SIEGE OF TERROR (1968)-The date given for this film is usually 1972, but while watching it, it's obviously late sixties. The color of the film stock, the fashions, cars and a dead give away is a scene filmed on 42nd street, there is a film marquee playing ROSEMARY'S BABY. The final word comes as the end credits role and a date of 1968 is given. The film opens in an arty farty style as a woman accidentally shoots her lover. Freeze frames and quick editing cuts makes you realize early on, this film is trying to hide the fact that it is nothing more than a series of cliches. Her physician husband shows up, cleans up the mess and they both high tail it to Miami. Once there, she's on the brink of a nervous breakdown, so her husband (a famous neurosurgeon and lecturer) tries and keep her in isolation, but she insists her lover Nick is still alive and haunting her. Tony Kendall plays a detective that notices her distress and being the hound dog he is, gives her the once over and eyes her as a future conquest. She used to be a stripper and Nick was her pimp. They decide to let her seduce the good doctor so they can kill him and inherit his money. He discovers their plan and comes up with a scheme of his own to use his scientific theories on brainwashing to turn the tables.
This was directed by Luis Marquina who got his start in the late 30s. It was his next to last film and he brings nothing special to it. The choppy beginning soon leads to such scenes as driving around Miami for 10 minutes or being on an air boat rampaging through the everglades. Carlo Savina contributes a score that consists of previously used tracks from much better films. Because the film was made in the late 60s, there is no nudity and violence is held to a minimum. Yet another thriller that owes a lot to DIABOLIQUE, this was made just as Umberto Lenzi was starting to crank out films of a similar ilk with Caroll Baker. They even introduce an LSD sequence that's laughable as Hell. It seems Kendall ended up with a bottle of pills that belonged to the former stripper. When Kendall's girlfriend becomes upset because he's spending so much time with the good doctor's wife, Kendall decides to give his girlfriend a pill from the bottle. Now, these are marked as a tranquilizer and the girlfriend's dad, who is also doctor, says go ahead, give my daughter this pill from a stranger's prescription. Turns out to be LSD instead, can you say medical malpractice! The lead actress Libertad Leblanc was an Argentinian actress who was a rival to Isabel Sarli (Sarli however had 2 big advantages over her if you know what I mean). She is mainly known here for the films, THE PINK PUSSY: WHERE SIN LIVES (1964) and THE POSSESSED WOMAN (1968) which stole the hammering mask sequence from Bava's THE MASK OF SATAN. Tony Kendall plays his usual part, a guy who has trouble keeping it in his pants whenever he meets a beautiful woman. In a nice twist, his ass gets saved by a woman this time instead of the other way around. As a summary of this film's style, wit, and overall direction, imagine a scene where you are in an elevator and you watch it go up 18 floors. One more thing, don't miss the cameo by a very famous TV star of the sixties. Here's a hint, he isn't human!
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