Tower of Evil [Horror on Snape Island] * (1972, Bryant Haliday, Jill Haworth, Anna Palk, William Lucas, Mark Edwards, Dennis Price, Robin Askwith) – Classic Movie Review 9226

Writer-director Jim O’Connolly’s gory 1972 British slasher horror movie Tower of Evil is also known as Horror on Snape Island and as Beyond the Fog, and stars Bryant Halliday, Jill Howarth and Anna Palk.

The evil tower of the title is a lighthouse, home to the odd Gurney family, who are mysteriously involved in bloody murders involving ancient Phoenician rites. The helpful Italian title Perché il dio fenicio continua ad uccidere? translates as Why Does the Phoenician God Continue to Kill? However, the less helpful German title Der Turm der lebenden Leichen translates as Tower of the Living Corpses, though the film is zombie free.

The whole community seems peculiar to detective Brent (Bryant Haliday) and the archaeologists on the trail of the crazed killer. The Brent character was written in just before shooting when Bryant Haliday was brought in to star.

But the interesting ideas that this original story by George Baxt could have thrown up are lost in poor screen-writing, clumsy direction and melodramatic performances. However, it has survived its poor exploitation fodder reviews and reputation, and some horror fans now accept it as something of an underground classic.

The main cast are Bryant Haliday as Evan Brent, Jill Haworth as Rose Mason, Anna Palk as Nora Winthrop, William Lucas as Superintendent Hawk, Anthony Valentine as Dr Simpson, Jack Watson as Hamp Gurney, Mark Edwards as Adam, Derek Fowlds as Dan Winthrop, John Hamill as Gary, Gary Hamilton as Brom, Candace Glendenning as Penny Read, Seretta Wilson as Mae, Dennis Price as Laurence Bakewell, George Coulouris as John Gurney, Robin Askwith as Des, Frederic Abbott as Saul Gurney, Mark McBride as Michael Gurney and Marianne Stone as nurse.

The original UK cinema version was heavily cut by the BBFC. It was re-released as Beyond the Fog by Independent-International Pictures (1980) (US), a bid to use the success of John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980). The 2005 DVD is a re-edited print without censor cuts but with different scenes after print damage and some restoration.

Jill Haworth recalled: ‘I remember my character stumbles upon five dead bodies and I had to say with a straight face, “Oh the police aren’t going to like this” and the crew just kept laughing every time I said it.’

Frederic Abbott is dubbed by Stephen Lewis, Gary Hamilton is dubbed by Nicky Henson, Robin Askwith is dubbed, and John Hamill is dubbed. Dennis Price worked for only one day and George Coulouris worked for only two days.

Tales from the Crypt was shooting simultaneously so the films borrowed each other’s sets.

The film had only one day of location filming, otherwise it was entirely filmed at Shepperton Studios, Surrey. It was all shot in 30 days for $400,000.

It was released in Britain in a double bill with Hammer’s Demons of the Mind (1972) and in the US in a double bill with Death Race 2000 (1975).

Jim O’Connolly said George Baxt’s original script was rubbish and asked if he could do a rewrite, which producer Richard Gordon liked. As George Baxt’s original script was totally rewritten, his friend Sidney Hayers turned down the opportunity to direct and O’Connolly landed the job as director.

Stuntman Mark McBride was set ablaze while wearing a fire-retardant suit, but the heat nearly suffocated him and he passed out, but the crew rushed in and saved him. Thank goodness for CGI.

[Spoiler alert] Askwith recalled: ‘I ended up dead and naked of course in a lighthouse with a live crab attached to my right testicle.’ Askwith’s star role in producer Richard Gordon’s Horror Hospital (1973) was specially written for him after appearing in Tower of Evil.

RIP Yes Minister and Heartbeat star Derek Fowlds, who died on 17 January 2020, aged 82. He was Mr Derek in The Basil Brush Show TV series 1969-1973.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9226

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