How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Spoilers, perhaps.What I found to be quite off-putting was the incestuous relationships of the cousins. All the male cousins dated Carol Lynley at one time in the past and Olivia Hussey and Honor Blackman have a homo-erotic type relationship as well, with Olivia playing the lipstick lesbian and Honor the butch. And no one even bats an eye about it all. Now I've never been to Britain but I can't imagine the single's pool is so dry one has to give a cousin a call.This film is a remake of an old stage play and it clearly has the stage setting: one location and an assortment of characters spending the entire evening there. Descendents of Cyrus West (Hyde-White) gather at his estate twenty years after his death to hear his will read by none other than Mr. West himself. Cyrus recorded himself before his death so he could call all his descendants a bunch of lecherous bastards--which he does often. One of the six relatives gathered at the house will inherit his fortune but if said individual doesn't survive the night or is deemed insane, everything goes to the next in line, who Cyrus will reveal in the morning.The plot thickens when a doctor from an insane asylum (Fox) visits warning the relatives of a homicidal maniac who believes himself a cat on the prowl. When Carol Lynley is awarded the inheritance, relatives become quite charming towards her again but all could be plotting her demise. But with the maniac hiding out inside the mansion, they may not have to plot too heavily for the cat-man may make Miss Lynley's evening her last.STORY: $$ (I fail to see why this stageplay was made for the screen as many times as it was. The entire twist ending is all but revealed when the insane asylum doctor shows up to issue his warning. He knows far too much about Cyrus' descendants than a person should. It doesn't take a seasoned mystery buff to pick up on the fact he is more than he lets on. Also the "kissing cousins" thing was off-putting and the attempts at comedy seemed too forced. They seemed like perfect antics for Bob Hope (who starred in the 1939 version) and not these actors).ACTING: $$$$ (The acting is top notch even if the screenplay isn't. Everyone does a fine job. I thoroughly enjoyed the cameo of Wilfird Hyde-White as the eccentric Cyrus West. He belittles his relatives from beyond the grave, calling them all leeches. Carol Lynley is in fine form as winner of the inheritance. Michael Callan does a good job as the only descendant of Cyrus who isn't a fixture in the papers. Wendy Hiller, as Cyrus' lawyer, was difficult to understand at times given her thick British accent. Olivia Hussey is marvelous as the aloof descendant who plays the doe-eyed dame bit perfectly. And Peter McEnery shines as Charlie the pseudo war hero. Seems he trumped up his war record to impress ol' Cyrus).NUDITY: None. There is plenty titillation however. Carol Lynley in her lowcut nighty, showing off as much cleavage as modesty will allow. There is also a homo-erotic lesbian scene when Honor rubs down Olivia Hussey in bed. They may not be kissing cousins but they sure are touch-and-rub-in-your-nighty cousins).

What an odd film. A few decent chuckles, a few wonderful camera tricks, but far too much chitchat and a very nasty sadistic tinge.The "old dark house" thriller idea is hardly given any new energy, and the thunder sound effects often swamp the dialogue, making some sequences a challenge to endure. I agree with other reviewers that this feels like a 70s version of the 30s, with the same costume/lighting ideas as many of the 70s Agatha Christie adaptations (and Olivia Hussey in the cast).Wilfred Hyde White is great fun from beyond the grave, and a special word for the wonderful sequence where the usually glorious (but here slightly subdued) Beatrix Lehmann walks behind his projection screen, appears on screen, then emerges from behind the other side. Also, a very effective sequence where Ms Lehmann talks about her late employer with her face reflected in his photo.Far too many characters I found it hard to care about, all written in very poor, sub-Cluedo dialogue. Even Honor Blackman struggles with the poor material she is given. Some sequences are, frankly, silly. Edward Fox leaps through a window instead of knocking on the door. After relating the saga of the escaped loony, Mr Fox instructs everyone to lock up the house and hide in their rooms; this comes despite his having rendered the house insecure by destroying the lounge window. There is a nasty tinge of sadistic enjoyment to the final sequences, where the barking mad murderer is cornered in his lair. As much of the rest of the film tries (and very occasionally succeeds) in being light-hearted, the unpleasant conclusion, followed by a twee little "happily ever after" coda, seems at odds with the film's intentions. Very uneven and unsure of whether to laugh or scream, this really isn't very good.

This old theatrical warhorse gets another outing in what is (to date) the only colour version of a classic play.There are some pleasantly swish performances from a good cast and neat direction from Metzger. Film takes a while to get going but the last reel packs in the action.Wilfred Hyde-White's appearance on film is a nice touch and he even gets to "host" the end credits. But the best moment is Edward Fox's spectacular entrance and his scene-stealing thereafter : a moment to treasure, especially his delivery of the line "We're just up the road"! (It'll make sense when you watch it).

While most noted for his adult films, Radley Metzger proved he's not limited to the ol' in-and-out with this fourth remake of the oft-filmed reading-of-the-will format play. The plot is fairly typical stuff (a bunch of heirs, a will with loads of cash to be handed down, a history of insanity in the family), but a good cast, some clever plot twists and Metzger's usual adept hand at visual imagery (check out the shot where the maid recites a monologue through the reflection on a picture of the old man) make this a welcome change of pace to the dreary and remarkably similar Agatha Christie murder mysteries of the same time period.