The Sorcerers

Ecstasy with no consequence. The Sorcerers is directed by Michael Reeves who also co-writes the screenplay with Tom Baker from an original idea written by John Burke. It stars Boris Karloff, Ian Ogilvy, Catherine Lacey, Victor Henry and Elizabeth Ercy. Music is by Paul Ferris and cinematography by Stanley A. Long. When aged scientist Marcus Monserrat (Karloff) tries a new hypnosis machine on bored young man Mike Roscoe (Ogilvy), he and his wife find they can control his actions and experience what he is experiencing. Initially this breakthrough is a rewarding one, but Marcus' wife Estelle (Lacey) wants more and soon things start to get decidedly amoral. Michael Reeves sadly died of an accidental drug overdose aged just 25, this having crafted the Cruel Britannia brilliance that was Witchfinder General. Prior to that he helmed The Sorcerers, an equally great production, a sci-fi horror fusion that pulses with a pessimistic tone. There's no great budget for the talented young director to work with, but it barely matters, in fact it benefits the film greatly, as the two elders (Karloff wonderful, Lacey magnificent) live vicariously through Roscoe's (Ogilvy fresh faced and perfectly exuding a bored man after further thrills) misadventures. But the kicker here is that it is Karloff's scientist who recognises things are going out of control, and it is he who strives to stop his obsessed wife from committing heinous acts. Set to the backdrop of swinging sixties London, with mini skirts, Brit pop music and Norton motorbikes firm period reminders, The Sorcerers captures the zeitgeist of the time. Blending psychedelia with sci-fi and amoral horror with wistful yearnings, film comes out as an original piece of work. Thematically, as has been noted by the critics who have afforded this under seen classic some time, it says youth is wasted on the young while also planting us the film viewer in the metaphor chair. If Reeves was being caustic we will never know, sadly, but it does bear thinking about in light of how horror films, and their blood thirsty fans, would evolve come the millennium. Michael Reeves a visionary? From Lacey bringing one of horror's forgotten monsters to life, to a no cop out ending of pure bleakness, The Sorcerers never lets up on gnawing away at the senses. An original film made by an original director, and deserving of more widespread exposure. 8/10

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely In London, an elderly husband & wife (Boris Karloff & Catherine Lacey) test their new mesmerizing device on a young man (Ian Ogilvy) and find that they are able to control his behavior. While this may be a scientific breakthrough, is it ethical? Elizabeth Ercy and Victor Henry play the guy’s friends. With a title like "The Sorcerers" (1967) you might think it’s about wizards in the distant past, but it’s actually a sci-fi/horror set in modern London made by a minor rival of Hammer films. I heard a critic lambaste the flick for what he called its laughable concept, but I guess that’s why they call it science FICTION. Karloff was nearing the end of his career at 79 while you might remember Ian Ogilvy as the hero in “Witchfinder General” (1968), aka “The Conqueror Worm.” The flick scores well on the female front with stunning Elizabeth Ercy in the lead, along with a young Susan George as the protagonist’s ex-girlfriend and Sally Sheridan as the singer at the nightclub. This is a good movie to take a peek at London in the mid-60s. The protagonist is great (he's more accurately victim), the women are ravishing, the concept is interesting, the moral is potent and there’s quite a bit of action. The film runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot entirely in London. GRADE: B-/B

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John Chard

Wuchak