Dark Places (1973 film)

After the previous owner Andrew Marr dies, Edward Foster inherits his mansion. Despite attempts to scare him out of the house, that is rumoured to be haunted, he decides to renovate and inhabit it.

Unbeknownst to him, Marr’s former physician Dr Ian Mandeville and his sister Sarah compete with solicitor Prescott in trying to locate two suitcases of money rumoured to be hidden on the large estate, that he hopes to claim for himself.

Edward, later revealed to have been recently released from an asylum, soon starts hearing voices and begins to have flashbacks of the life of Andrew Marr, slowly witnessing the latter’s marriage to his mentally unstable wife Victoria fall apart. Andrew had planned to leave her for the younger and more attractive governess Alta. In desperation Victoria had encouraged the two equally psychotic children to murder the governess whilst she attempted to seduce Andrew in the bedroom. Hearing the children murder Alta, Andrew strangled his wife and killed the children with a sword before bricking all four corpses up behind a wall with the two cases of money.

Edward, driven mad by the constant flashbacks and unable to distinguish between himself and Andrew, accidentally strangles Sarah while experiencing the murder of Andrew’s wife. He kills Dr Mandeville with a pick axe and attempts to kill Prescott before being arrested and led away by police, who also seize the money.

• Christopher Lee - Doctor Ian Mandeville
• Joan Collins - Sarah Mandeville
• Herbert Lom - Prescott
• Jane Birkin - Alta
• Robert Hardy - Edward Foster / Andrew Marr
• Jean Marsh - Victoria
• Carleton Hobbs - Old Marr
• Roy Evans - Baxter
• Martin Boddey - Sgt. Riley
• John Glyn-Jones - Bank Manager
• John Levene - Doctor
• Jennifer Thanisch - Jessica
• Michael McVey - Francis
• Barry Linehan - Asylum Gatekeeper

Don Sharp was under contract to a studio at the time, Scotia, who loaned him out to make this film. He said "apart from one slow sequence" near the beginning, the movie "had some super stuff". Sharp said it was "a very strange production all the way through" in part because producer James Hannah was eccentric. "Nobody could figure out why he was making a movie," recalled Sharp, who said there were rumours the film was being made as a tax loss.[3]

The film was shot towards the end of 1972 at an old asylum near Uxbridge.[3] Christopher Lee recalled, "it was a fascinating, very clever story, a fantasy. It was shot in a house not far from Pinewood Studios: a house empty and abandoned, water dripping down the walls, no proper plumbing, no heating. Thoroughly uncomfortable film to make."[4] He clarified, the location "was perfect casting, for Robert Hardy’s house was supposed to be in a similar state." Lee added, "I don’t think the film was very successful, but I rather liked it; a great cast-and director, and an interesting, if a bit convoluted, story." He enjoyed working with Herbert Lom ("great to work with") and Joan Collins ("a real pro"). [5]

It was one of a series of horror and psychological thrillers Collins made in the 1970s in England. "I became known by the British press as Queen of the Horror Films — a title I didn't particularly relish," wrote Collins later. "But I was resilient. A survivor. I considered myself lucky to be working so much after such a long period away from the British screen, particularly since I was well into my thirties. "[6]

There were delays in releasing the film. "There were rumours it had disappeared," said Sharp, who said twenty years after filming was completed he started receiving cheques from the film being sold to cable in Switzerland.[3]

The Los Angeles Times calls it "implausible but rather enjoyable."[8]

TV Guide awarded the film 1/5 stars, calling it 'mediocre in all respects'.[9] Dave Sindelar from Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings gave the film a negative review, criticizing the film's "sluggish" pacing, repetition, and final act. Sindelar did however, commend the film's performances.[10]

• Dark Places at AllMovie
• Dark Places at IMDb
• Dark Places at Rotten Tomatoes