Review: Hysteria

After a car wreck leaves him with a skull fracture and amnesia, Robert Webber falls for his nurse (Jennifer Jayne) and is eventually released from hospital care. Webber hires a private detective (Maurice Denham) to look into his past, and especially to track down the identity of a woman (Lelia Goldoni) in a photo that Webber had with him after the accident. Meanwhile, Webber begins to hear and see murderous things that seem to completely vanish whenever anyone else is around. Anthony Newlands plays Webber’s psychiatrist.

 

Although not as well-regarded as some of the other Hammer films of the 1960s, this Freddie Francis (“Dracula Has Risen From the Grave”, “Tales From the Crypt”, “Legend of the Werewolf”) psychological mystery from 1965 is a solid and interesting film. Scripted by Jimmy Sangster (“The Snorkel”, “The Horror of Dracula”, “Paranoiac”, “The Nanny”), parts of the mystery aren’t terribly mysterious, but the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of it are absolutely diabolical. In some respects this is really my kind of thing, it’s got some similarities in plot mechanics to another 1965 mystery the underrated “Mirage” (with a bit of Hammer’s excellent “The Full Treatment” thrown in). I’m a little surprised that Robert Webber was never a bigger deal, as I think he has the looks and is a better actor than (or at least equal to) the Rock Hudsons of the world who gained far greater stardom. Instead he was mostly a character supporting player, so it’s nice he gets to shine in a leading role here. He’s easy to take to right off the bat, and handles all facets of this character really well – and there’s definitely several facets at play here. A terrific Lelia Goldoni is a constant scene-stealer and well-cast, veteran British character actor Maurice Denham is perfect as a detective, and Anthony Newlands has an interesting Herbert Lom meets Dirk Bogarde vibe about him.

 

As you’d expect from former cinematographer Francis, the film looks great with top B&W cinematography by John Wilcox (“Nightmare”, “The Skull”, “Legend of the Werewolf”), and Francis’ direction is solid too. Jazz scores can be hit and miss with me, but Don Banks (“Captain Clegg”, “Nightmare”, “Rasputin – The Mad Monk”) contributes a really terrific one. Meanwhile, look out for the sound of a crew member doing the worst hornbill and toucan vocal impersonations you’ve ever heard. They sound like a pissed off Donald Duck and it’s absolutely hilarious.

 

Kind of a “Twilight Zone”-style psychological thriller from Hammer, this is well-acted, interesting stuff even if you know where it’s headed to some degree. I’ll certainly take this over “Maniac”, “Die! Die! My Darling!”, “Fear in the Night”, and “Crescendo” so far as Hammer thrillers go.  

 

Rating: B-

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