Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Absolutely Fantastic

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I would say that, after seeing all Peter Collinson's movies, he was a sort of British Dario Argento, if you consider some of his movies. Except concerning the pictorial aspect. But for the overall schemes of some of his movies, he reminds me Argento very much. Think of PENTHOUSE, STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING, OPEN SEASON, SPIRAL STAIRCASE, FRIGHT, and from my point of view, you find many elements in common with Argento. This movie is fairly done, and the closest to Giallo genre for me, even if this scheme of the baby sitter threatened by a vicious killer has been told hundred of times before and after; in movies and TV episodes too. I will finish by saying that the poor Susan George had a bad year 1971, a difficult one, with features such as STRAW DOGS and FRIGHT to act in. And maybe some others too. I am sure that the producers and directors may have chosen her for dozens of screenplays involving terrorized women by home invaders.

British thriller has comely college student Susan George (studying child welfare and psychology!) babysitting for Honor Blackman's little boy, unaware that Blackman's estranged husband--a homicidal maniac--has just escaped from the institution and is lurking about in the darkness. Early precursor to the killer-in-the-house/terrorizing-the-babysitter genre is well-enough made and acted, despite an extremely thin script. There are no twists to the plot (it's all routine), though the overwrought finale makes an attempt to surprise us. George, who always looks on the verge of crying, suffers and screams with her blouse open and her brassiere showing. It's that kind of picture... *1/2 from ****

Great, super tight little thriller with great central performances from Ian Bannen as the escaped psycho and Susan George as the delectable and vulnerable baby sitter. Honor Blackman is fine but her part could have been better written as she comes across at once overly concerned and ineffectual, but that aside this is some tour de force, putting down markers for later examples of what was to become the 'modern slasher'. It is claimed that this swerves away from being a suspenseful thriller into becoming a violent exploitation movie, and that is probably spot on. Susan George had made four films the year before and four again this year including 'Straw Dogs' and she so looks the part of the young leggy blonde that epitomises the 'swinging sixties', which, in England, as everybody knows went from about 1967 to about 1973. I have no idea why this film is not rated higher but, I guess, it may be because of the sheer level of nastiness.

I might have missed out on the first fifteen minutes of "Fright" because the only thing that repeatedly went on in my head was: "Why the bloody hell didn't I ever had a babysitter as stunningly gorgeous as Susan George???" The unearthly beautiful star of "Straw Dogs" and "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" walks through the opening credits wearing a minuscule yet incredibly sexy purple dress as she goes to the Lloyd's mansion to baby sit their little son…That lucky kid! The house lies isolated in the country and young Amanda is in for a night of morbid surprises, as an uncanny figure pops up at the window and even beats the hell out of her boyfriend (though he was a bastard, anyway). "Fright" can actually be considered as an influential and progressive horror movie, since it got released many years before "Halloween" that once and for all portrayed babysitters as prototype target for demented serial killers and sleazy perverts. Obviously the number of casualties isn't very high and the evoked scares are very basic, yet "Fright" is an effective little chiller that honestly deserves to be more known and appreciated among the horror-loving crowd. The direction is solid and there are hardly any words to describe the essence of Susan George. You already know my opinion on her looks, but she's also a very decent actress and perfectly suitable to play a vulnerable and hard-screaming victim of a raving madman. The pacing slows down a bit as soon as the perpetrator has been identified, but the film most likely has made a positive impression on you already by then.