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Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good concept, poorly executed.

Absolutely the worst movie.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Returning from Africa to his London home, a nobleman's quest to keep his hideously deformed brother hidden away from the public is foiled when an accidental burial results in his being loosened upon the world and sets out for revenge forcing him to stop him.For the most part this here was quite the fun and enjoyable effort. What really makes for quite a fun time here is the way this one manages to combine the rather starting late-60s style Gothic splendor with some more modernized slasher elements which is a rather strong combination. There's plenty to like here about the film's Gothic sensibilities, with the setting and era causing a lot of that to come to fruition here while also setting the stage for the numerous bouts of walking through dimly-lit corridors wielding only candle-lit light which causes this to readily feel at home in the old-school Gothic realm. That also leads rather nicely into the attitude about the grave-robbing and their feelings of the family- owned business with their reputation being called into question rather than simply being concerned with the remaining part of his revenge which doesn't turn into the kind of traditional slasher effort it really could've been as there's plenty of overall appeal to these scenes. Alongside the fact that there's the big party he throws at the house which gets crashed by the killer and frightened away as well as the central investigation scene that handles the vast majority of the second half which starts off the great slasher film aesthetic of the film. There's some rather nice stalking scenes here as he goes after the hooker in their tryst room, the grave-robbers in their flat and the doctor in his house which are more shorter set-pieces relying on the shock of actually stabbing them but still manage to get quite a lot of rather impressive and enjoyable action out of their encounters as well as setting the stage for the big finale as he goes about trying to get his final revenge as that leads into a strong chase into the forest which is quite fun with the killer coming into play and the resolution being quite brutal. Along with the fun opening voodoo ceremony that gives this a strong start, these here are more than enough to hold this up against the minor problems found here. The film's main issue is the fact that there's just no sensible action found throughout here that makes it in the slightest bit logical or coherent, which really undermines a lot of the storyline. The inability to really come to terms with the switch concerning the original burial is the biggest culprit, as that becomes quite a flimsy manner to start the main problem with the killers' actual identity along which is somewhat undone by their inability to really reveal that throughout here and really manages to make for a problematic entry. The only other big issue is the rather atrocious and appalling special effects here to provide not only the murders but also the main villains' appearance who looks so comical it's hard to imagine anyone would find him terrifying even though it's mainly the laughable kills that undo this. Alongside the unnecessary stop-over in the tavern, these are film's flaws.Rated R: Violence, Nudity and some sexual conduct.

Edward Markham (Alister Williamson) is disfigured in Africa by vengeful natives; when he and his brother Julian (Vincent Price) return to London, Julian keeps Edward locked up. Edward escapes by faking his death, but in a twisted turn of events, his "dead" body is unearthed and taken to unscrupulous doctor Newhartt (Sir Christopher Lee). Donning a crimson mask to hide his visage, Edward goes about seeking his own revenge, occasionally slitting some unfortunate persons' throat, while demanding that Newhartt keep him hidden.Based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe, this is certainly a decent horror flick, but it doesn't carry as much weight as one might like. The screenplay (credited to Lawrence Huntington, with additional dialogue written by Christopher Wicking and an uncredited Michael Reeves) is entertaining, but the film feels rather familiar overall. It's nicely made, with some fine period recreation. The opening is very striking, and there are restrained doses of blood, and provocative costumes on some of the ladies.Price is solid as usual, but it's the Sir Christopher Lee portions of the story that worked more strongly for this viewer, with an interesting relationship developing between the crazed Edward and the "good" doctor. The supporting cast does some very fine work. Rupert Davies is a delight as an artist, as is Peter Arne as the sleazy lawyer Trench. Maxwell Shaw, Carl Rigg, Harry Baird, Godfrey James, and Ivor Dean likewise impress. Uta Levka, Sally Geeson, and Hilary Heath are all absolutely lovely.Producer / director Gordon Hessler and company are wise to keep Edwards' supposedly hideous face hidden until the very end, but when we do finally see it, the makeup effects are underwhelming and the result is disappointment.Fans of Price and Sir Christopher will want to see it for sure; they reunited the same year for "Scream and Scream Again", but after that, wouldn't work together again until "House of Long Shadows" in 1983.Six out of 10.

For whatever reasons the producer had for firing Michael Reeves, hiring director Gordon Hessler must have seem like a good idea. After all, not only did both men have a similar style and method but both directors could produce much in very little time with very few resources. However, directing "The Oblong Box" seemed clumsy, uninspired, the story obstructed by needless subplots and awkwardly put together – all evidence of a director too young who has bit off more than he could chew.Let's talk about the good things first: we get classic Hammer-atmosphere, camera-work and colour and an interesting story – for the first half of the movie, that is. The acting is a good as expected by the cast It's always a joy to see beautiful Hilary Dwyer (and a shame that she quit acting in the mid-70ies) and Sir Christopher and Lee Vincent Price together in one film is always an event. But in "The Oblong Box" it seems as if both actors didn't even get to meet on the set. Through the second part of the film, Lee and Price are degraded to nothing more than overpaid extras, the story shifts attention to Alister Williamson, the cursed Sir Edward Markham. Originally portrayed as a disfigured Hannibal Lector, Markham soon comes across as a mix between the "Elephant Man" and Hammer's "Phantom of the Opera". And here goes the spoiler, the warning and the let-down of the film: at the end, we finally get to see Markham without his mask. Behold … a horrible, potato-sized nose, looking about as frightening as one of the peasants in "Monty Phyton and the Holy Grail". Viewers nowadays will probably laugh, then reflect and ask themselves: "why did I sit through this in the first place"? Sure, if you've seen all other Hammer- / Amicus-styled films, you might well watch this one too – but it remains one of the weaker efforts and should only be watched by completists and true fans. It makes one wonder what Michael Reeves would have made of this otherwise intriguing tale.I'd give it 6 from 10 points.

Sir Julian Markham (Vincent Price) is an aristocrat of the late 19th century that keeps his disturbed brother Edward locked up in a tower of his manor; the man has been disfigured by natives in Africa when blamed for the accidental killing of a child. But Edward manages to escape and seeks revenge against Julian.Director Gordon Hessler -not a top one at all if you see his filmography- gets a sort of morbid and languid atmosphere and settings that help the picture; but too many turns and items in the plot (voo-doo, madness, revenge, killings, treason, body snatching, romance and else- sort of disperse the focus in the main events -to put it somehow- and the final product comes out just standard.Vincent Price and Cristopher Lee as a doctor that steals corpses for experiments are at their usual level and in some way save the picture (without them "The Oblong Box" would have been a complete failure).Perhaps the main flaw is the character of Edward that appears too light for a villain or monster and even lacks impact when his ruined face is shown at the end; in fact you feel sorry for the guy since he's not scary at all.Fans of Price, Lee and Gothic horror won't probably be disappointed but even then just one watch is enough. You always have the feeling that keeping the basic story and making it much more simpler would have made a good product in the genre; but it didn't come out that way.