CRAZE (1973)

"CHUKU IS A GENEROUS GOD.  JUST LIKE IN AFRICA, UNDER HIS PROTECTION WE WILL GROW RICH."

  Funny thing about this movie.  I've had it, I think, two times on two of those "whole buncha movies in one cheapo box set" collections but never watched it.  Well, I did try to watch it once but the print was so godawful I shut it off after a coupla minutes as unwatchable.  Which was a shame because it's directed by maestro Freddie Francis and produced by teenage monster maven Herman Cohen and stars not only Jack Palance but a buncha awesome British character actors I love.  But no, I never did watch it.  Until holding off PAID off when just last month, Vinegar Syndrome released it in a sparkling, beautiful print in their CRUEL BRITANNIA box set!  Sometimes patience pays since there was no way I was gonna enjoy it in previous awful prints.  So, how did my long wait turn out when I finally watched CRAZE???  Oh and Tait Raiting 2:44, incidentally. . .

Neal Mottram (Jack Palance) owns an antique shop in the heart of London.  He also conducts a coven in the basement.  The coven worships African god Chuku, who requires a bit of blood sacrifice occasionally.  A woman coven member gets sky clad and shimmies up to the Chuku statue.  She's wearing more makeup than Tammy Faye.  She draws a dagger (or should I say athame) across her tum-tum and there's some blood for Chuku.  When the coven disperses, I assume, to the nearest Wimpy's, a former coven member rushes in and demands the Chuku statue for herself.  In a struggle, frustrated coven head Muriel Sharp (the magnificent Kathleen Byron) falls into the Wolverine claws on the Chuku statue and snuffs it.  Yeah, I was disappointed too because I love Kathleen Byron (the crazy nun from BLACK NARCISSUS) and she's in this film for about a hot minute and no more.  Ah well, there's a bigger blood sacrifice for Chuku.  Mottram is in debt up to his ears but, after Muriel's bloody death, he discovers a hidden drawer which contains a butt ton of gold coins.  This will pay off everybody!  I'll give you three guesses what idea this puts into Jack Palance's head.

So yeah, this is a British film set in London in 1973 -- one of the best years ever PARTICULARLY when depicted in a horror movie -- and we get to see the town in all it's no-longer-swinging, hung-over glory.  It's a similar vibe as that of DRACULA A.D. 1972 which, of course, I love.  Swinging London has come to an almost complete stop and is now deliciously going to seed.  Neon street signs at night,  Red-walled club bar with a jukebox playing early 70's rock that has foreshadowing lyrics like "Get out while you've got the chance, girl!"  I mean Jeez, am I in heaven or what?!?!?  Oh wait, I am!  Because there's more marvelous horror-veteran Brits in this movie every scene change.  Julie Ege (THE MUTATIONS, LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES, THE FINAL PROGRAMME),

Diana Dors (FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE, THEATRE OF BLOOD, CHILDREN OF THE FULL MOON), Suzy Kendall (BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMMAGE, TORSO, CIRCUS OF FEAR), David Warbeck (THE BEYOND, THE BLACK CAT, TWINS OF EVIL), Michael Jayston (The Valeyard in DOCTOR WHO:  TRIAL OF A TIME LORD), Frank Forsyth (DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, CARRY ON SCREAMING), Martin Potter (SATAN'S SLAVE, DOCTOR WHO: TERMINUS), 
Dame Edith Evans (THE QUEEN OF SPADES, THE WHISPERERS),   Hugh Griffith (THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, CRY OF THE BANSHEE) and the great Trevor Howard (THE DEADLY GAME, GREEN FOR DANGER, I SEE A DARK STRANGER).  I mean, is this the greatest horror movie ever made or what?!?!  Well no, not by a long chalk.  Of course, it's not.  Is it however entertaining and diverting and a good enough horror movie featuring a nutty Jack Palance knocking off women as blood-sacrifices to his African god?  Well, yeah it is. 

Besides all these fine British character actors (who, in my mind, can do no wrong), there's also the utter watchability of Jack Palance doing what he does best; just being Jack Palance.  I mean, at one point, Palance kisses Diana Dors' left boob at her front door right before he plies her with a bottle of drugged cherry brandy.  I mean, this is the kind of thing one would think Palance and Dors had to agree to beforehand but, knowing both of these actors, it could've been ad-libbed for all we know.  Another scene features Palance wearing a horrifying mask which made me think of a similar mask worn by the guy who's terrorizing Judith Evelyn in THE TINGLER!  Palance sure seems to be having a lot of fun; he spends most of the movie grinning like the Cheshire Cat as he leaves the police in the dust and carries on with his homicidal killing spree!  CRAZE is fine for what it is.  And as I say, it has enough great settings and character actors to make every minute interesting.  An OK time waster.