Woeful mid-’70s sexploitation shocker starring Linda ‘Shillingbury Tales’ Hayden as a secretary to demented author Udo ‘Vampires a specialty’ Kier who goes on a gory killing spree, with victims including Patsy ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ Smart and Karl Howman while Fiona Richmond, the less tragic Mary Millington, mooches around in various states of undress. A product of the fabulously named Norfolk International Pictures, headed by library music composer James ‘Wild Elephants’ Clarke, who directs here (with plenty of lurid camera effects), leaving scoring duties to chum Steve Gray, later of session muso prog act Sky. Of course, La Richmond was a guest on Blankety Blank once, presumably at the height of her fame, though seeing as she only ever appeared in a) dodgy Piccadilly fleapit trash like this, and b) tiny, tiny bit parts in unwatched Channel Four comedy shows, we do wonder what the ‘Blank’s sheltered core audience made of her. ‘And on the end there, looking lovely as ever, host of the Electric Blue video magazine, Norfolk’s finest… Fiona Richmond!’
Lee James Turnock
May 22, 2010 at 12:33 pm
The ONLY British-made film to get banned as a video nasty (Xtro was never actually banned), the House on Straw Hill, better known as Expose, may not be high on anyone’s list of favourites but there are some genuinely unsettling moments of nastiness that get under the skin. I’ll take this over Hardcore and Let’s Get Laid anytime.