Curse of the Crimson Alter

Curse of the Crimson Alter

1968

Director- Vernon Sewell

Cast- Christopher Lee, Borris Karloff, Barbara Steele, Mark Eden, Michael Gough, Virginia Wetherell, Rupert Davies

            

      So the first thing you notice is Holy Crap Look at That Cast! Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee and Barbara Steele, all horror legends in their own right, sharing the screen together! And then as an added bonus, Hammer stars Michael Gough and Rupert Davies to boot! How can this go wrong? Well to be honest, this stellar cast is not utilized to full effect and the movie doesn’t live up to its potential. That is not to say that it doesn’t have some things to love.

           

   

  Robert  (Mark Eden) is an antique dealer who is looking for his missing brother, who was procuring antiques for him in the quaint old village of Greymarsh. Now, we the viewer know, from the start of the film, that his brother met his end at the hands of an ancient witch (Barbara Steele) but Robert doesn’t know that.

           

      Upon reaching Greymarsh, he meets the town’s aristocratic land lord (Christopher Lee) and the town elder and resident folklorist (Karloff). Robert finds out that the town' history includes  an ancient witch, who was burned a few hundred years ago. Since then, her spirit has taken revenge on the ancestors of those who killed her.

            

      The film was obviously influenced by, or was trying to pander to, the hippie culture of the day. References to mind altering drugs and a drunken, hedonistic party with barely veiled sexuality, and some psychedelic visuals are all present. However, the film doesn’t really push these things far enough to make any real impact on the film and are more of a distraction.

            

      Seeing Lee and Karloff is always a treat and seeing them share several scenes together is a reward in itself. The real attraction though is Barbara Steele. Her witch is green skinned and horned, like a Ray Harryhausen creature come to life. I could have used a whole movie just of her.