The Corpse aka The Velvet House is a 1969 British horror film directed by Viktors Ritelis from a screenplay by Olaf Pooley (The Godsend; Lifeforce) for London-Cannon Films. In the US, it was released in 1971 by May Films as Crucible of Horror. Not to be confused with Crucible of Terror (1971).
The Corpse was unreleased in the UK until 1972 as a support feature to US import Psycho Killer by Grand National Pictures.
The film was featured in Season 2 Episode 13 of the late night TV show Elvira’s Movie Macabre.
Plot:
A mother and daughter hatch a scheme to murder their family’s domineering and sadistic patriarch…
Reviews:
“If the first half hour of Crucible of Horror is tedious but suspenseful, the last half hour is still tedious but also a jumbled mess. It seems that once the film gets rid of Walter, it doesn’t know what to do with itself. Now there’s no one to comment on the stocks at breakfast, or make snide remarks about wigs and poor people!” The Moon is a Dead World
“For most of its running time, it’s a nice little gothic thriller that’s a bit slow in the uptake and prone to abandon plot threats almost as soon as they are introduced, but it’s a fairly solid film until the final 10-15 minutes. Then it all goes to crap.” Terror Titans
” … this slow-moving shocker boasts adequate performances and solid production values, as well as imaginative cinematography, but the piece is undercut by a muddled storyline.” Every ’70s Movie
” … nicely atmospheric in portraying the English suburbs and countryside, although for most of the film one gets the impression that one is watching a suspense thriller rather than a horror film. Gough provides the standout performance as the father. Especially chilling (and funny, in an extremely dark sense) is his serenity before and after his savage beatings.” Thomas M. Simpos, Communist Vampires
“While the script was nothing to write home about, the performances from Gough, Sharon Gurney, and Yvonne Mitchell are all strong, and the director shows some imagination in the handling of the subject, with good use of unusual angles.” Andy Boot, Fragments of Fear: An Illustrated History of British Horror Films
Cast and characters:
- Michael Gough as Walter Eastwood
- Yvonne Mitchell as Edith Eastwood
- Sharon Gurney as Jane Eastwood
- Simon Gough as Rupert Eastwood
- David Butler as Gregson
- Olaf Pooley as Reid
- Nicholas Jones as Benjy Smith
- Mary Hignett as Servant
- Howard Goorney as Petrol Pump Attendant
Choice dialogue:
Walter Eastwood [Michael Gough]: Who touched my guns?
Filming Locations:
Merton Park Studios, London
