Dir: Michael Reeves | Cast: Boris Karloff, Elizabeth Ercy, Catherine Lacey, Ian Ogilvy, Susan George | UK Horror
Among films over which the Grim Reaper casts a long shadow pride of place must surely go to Michael Reeves’ The Sorcerers whose elderly star and young director died within two years of its opening and within nine days of each other (while Victor Henry suffered a fate worse than death after being paralysed in a street accident.
Reeves’ nihilistic vision paints a very bleak view of human nature (tempered with odd touches of black humour as when Ian Ogilvy takes a swig of Coca-Cola whereupon Karloff grimaces and splutters “Urggh, horrible stuff!!”); while in a reversal of older peoples’ fear of the capacity of violence on the part of youngsters here it’s the kids that are exploited by a pair of delinquent pensioners, particularly an elderly speed freak who discovers the vicarious thrill of “Intoxication with no hangover, ecstasy with no consequence!”@RichardChatten
NOW ON GOOGLEPLAY