Assault [In the Devil’s Garden] ** (1971, Suzy Kendall, Frank Finlay, Freddie Jones, Lesley-Anne Down) – Classic Movie Review 8149

Director Sidney Hayers’s 1971 British mystery crime drama Assault [In the Devil’s Garden] stars Frank Finlay as Detective Chief Superintendent Velyan, who hunts for a serial rapist killer of young women in an English village. This competent thriller is fine in a routine sort of way and comes complete with Seventies-style brutality and a shock ending.

Suzy Kendall plays a young art schoolteacher risking her life by trying to flaunt herself to try to flush the killer out. There are plenty of ripe suspects, but most of the characters are cliches rather than characters, and the script has plenty of over-familiar elements too.

Lesley-Anne Down (aged 16) plays one of the schoolgirl victims. Also in the cast are Freddie Jones, James Laurenson, Tony Beckley, Anthony Ainley, Dilys Hamlett, Allan Cuthbertson, David Essex, James Cosmo, John Stone, Marianne Stone, Patrick Jordan, Tom Chatto, Kit Taylor, Jan Butlin, William Hoyland, John Swindells, Janet Lynn, Siobhan Quinlan, Valerie Shute and Jill Cary.

John Kruse’s screenplay is based on Kendal Young’s novel The Ravine.

Assault [In the Devil’s Garden] is directed by Sidney Hayers, runs 91 minutes, is made by George H Brown Productions, released by Rank, is written by John Kruse, based on Kendal Young’s novel The Ravine, is shot in Eastmancolor by Ken Hodges, is produced by Peter Rogers and George H Brown, is scored by Eric Rogers and is designed by Lionel Couch.

It is a real change of pace for Peter Rogers, who also produced the Carry On movies.

The film was edited to avoid an X rating for U S release.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8149

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