The whole concoction is utterly daft and yet never boring. Best viewed after about 8 pints in the pub...