A pitiable, terribly timid librarian, Edgar Marsh(Lawrence Payne, who is superb), falls head over heels for a new neighbor, a flower sales-girl who lives across the street. This lovely creature is Betty Clare(Adrienne Corri)and she agrees to date Edgar out of sympathy for his pathetic nature, but soon is attractively drawn to his best friend, playboy Carl Loomis(Dermot Walsh), a ladies' man with quite a reputation around the place. Carl, at first, resists Betty who clearly displays arousing affection for him, but soon accepts a sexual invitation for which a gullible Edgar sees from his window(..he often watches her undress, the voyeur that he is). Edgar, who had spent a considerable amount of money and time on Betty, reacts hostilely to Carl's betrayal by attacking him with a fireplace poker, burying the body under a floor board. This act of violence, haunts him as he hears the loud pounding of Carl's heart beat, which rarely ceases, plaguing him night after night. Succumbing to drink and madness, it's only a matter of time before he cracks. Meanwhile, Betty pursues the answer as to why Carl hasn't returned to her, suspicious since he proclaimed their future betrothal after he broke the news of their engagement and love affair to Edgar.
I think this was a really nice surprise. Director Ernest Morris builds the torment existing within Edgar's soul slowly, over time, using the movement of objects, simple but effectively spooky tricks anchored by Payne's pitch-perfect portrayal of a rather feeble man whose guilty conscience starts to erode his psyche, and his already fragile mental state slowly crumbles..and Morris uses images and sounds such as a water faucet dripping, a clock ticking, a chess piece rolling on a board back and forth(..wonderful symbolism, to boot, since Edgar and Carl played chess all the time), and a rug moving up and down symbolizing the supposed beat of a heart. Corri is ideally cast as the lustful object of Edgar's affections, and she's incredibly sexy which provides an understanding as to the infatuation of the film's protagonist and why he'd constantly obsess over her, to the point that he'd kill his best friend as a result. Great use of silence(..accompanied by the variety of sounds I mentioned above), as well, pointing out Edgar's isolation as the heart beats and he can not escape it, eventually cutting it from Carl's chest, looking at it thump, finally burying it. I think the filmmakers(..and, especially Payne) effectively convey this poor loser's slow descent into hysteria. Bravura job for all concerned..a real sleeper, see it of you get the chance. A word of warning, though..this is a slow burner, a film that takes it's time, allowing all the elements to take shape.
MAJOR SPOILER: Maybe, the twist at the end is a bit of a drag(..the whole "it's all a dream" aspect), but Edgar is quite a whimpering chap, so he deserves some sympathy, which may be why he's spared.
I think this was a really nice surprise. Director Ernest Morris builds the torment existing within Edgar's soul slowly, over time, using the movement of objects, simple but effectively spooky tricks anchored by Payne's pitch-perfect portrayal of a rather feeble man whose guilty conscience starts to erode his psyche, and his already fragile mental state slowly crumbles..and Morris uses images and sounds such as a water faucet dripping, a clock ticking, a chess piece rolling on a board back and forth(..wonderful symbolism, to boot, since Edgar and Carl played chess all the time), and a rug moving up and down symbolizing the supposed beat of a heart. Corri is ideally cast as the lustful object of Edgar's affections, and she's incredibly sexy which provides an understanding as to the infatuation of the film's protagonist and why he'd constantly obsess over her, to the point that he'd kill his best friend as a result. Great use of silence(..accompanied by the variety of sounds I mentioned above), as well, pointing out Edgar's isolation as the heart beats and he can not escape it, eventually cutting it from Carl's chest, looking at it thump, finally burying it. I think the filmmakers(..and, especially Payne) effectively convey this poor loser's slow descent into hysteria. Bravura job for all concerned..a real sleeper, see it of you get the chance. A word of warning, though..this is a slow burner, a film that takes it's time, allowing all the elements to take shape.
MAJOR SPOILER: Maybe, the twist at the end is a bit of a drag(..the whole "it's all a dream" aspect), but Edgar is quite a whimpering chap, so he deserves some sympathy, which may be why he's spared.