A Disappointing Continuation

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

If you want to lost 90 minutes of your life, then this 'movie' is for you. There is not much to write about because everything is absolutely monotonous, and the two protagonists (terrible actresses, by the way, the whole cast, as well as the director incompetent), are as communicative as two trees in the first 40 minutes. In the case of this drug, it is a big spoiler to say that there is nothing important because really that is the secret of the movie: make the viewer waste time in the middle of nowhere. Escape this garbage, it's best to eat a sandwich at MacDonalds; at least you are not left with the stomach so sick.

"Symptoms" follows a paper-thin plot line that details a woman who invites a girlfriend to her remote mansion for the weekend, but her true motives come into focus as something far more sinister than imagined. Originally screened at the Cannes Film Festival, "Symptoms" inexplicably became a lost a film in the ensuing years, until being unearthed and re-released on Blu-ray for the twenty-first century.To put it plainly, if you're looking for a film where things "happen," then look elsewhere. This is a film that never quite entirely gets onto its feet, and instead wallows in its own mysteriousness and atmosphere—and the atmosphere is laid on thick. The camera meditates on the foggy England backwoods, the swampy lake that holds dark secrets, and the dilapidated mansion that is quite literally engulfed in trees and foliage. If nothing else, "Symptoms" is a mood piece, and a fantastic one at that.Given its sparse scripting, the film demands top-notch acting from its performers, and the audience gets as much with Angela Pleasence in the lead role of the mysterious, violent hostess. She is vulnerable and simultaneously terrifying, and has a compelling screen presence. Lorna Heilbron matches Pleasence as the seductive and insouciant house guest. Writer-director José Ramón Larraz, who is perhaps best known for his over-the-top lesbian vampire flick "Vampyres," has a consistent style established with this film, and his vision comes across on screen very strongly. Given his notoriety for the aforementioned film, the natural expectation I had for this was along the lines of an exploitation film, but it is far, far from it—it's actually a classy, quiet, and ominous meditation on broken femininity, at times evoking Robert Altman's "Images" or 1971's "Let's Scare Jessica to Death." It is part horror film and part psychological character study, moving along in that order; after the first dramatic scene of violence, the film and its heroine unravel before the audience, and the result is nothing short of compelling.Overall, "Symptoms" is a phenomenal and under-appreciated horror film. Its status as a lost film has no doubt robbed it of the wider contemporary audience it deserves, but hopefully the re-release of it will attract modern genre fans. I was blown away by the nuance and all-around skillfulness of it. It's a quietly spooky and wildly atmospheric film that is well-acted and well-shot. Truly something to behold for fans of understated cinema. 9/10.

José Ramón Larraz will always be best remembered for his excellent 1974 lesbian vampire flick Vampyres; and for good reason since its his best film, but it wasn't the only film he made in 1974 - he also made a Spanish film called "Emma, Dark Doors" - which I haven't seen (nor did anyone else it would seem), but it does look interesting. Oh, and he also made this little British film 'Symptoms' and I'm not surprised to find that this one isn't too well seen either as despite some interesting elements; it's all a bit dull and doesn't have a great deal going for it. The film takes place in the English countryside and focuses on a mansion. A young woman gets an invitation to stay there as the mansion is owned by her friend, and accepts. However, her stay at the mansion takes a turn for the strange and the woman soon realises that neither her friend - nor the mansion itself - is quite what it seems.I can't really say I'm a fan of José Ramón Larraz - mostly due to films like The House That Vanished and Black Candles. The director clearly has a good eye for atmosphere but unfortunately the same cant be said for his plotting and Symptoms' main problem is undoubtedly the lack of intrigue. The film does benefit from the presence of Angela Pleasance; Donald's daughter has a very creepy screen presence and the director was obviously keen to capitalise on that as much as possible. The setting is good and the isolation of it all benefits the film in terms of atmosphere. However, the fact is that the story doesn't really go anywhere for large periods of the film. It's obvious that the director was trying to build up steam for the ending, but I was starting to lose interest long before then. It's a shame actually as well because the ending of the film is actually rather good and would have worked well with a more interesting build up. Many people consider this to be the director's second best film; and actually I agree with that, but that's more because Larraz's other films are so bad rather than because this one is good.

Jose Larraz's Symptoms has atmosphere to spare: shot in a decaying manor house in the fecund British countryside, there's nary a set-up that doesn't feature dust, rising damp, shadows, or rain. It also features a truly excellent performance by Angela Pleasence as Helen Ramsay, the flower frail owner-occupier of the manor, as well as solid support from gorgeous Lorna Heilbron as her friend Anne. Unfortunately, the story itself is as predictable as can be, confirming all the worst suspicions you probably conjured up during the first reel. That said, this is a film in dire need of a DVD release: the only available source material is a wretched Belgian VHS tape with colours that drop in and out at random, hideous reel change markers, and poor image resolution that blurs much of the action and makes the interior sequences a chore to sit through. I'm giving it a 5 for now, but I suspect a nice pin-sharp digital restoration would reveal a film more worthy of a 6 or 7.