'70s psychological thriller The Graveyard starts off in fine demented form with young lad David Masters (Mark Weavers) drowning cat Sheba in a bowl of milk, believing that his mother Carrie (Lana Turner) loves the moggie more than him. Years later, and the now grown-up David (Ralph Bates) is still living in his mother's home, along with his wife Janie (Suzan Farmer) and their newborn son Paul. Carrie makes no secret of her dislike for Janie, creating tension in the house, but things get a lot worse when Carrie's cat (the latest in a long line of Shebas) suffocates infant Paul, causing Janie to spiral into depression.
What follows is an incredibly warped tale of bitterness, jealousy, revenge, blackmail, murder, infidelity, and insanity, with Turner's character proving to be a very nasty piece of work indeed. Her Machiavellian scheming gets out of hand when she hires sexy nurse Monique (Olga Georges-Picot), ostensibly to care for Janie, but secretly to seduce David; when Janie discovers her husband in bed with the nurse (having been led there by Carrie), she trips and falls down the stairs to her death. This causes David to wig out and take revenge on his mother, leading to a very fitting fate for the devious woman.
Turner is great in her Bette Davis/Joan Crawford-esque role, and the always enjoyable Bates gives able support as the son pushed over the edge by his cruel mother. Farmer isn't given much to do as his doomed wife, but Olga Georges-Picot is far more interesting (and alluring) as the conflicted home-help who realises too late just how wicked her employer is. While director Don Chaffey's deliberate pace might prove a little slow for some, I found it perfect for this twisted tale of gradual descent into madness and murder, and I just loved the bizarre ending, like something out of an old E.C. horror comic (again, not for everyone, but it'll appeal to those who relish the absurd).
7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
What follows is an incredibly warped tale of bitterness, jealousy, revenge, blackmail, murder, infidelity, and insanity, with Turner's character proving to be a very nasty piece of work indeed. Her Machiavellian scheming gets out of hand when she hires sexy nurse Monique (Olga Georges-Picot), ostensibly to care for Janie, but secretly to seduce David; when Janie discovers her husband in bed with the nurse (having been led there by Carrie), she trips and falls down the stairs to her death. This causes David to wig out and take revenge on his mother, leading to a very fitting fate for the devious woman.
Turner is great in her Bette Davis/Joan Crawford-esque role, and the always enjoyable Bates gives able support as the son pushed over the edge by his cruel mother. Farmer isn't given much to do as his doomed wife, but Olga Georges-Picot is far more interesting (and alluring) as the conflicted home-help who realises too late just how wicked her employer is. While director Don Chaffey's deliberate pace might prove a little slow for some, I found it perfect for this twisted tale of gradual descent into madness and murder, and I just loved the bizarre ending, like something out of an old E.C. horror comic (again, not for everyone, but it'll appeal to those who relish the absurd).
7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.