Let me explain. This begins with an interesting idea to build on, but it gets in it's own way and barely achieves average. Boris Karloff stars as a hypnotist who's worked a lifetime to achieve mind control of others, only sharing his secrets with his wife Catherine Lacey. I know you're thinking 'Karloff is up to his evil-science self again', but..he's not..well, not completely. Karloff envisions a method by which he can 'connect' with the mind of a young person, send them on a wonderful journey, and every thought and sensation about that trip will be 'known' and experienced by the elderly or ill who can't go themselves..good premise, eh?
Enter Ian Ogilvy, an 'Alfie' type, who's just bored with the whole mod scene and looking for new kicks. After being hooked up to wires in an odd little room full of phoney looking panels and lots of reel-to-reel recorders, Karloff and his Mrs. can, indeed, control his actions. Karloff is thrilled, but Lacey doesn't want to waste this chance..she's had it with years of poverty, so she 'controls' him into stealing a fur for her. The elderly couple 'feel' the fear/excitement/danger as Ogilvy evades a guard. This new 'rush' turns Lacey into a real thrill seeker, and she orders him to do increasingly dangerous, brutal things..including murder.
Karloff knows she's gone overboard, but can't stop her when she even turns on him in order to get her 'thrill fix' via the young man. A good idea, poorly executed..starting with the music. There are those 'a ha!' soap opera-ish organ swells, mixed in with 'electric noise', really bad club band music, and lilting harpsichord..it's like everything was pulled out of a studio grab bag. Karloff, of course, and Lacey are quite good, and Victor Henry (as Ogilvy's friend) is believable. Aside from a very short scene with Susan George, the actresses are pretty bad..Elizabeth Ercy's talent is playing with her hair and Sally Sheridan stiffly plays a singer, but can't remember to move her lips to the music. The photography is strange--in an argument sequence, it's continual one-shots..I doubt they were in the same room, and a car chase sequence is ruined by boring close-ups of different characters. What could've been quite a thriller ends up a sloppy mess.
Enter Ian Ogilvy, an 'Alfie' type, who's just bored with the whole mod scene and looking for new kicks. After being hooked up to wires in an odd little room full of phoney looking panels and lots of reel-to-reel recorders, Karloff and his Mrs. can, indeed, control his actions. Karloff is thrilled, but Lacey doesn't want to waste this chance..she's had it with years of poverty, so she 'controls' him into stealing a fur for her. The elderly couple 'feel' the fear/excitement/danger as Ogilvy evades a guard. This new 'rush' turns Lacey into a real thrill seeker, and she orders him to do increasingly dangerous, brutal things..including murder.
Karloff knows she's gone overboard, but can't stop her when she even turns on him in order to get her 'thrill fix' via the young man. A good idea, poorly executed..starting with the music. There are those 'a ha!' soap opera-ish organ swells, mixed in with 'electric noise', really bad club band music, and lilting harpsichord..it's like everything was pulled out of a studio grab bag. Karloff, of course, and Lacey are quite good, and Victor Henry (as Ogilvy's friend) is believable. Aside from a very short scene with Susan George, the actresses are pretty bad..Elizabeth Ercy's talent is playing with her hair and Sally Sheridan stiffly plays a singer, but can't remember to move her lips to the music. The photography is strange--in an argument sequence, it's continual one-shots..I doubt they were in the same room, and a car chase sequence is ruined by boring close-ups of different characters. What could've been quite a thriller ends up a sloppy mess.