terrible... so disappointed.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

An affable psychopath in post-war Britain suckers in his down-at-heel acquaintances to liquidate them in acid and release ready funds. Will he be caught? Lovely Poirot-style production, with oodles of acting quality. No great psychological insight, but at least the moral brigade is kept at bay and the natural horror seeps through the period atmosphere.It refuses to creepify in the acid bath scenes - the last victim might have breathed in then gurgled out a great bubble of blood, but no - so a gentle horror, which was fine by me. I still took pleasure in the pace and performances, the setting and sound.Overall, nicely judged and a good surprise.

Martin Clunes plays with relish the real life Acid Bath murderer, John George Haigh in made for television film.Haigh was a fraudster who came from a strict religious upbringing. He turned to murder supposedly on the premise that if they cannot find a body you cannot be charged for murder. Something he was wrong about.Presumably his motive was money because as an inventor and gamble he was not much cop. He did well with fast cars, women and being charming. He was also handy with an acid bath where he would dump the murdered corpses which in time would dissolve.The film looks very nice but its ultimately shallow like a lot of ITV drama films that rely on its star and the production design rather than depth in its screenplay.We know very little why he killed. Was it an addiction? Haigh also killed several strangers a crime he confessed to after his arrest.A decent enough drama but it amounts to being just average.

Martin Clunes is really quite excellent as John George Haigh, the notorious "acid bath murderer", a post-WWII serial killer in London who dissolved those he offed (for money) in barrels full of sulphuric acid, pouring the resulting gloop down the drain! TAGGART creator Chandler's fine script is done justice by Bradbeer, who uses the TV movie look to good effect, capturing the musty, dusty world in which this ghoulishness took place. Fine period detail too, one minor anachronism being NOSFERATU at the theatre (it was not re-issued in the 40's as far as i know). With Keeley Hawes, Richard Hope and Celia Imrie. It was the middle entry in a true-crime trilogy penned by Chandler, following THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF WILLIAM PALMER, and followed by THE BRIDES IN THE BATH.movie reviews @ spinegrinderweb.com

A highly entertaining telling of a real life drama about a glamourous British serial killer. Not the most likely subject to tempt an audience but the production was put together with great attention to detail, perfectly capturing Britain in the 1940's, the props, clothes, cars and atmosphere all seeming perfectly genuine. Martin Clunes was superb as Haigh and the supporting cast all played their parts wonderfully well too. A rather unusual subject portrayed with a balanced perspective and having read accounts of the events surrounding Haigh I thought it was a great visualisation of the words I had read. Very interesting indeed.