Horror fanatics should be able to appreciate the film "Tower of Evil" from producer Richard Gordon and screenwriter / director Jim O'Connolly; it's as good - well, maybe not "good", but certainly it's as much fun - as a midnight movie can get. It gets a lot out of its main location, a gloomy looking island off the British coast where a sailor is butchered by a naked American tourist who's clearly gone mad; other dead bodies are found, and the police assume the tourist did it...but others aren't so sure, and when ancient Phoenician treasure is also found on the island, an expedition is launched not only to find out what the big mystery is, but naturally to obtain more treasure.
Yup, this is agreeable "late show" horror with a strong adventure quotient. O'Connolly and a talented crew create tons of atmosphere right from the get-go, as well as a fair bit of suspense. Moreover, some horror fans will especially dig this for being on the trashier side of things, with a dose of nudity - female and male - and some juicy gore.
A capable group of actors does their best with the material, and it certainly doesn't hurt at all that all of the ladies present are real lookers - Jill Haworth as Rose, Anna Palk as Nora, Candace Glendenning as Penny, and Seretta Wilson as Mae. Bryant Haliday of "Curse of the Voodoo" and "The Projected Man" fares well as stoic hero Evan Brent, and William Lucas, Anthony Valentine, Jack Watson, Mark Edwards, Derek Fowlds, Dennis Price, George Coulouris, and Robin Askwith (of various "Confessions" comedies) round out the cast.
Things build and build until a very well done reveal of our murderous antagonist, and a fiery finale that brings the house down - literally. The screenplay itself isn't anything special, but it's what O'Connolly and everybody else involved does with it that matters. Those cave sets are especially impressive. All in all, this is well worth seeking out for horror lovers, and it deserves to be better known.
Seven out of 10.
Yup, this is agreeable "late show" horror with a strong adventure quotient. O'Connolly and a talented crew create tons of atmosphere right from the get-go, as well as a fair bit of suspense. Moreover, some horror fans will especially dig this for being on the trashier side of things, with a dose of nudity - female and male - and some juicy gore.
A capable group of actors does their best with the material, and it certainly doesn't hurt at all that all of the ladies present are real lookers - Jill Haworth as Rose, Anna Palk as Nora, Candace Glendenning as Penny, and Seretta Wilson as Mae. Bryant Haliday of "Curse of the Voodoo" and "The Projected Man" fares well as stoic hero Evan Brent, and William Lucas, Anthony Valentine, Jack Watson, Mark Edwards, Derek Fowlds, Dennis Price, George Coulouris, and Robin Askwith (of various "Confessions" comedies) round out the cast.
Things build and build until a very well done reveal of our murderous antagonist, and a fiery finale that brings the house down - literally. The screenplay itself isn't anything special, but it's what O'Connolly and everybody else involved does with it that matters. Those cave sets are especially impressive. All in all, this is well worth seeking out for horror lovers, and it deserves to be better known.
Seven out of 10.