Craze ** (1974, Jack Palance, Diana Dors, Julie Ege, Edith Evans, Hugh Griffith, Trevor Howard, Michael Jayston, Suzy Kendall, Martin Potter) – Classic Movie Review 8616

Director Freddie Francis’s 1974 British horror movie Craze [The Infernal Idol] stars Jack Palance, Diana Dors, Julie Ege, Edith Evans, Hugh Griffith, Trevor Howard, Michael Jayston, Suzy Kendall, and Martin Potter. The admirable American import Palance may be the above-title star, but most Brits would find the home-grown talent the film’s main attraction.

Chuku the hungry idol demands human sacrifices, so crazy antiques dealer Neal Mottram (Jack Palance) offers up a number of winsome women as sacrifice to the African idol, in this daft horror story that is low on the thrills, wit, style and humour it needs to make it entertainingly palatable.

There is a remarkably classy cast for such a schlocky chiller: Jack Palance is engagingly boisterous and some of the other actors amusingly send it all up. Edith Evans plays Palance’s nice auntie, Aunt Louise Nash, whom he also targets as a victim, finally prompting cops Superintendent Bellamy and Detective Sergeant Wall (Trevor Howard and Michael Jayston) to act. Julie Ege’s Helena and Suzy Kendall’s Sally are among the dead. Diana Dors is very welcome as Dolly Newman and Martin Potter has a notable role as Ronnie.

The screenplay by Kenneth Langtry and producer Herman Cohen is based on Henry Seymour’s novel Infernal Idol.

Also in the cast are Percy Herbert, Kathleen Byron, David Warbeck, Marianne Stone, Dean Harris, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Frank Forsyth, Guy Standeven and Venicia Day.

Craze [The Infernal Idol] is directed by Freddie Francis, runs 96 minutes, is made by Harbour Productions, is released by Warner Bros (1974) (US) and EMI (UK), is written by Aben Kandel (aka Kenneth Langtry) and Herman Cohen, based on Henry Seymour’s novel Infernal Idol, is shot in Technicolor by John Wilcox, is produced by Gustave M Berne (executive producer) and Herman Cohen (producer) and is scored by John Scott, with Art Direction by George Provis.

It is the last script by Aben Kandel (1897–1993), who also wrote Berserk, Trog, Konga and I Was a Teenage Werewolf.

Howard’s cameo was filmed in a day.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8616

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Martin Potter has a notable role as Ronnie in Craze.