Saturday 25 August 2007

The Sorcerers (1967)

The Sorcerers, made in 1967, was the second feature film directed by Michael Reeves, the wunderkind of British horror in the 1960s until his suicide in 1969 at the age of 25. . It stars Boris Karloff as an elderly scientist who invents a machine that allows the operator to experience the exact same sensations that someone else is experiencing. The scientist and his wife (a deliciously evil performance by Catherine Lacey) use a young man (a fine performance by Ian Ogilvy) as their test subject, but naturally things get out of hand.

The Sorcerers is not a horror film that relies on gore, rather it relies for its effect on its unblinking acceptance of the moral nihilism and cynicism of its characters. It’s also (despite a very low budget) a very stylish movie. The following year Reeves went on to make Witchfinder General, an even better movie.

No comments: