Based on the real life "Red Barn Murder" of 1827, which was something of a sensation at the time that led to a well-publicized trial / execution, popular stage plays and even merchandising of murder scene memorabilia (!), this also introduced film-goers to British (over)actor Tod Slaughter, who'd first made a name for himself playing villains on stage before transitioning over to quota quickies, starting with this low- budget effort.
In the small village of Polstead, naive farmer's daughter Maria Marten (Sophie Stewart) is torn between two men; Carlos (Eric Portman) and Squire William Corder (Slaughter). Though Carlos is a gentleman truly in love with Maria, he's also a poor gypsy with low social standing in the community. The Squire, on the other hand, is a respectable magistrate. Maria unwisely chooses the latter option, little realizing the type of guy she's really getting involved with. When she finds herself pregnant, Corder - who has racked up some major gambling debt - rejects her and instead plans to marry a socialite because he'll be getting a large dowry in the process. Maria's father (D.J. Williams) finds out about the pregnancy and kicks her out of the house, forcing her to turn to Corder for help. Instead, he lures her into a barn, shoots her and then buries her. Corder attempts to use Carlos as a scapegoat, but unfortunately he dropped the murder weapon into the grave with the body...
I read up on the real case before watching and this actually does seem to stick with the basic facts, though the motive and certain other details have been altered. The performances are pretty good (Slaughter only hams it up in a couple of isolated scenes) and it's well made; albeit entirely predictable. Instead of the usual medium static shots and long takes typical of most low budget films from this time, this surprisingly has a good number of close-ups shots, which are smoothly edited with the master shots. It's also noteworthy for being a bit seedier than what one would see in most Hollywood productions from the era. The heroine isn't some virginal innocent (though apparently she's depicted here as being much more wholesome than the real Maria), but this also has some dialogue ("You think I'd soil my hands with a common village slut?") that'll have you raising your eyebrows.
In the small village of Polstead, naive farmer's daughter Maria Marten (Sophie Stewart) is torn between two men; Carlos (Eric Portman) and Squire William Corder (Slaughter). Though Carlos is a gentleman truly in love with Maria, he's also a poor gypsy with low social standing in the community. The Squire, on the other hand, is a respectable magistrate. Maria unwisely chooses the latter option, little realizing the type of guy she's really getting involved with. When she finds herself pregnant, Corder - who has racked up some major gambling debt - rejects her and instead plans to marry a socialite because he'll be getting a large dowry in the process. Maria's father (D.J. Williams) finds out about the pregnancy and kicks her out of the house, forcing her to turn to Corder for help. Instead, he lures her into a barn, shoots her and then buries her. Corder attempts to use Carlos as a scapegoat, but unfortunately he dropped the murder weapon into the grave with the body...
I read up on the real case before watching and this actually does seem to stick with the basic facts, though the motive and certain other details have been altered. The performances are pretty good (Slaughter only hams it up in a couple of isolated scenes) and it's well made; albeit entirely predictable. Instead of the usual medium static shots and long takes typical of most low budget films from this time, this surprisingly has a good number of close-ups shots, which are smoothly edited with the master shots. It's also noteworthy for being a bit seedier than what one would see in most Hollywood productions from the era. The heroine isn't some virginal innocent (though apparently she's depicted here as being much more wholesome than the real Maria), but this also has some dialogue ("You think I'd soil my hands with a common village slut?") that'll have you raising your eyebrows.