Edward Percy Movies
- 1969
- R
In this horror tale, Ellen Hardy (Stella Stevens) shares a home with widow Gladys Armstrong (Shelley Winters). Ellen is engaged to marry Gladys' stepson, Sam Aller (Skip Ward). Ellen receives word that her brother and sister are soon to be released from a mental institution and need a place to stay; Ellen asks Gladys if they can live with them, and Gladys agrees. But Ellen hasn't told Gladys the whole truth. It seems that the siblings were institutionalized because their parents were murdered, and it was widely believed that they were responsible (though their guilt in the crime could not be proven). Not long after the now-teenage brother and sister move in with Ellen and Gladys, Gladys finds out about their secret -- and she is soon discovered brutally murdered. The kids, however, both claim that they had nothing to do with Gladys' death, and that the other must have done it. In the meantime, Ellen has to dispose of the body without raising suspicion, but after Ellen buries the corpse in the garden, the dog digs up a severed hand, and now Ellen must make sure the dog doesn't give away her family's ugly secret. The original version of The Mad Room included two songs by the pop group Nazz, which included songwriter, guitarist, and producer Todd Rundgren several years before he reached stardom as a solo artist; due to licensing restrictions, the songs do not appear on all video releases of the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1960
Hammer Films and director Terence Fisher followed the excellent Horror of Dracula with this well-made, richly-colored sequel which suffers only from the conspicuous lack of Dracula himself -- since Horror's Christopher Lee had declined participation in further Dracula sequels for the time being. In his stead, we have young, blond Baron Meinster (David Peel) providing the requisite vampiric threat. Though imprisoned in the family estate by his mother, Meinster is released from his silver chains by an unsuspecting French teacher (Yvonne Monlaur), through which he gains access to a veritable smorgasbord of nubile wenches at a girls' school. Fortunately, master vampire killer Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is on the case. Besides featuring some of the best acting, photography and period detail of the Hammer Dracula series, this is also one of the first to delve into the more sexual aspects of vampirism, with implicit suggestions of incest, sadomasochism and homosexuality. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cushing, Martita Hunt, (more)
- 1947
Originally released in 1945 as Shop at Sly Corner, Code of Scotland Yard is an effective British imitation of the Hollywood film noir genre. Oscar Homolka plays a seemingly benign antique dealer who maintains a comfortable lifestyle by fencing stolen goods. Homolka's daughter (Muriel Pavlow), an aspiring musician, is the only person he genuinely cares about. Thus when the girl's future is threatened by a slimy blackmailer (Kenneth Griffith) who is unsatisfied with a mere cash settlement, Homolka is left with no choice but to get rid of the bounder. Oscar Homolka, a Viennese character actor who worked prolifically on both sides of the Atlantic, is the principal attraction in Code of Scotland Yard, which was based on popular London stage play by Edward Percy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oscar Homolka, Derek Farr, (more)
- 1941
In this taut, creepy melodrama, a housemaid works as the companion of an aging, retired British actress. One day the maid (Ida Lupino) is visited by her two looney half sisters. The actress finds the slightly mad sisters intolerable and demands that they leave. Unfortunately, the maid realizes that if the sisters are sent away they will end up involuntarily committed to an insane asylum and so the maid kills the actress and lets the sisters stay. Things go well until a suspicious relative shows up and starts to investigate. Nominated for Oscars for Best Interior Decoration and Best Score, Ladies in Retirement is based upon a stage play that was in turn based upon the true story from 1886. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ida Lupino, Louis Hayward, (more)
- 1940
In this suspense film, a tormented young man plots his revenge against his abuser. He decides that he will murder the fellow student. First he will drug the cruel lad. Then he will dump the body in a trunk and drive into the countryside where he will dump it in a deep hole. Things go as planned until the victim wakes up. The disturbed student is subsequently captured. He confesses. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Manning Whiley, Barbara Everest, (more)
