ridiculous rating

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Night of The Eagle (based on Fritz Leiber's splendid novel Conjure Wife) would have been a classic with just a little more restraint; as such its last hour is almost a total pitch into non-stop horror, to the extent that it becomes a little overbearing and almost spoils the many superb horror set-pieces.Peter Wyngarde (yayy - it's Jason King!!!) plays a lecturer at a small town college whose relentless dismissal of the supernatural - even scrawling "I Do Not Believe" on the blackboard during one of his lectures - comes to seem extremely foolish after he burns all his wife's voodoo protections. On some subconscious level Tansy has come to suspect her husband is in danger, and of course, she is right.This is a movie that can be viewed as a close companion to Night Of The Demon, in that both films show a rigidly disbelieving academic forced to confront the idea that there ARE more things on earth than are dreamt of in their philosophies. Demon is a superior film, but Wyngarde and Janet Blair are far better in their roles than Dana Andrews and Peggy Cummins were in that movie.There are some brilliantly terrifying scenes to enjoy - the Monkey's Paw style THING that wants ingress while one of Wyngarde's lectures plays on tape, the possession scene, and of course, the eagle itself. Wyngarde unknowingly removes the "Not" from his earlier blackboard pronouncement while menaced by the giant creature. A great little touch.One must give a mention to Margaret Johnston's terrifically vindictive performance. She almost steals the film from the leads, and, again comparing it to Demon, is as good as Niall McGuinness was as the warlock in that movie. With just a little bit more finesse this could have been an all-time classic. As it is it's still a very good and worthwhile movie.

Sidney Hayers directed this British adaptation of the Fritz Leiber novel(previously filmed as "Weird Woman" with Lon Chaney Jr.) that stars Peter Wyngarde as a skeptical college professor who is disdainful of anything supernatural or magic, who is shocked to learn that his wife Tansy(played by Janet Blair) is a practicing witch! She insists that it is because of her good magic that he has proved so successful, but he scoffs and destroys her protective charms; strangely, his luck takes a distinct turn for the worse as a result, as it is also obvious that someone else is targeting them with bad magic as well... Good cast in this moderately interesting thriller that does become somewhat too talky, but still mostly works, with exciting ending.

There is something irresistible about older British horror films. Here is one of them. While surfing through NetFlix last night, I ran across this little gem from 1962. The title rang a bell in my memory and I queued it. I became intrigued by the premise and stayed with the film to its exciting ending. Horror film fans who love creepiness at its low key but effective best will find this movie a jewel. It certainly provides a unique insight into academic tenure. The story and acting are great. Admittedly, the film is somewhat dated. It has few special effects. It is nonetheless highly recommended. It still carries a psychological wallop. Enjoy this minor fright classic.

Well this IS a surprise. I recently picked this up online for a song, mainly because i am a Fritz Leiber fan and wanted to see how his classic tale "conjure wife" translated onto film. Well i was very pleasantly surprised, Peter Wyngarde (Jason King, Dept S, he of the heroic sideburns) plays a resolutely logical psychology (Spoiler) professor who discovers his domestic goddess wife is in fact a practising witch, in an attempt to persuade her that all this witchcraft gubbins is nonsense he burns all her herbs, talismans and dried spiders!!!, and then the weirdness starts..... In the wrong hands this would have been a slice of high campness but in the highly competent hands of Sidney Hayers this becomes a taut, effective thrilling tale. A great atmosphere, moodily shot in B&W with some effective set pieces helps to elevate this pic into the rarified atmosphere, of the Haunting and village of the damned, full marks to Wyngarde for playing this straight, his scene in the college when he confronts the OTHER campus witch is a particular favourite. If you haven't come across this before then give it a whirl, goes to show that you don't need CGI or special effects to send a shiver down the spine.....splendid stuff indeed.