Dank, dark and wintry, smokey coffee bars and brylcreem (yet again)a portrayal of an intelligent sex killer in the 1950's (Corbett - simply labelled 'the man'). Spencer Teakle plays 'Johnny' the effeminate and strange chap who helps the police provide Corbett's nemesis in this thriller.
A killer leaves ladies he's killed/killing in the pose from the cover of a glamour magazine called 'Wow!' which just happens to be owned by the strange Johnny (he could've been a candidate for a psycho methinks, a brilliant twist never mind). The killer gets more and more twisted in his vow to carry on his 'crusade' against sex and women who are involved in such a thing (that's right, he's one of them). This guy disguises himself in pebble glasses and a wig so bad that it looks like one of Frankie Howerd's rejects.
Johnny's girlfriend, June, volunteers to be used as bait one time, that almost goes pear-shaped when 'the man' has set the police up with a chap resembling himself, cleverly, after posing as a film agent and 'recruiting' an 'actor' to dress up 'like him' and go to the very place for an audition of a weirdo - just so the police arrest the wrong man and put him off the scent. Another time, the crazed killer actually goes to the police in another guise or his normal one to give them a statement of who he thinks the man is.
This is a neat little thriller, with a fairly even plot and Corbett as the interestingly intelligent yet ultimately twisted killer. Especially interesting as many say, to see Corbett playing a straight role, without too many of us thinking he's going to break into 'you dirty old man' at any minute. There are some strange touches, especially with the two police officers in the case wanting a brew-up wherever they go and their interaction with the stranger Teakle (I'm trying to work out if he was actually working as an actor - other roles may have to be seen if they can, of his). Definitely one I had to add to the collection.
A killer leaves ladies he's killed/killing in the pose from the cover of a glamour magazine called 'Wow!' which just happens to be owned by the strange Johnny (he could've been a candidate for a psycho methinks, a brilliant twist never mind). The killer gets more and more twisted in his vow to carry on his 'crusade' against sex and women who are involved in such a thing (that's right, he's one of them). This guy disguises himself in pebble glasses and a wig so bad that it looks like one of Frankie Howerd's rejects.
Johnny's girlfriend, June, volunteers to be used as bait one time, that almost goes pear-shaped when 'the man' has set the police up with a chap resembling himself, cleverly, after posing as a film agent and 'recruiting' an 'actor' to dress up 'like him' and go to the very place for an audition of a weirdo - just so the police arrest the wrong man and put him off the scent. Another time, the crazed killer actually goes to the police in another guise or his normal one to give them a statement of who he thinks the man is.
This is a neat little thriller, with a fairly even plot and Corbett as the interestingly intelligent yet ultimately twisted killer. Especially interesting as many say, to see Corbett playing a straight role, without too many of us thinking he's going to break into 'you dirty old man' at any minute. There are some strange touches, especially with the two police officers in the case wanting a brew-up wherever they go and their interaction with the stranger Teakle (I'm trying to work out if he was actually working as an actor - other roles may have to be seen if they can, of his). Definitely one I had to add to the collection.