Crucible of Terror.
Likely lad James Bolam is an Art dealer with some cash flow problems, he notices the work of one reclusive artist named Victor clare seems to be very popular, especially a lifelike Bronze work of a naked woman. The Bronze rouses particular interest from his patron who begins frothing at the mouth with rage discovering its been sold. Not to worry however as he heads back that night to nick it and a black gloved killer suffocates him with a plastic bag.
Meanwhile Bolam heads out with a few of his friends including the Artists son played by Ronald Lacey (memorable as the Nazi with the scarred hand in Raiders of the lost Ark) to Clare's studio. Clare (played by ex-pirate radio, radio 1 dj, oculist, sculptor and eventual sheep farmer Mike Raven) is something of an oddball, a letch to anything female (including his sons wife) narcissistic and abusive its pretty clear his lifelike bronze was made from a real woman house of wax style, the model being Me Me Lai.
Pretty soon the killer is striking again and everyone at the remote cornish farm house seems to be in danger from an anonymous killer.
Crucible is best remembered by me for its frequent late night appearances on British telly. So much so I only remembered parts because I was usually falling asleep due to it usually screening somewhere around midnight to two in the morning. Finally, courtesy of a decent release from severin films I've managed to sit through the whole film. It's an odd and flawed film to be sure. Raven is a very strange presence through the film and its clear why his voice was over-dubbed for Lust for a vampire. His voice is a little high pitched and does not really come across as sinister, however his character still gives the film a sleazy and lecherous charm. The overall tone of the film is surprisingly oppressive and ominous and adds a very strange Gothic atmosphere to rural Cornwall. The ending is bizarre and adds a supernatural twist from left-field that jars slightly with what at this point had been essentially a British slasher picture with Giallo-esque overtones.
Nonetheless, in spite of its flaws and oddities I really like the film, its good solid fun with some entertaining kills and is well worth watching.
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