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Thanks for the memories!

Crappy film

Absolutely Fantastic

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Brenda leaves Liverpool, telling her mum she's pregnant, and gets a job in a boutique in London. She moves in with Caroline, but her set shuns her, because of her plain looks. She kidnaps a young man's dog, so as to get to know him while returning it. The young man turns out to be a psychopath with a penchant for killing beautiful things. He renames Brenda, and they start a strange relationship.....On first viewing its so reminiscent of Collinsons' Up The Junction, the way it's filmed, and the attitude of supporting characters, and Brenda's personality, so its familiar ground, quite strangely comforting, when you watch the opening act.But then during the second act, its changes rapidly, with some wonderful editing and camera-work, it's as if someone has given the camera to Ken Russell and said, 'off you go Ken, give us Blow Up mixed with Vertigo'.For a Hammer movie, its miles away from anything you'd expect them to do. Its as if your watching Henry: Portrait Of A Kitchen Sink Killer, and just added the working class element into a thriller.The main character of Peter is interesting, but its so reminiscent of David Hemmings you cannot but help to compare it to Blow Up.Its a curioso piece, very psychedelic in nature, but just loses its way toward the end.

Just a couple of days ago, I narrated the Peter Pan fairytale to my five-year-old son before bedtime. Luckily I read him the sane and harmless Disney version, because this mentally depraved cult variation probably would have messed up his innocent little mind beyond repair… Just like his daddy's, yikes! We all know and worship the Hammer Studios for the outrageously vicious Grand Guignol horror movies they unleashed, but many people remain unaware that Hammer also produced several mysterious and experimental psycho-thrillers that don't feature their big stars, Victorian castle settings or entire buckets full of gore & bloodshed. The vast majority of these titles sadly ended up in obscurity, and that's a damn shame because most often these are extremely suspenseful, original and unorthodox thriller and/or film-noir beauties. "Straight on till Morning" is a terrific example of an atypical Hammer movie that nevertheless turned out to be a fascinating surprise and truly one of the most morbidly disturbing thrillers that I've seen in a very long time. It has to be said that the brief plot description here on the website is rather misleading. It says: "A timid, withdrawn woman meets a man she believes is finally the love of her life, unaware that he is a vicious serial killer". It makes you believe that this is a typical damsel-in-distress story, but the timid and withdrawn woman in question is actually quite troubled herself. Brenda Thompson lives with her meddlesome mother in Liverpool, but she dreams about meeting a handsome husband like the ones she describes in her self-written children's fairy tales. Brenda tells her mother that she's pregnant and heads off to London to find a father for her inexistent baby. In the swinging capital she tries hard to meet guys, but she's too obtrusive and desperate and it certainly also doesn't help that her much sexier roommate Caroline dives into bed with all of Brenda's potential boyfriends. One night Brenda kidnaps the hunky Peter's dog Tinkel, only to be able to bring him back the next day and properly makes his acquaintance. Peter knows what she did, but still offers Brenda to move into his house and live with him. He does insist that she changes her name to Wendy, and through previous flashbacks we also learned that he's a bit of a murderous psychopath.Admittedly the first half hour of "Straight on till Morning" is dull, confusing and very hard to struggle through. There's far too much experimental editing going on and the script extendedly introduces too many characters that aren't really relevant. However, if you manage to sit through this, you'll be rewarded with an otherwise uniquely twisted thriller, full of dark themes, misogynist undertones and so-called "kitchen sink" trademarks. There are several uncanny references towards the Peter Pan story (the names and the title, but little plot details as well) and the eventual explanation of why our hunky protagonist is killing is incredibly vile and disturbing. On a side note, it actually also reminded me of the excellent Nick Cave song "Where the Wild Roses Grow". The climax is literally breathtaking and hugely depressing. The film is undeniably a prototypic "life in London during the early 70's" product, illustrated through a cast full of bleak and unsympathetic characters and hideous clothes & hairstyles. Rita Tushingham gives a stellar performance, which I figure wasn't easy since she's supposed to be unattractive, naive and pitiable. Shane Briant is excellent as well, with a performance that is simultaneously menacing and miserable. And supportive babe Katya Wyeth, well… she's simply one of the most ravishing girls I've ever seen. Peter Collinson, who died way too young, did a great job as the director, although he should have cut some scenes towards the beginning.

I say it is one of the most memorable Hammer films for me because I remember watching this film as a child. However, I didn't know its title, the actors/actresses names nor remember that it was a Hammer film, only that it was a rather tragic tale of a plain girl seeking a partner.After a week or so searching via a movie guide book I stumbled upon the title and acquired the movie to watch it all over again.It is an early 1970s film and not one that I would associate with Hammer, but is very good. I think of it as a tragic tale really. The serial killer, Peter (Shane Briant) is obviously a deeply troubled individual bothered by things of beauty which he feels he must kill. The "Plain Jane" tells her mother she is pregnant and goes off to London to search for the man who can make her pregnant, she finds him in Peter unfortunately for her. She's infatuated with him and both live in a fantasy world.She kidnaps his dog in order to get to know him. In its time this film was quite different from all the other films I've seen and I suppose it still is. Shane Briant is a very good looking actor, extremely blonde and it is easy to see why "Wendy" would become besotted with him.The ending is very sad and the tape recordings disturbing. The ending was probably a necessity to the film but nevertheless had Peter not decided to play the tape to her the ending wouldn't have had to be the way it turned out.In short I found the film remains one of my most memorable childhood memories, but isn't in the usual Hammer Horror league. It's difference is what makes it unique.

Fans of bleak, late 60s/early 70s British cinema might enjoy this sadistic psycho-thriller -- probably the most atypical release from Hammer ever. Rita Tushingham stars as an empty-headed Liverpudlian who escapes from the claustrophobia of her mother's flat only to land in the arms of psychotic Shane Briant who has an ugliness fixation. The DVD release from Anchor Bay looks great although the mono sound is a bit muddled. Downbeat ending doesn't really deliver the goods and I can't tell if Rita's makeover is supposed to be deliberately funny or not. Opening 10 minutes are great but director Collinson abandons the film's earlier, psychedelic editing style once Tushingham and Briant hook up. Still worth catching for the 70s period costumes and sets.