CRUCIBLE OF TERROR

During an exhibition, the art dealer John Davies realizes how much in demand the works of Victor Clare, an unknown sculptor and painter, father of his partner Michael, are. John then decides to go to the artist's home, accompanied by his wife Millie, his friend Michael, and his young wife, to buy a series of works to resell in London. Upon arriving at Clare's isolated villa in Cornwall, John realizes the strange family situation of the artist, who has a wife with severe mental problems and a model as a lover living with them. But Clare hides a terrifying secret and his beautiful statues are not simple works of art... The horror cinema is full of crazy artists, from the unforgettable Dr. Gogol of "Mad Love" to Professor Jarrod of "House of Wax," without forgetting the terrifying Malcolm Brand of "Alone in the Dark" and the painter of agonies Buono Legani of "The House with Laughing Windows." In this crowded madhouse, there is also Victor Clare, a painter and sculptor who, in addition to being an incurable Don Juan, is also a psychopath who aims to capture female beauty before time makes it fade. And what better method than pouring a mold of molten bronze over the same live young women? Said, done! Incredibly realistic statues that make wealthy buyers drool and manage to capture the youth and beauty of the models for eternity. Nothing new under the sun, therefore, since "The Horror Factory" resembles "House of Wax" in all its versions and "The Mill of the Stone Women" by Giorgio Ferroni, except that the film examined here then takes an unexpected turn. Interesting is the character of Victore Clare, played by the former DJ Mike Raven who, for a couple of years, was a small star of horror cinema ("Mircalla, the Eternal Lover," "The True Story of Dr. Jekyll," "Discipline of Death"), a genre very close to his heart, before disappearing into oblivion. Clare is obsessed with female beauty that he sees slipping away day by day from his mentally ill wife and that he finds in the models he immortalizes on canvas, particularly Marcia, also his lover. A fascinating and charismatic character, cynical and sex-obsessed, capable of seducing even his son's young wife, closer to the ideal of contemporary artist than many of his "cinematic cousins." As mentioned, the true novelty of a film that would otherwise taste highly of déjà vu lies in its development and, above all, in the epilogue. "The Horror Factory" is structured like a giallo, and even though the viewer knows, or rather strongly suspects, who the author of the murders the film is filled with is, we never see the killer's face until the end, with a game of suspicions that strangely makes even the most confident viewer doubt who is reaping victims on the cliff. The final twist — which is truly such — manages to surprise and shed new light on the story, but at the same time seems very unlikely as fantastical and gives the impression that the viewer is more surprised by the absurdity of it all than by the real goodness of the surprise plot. The story unfolds, however, a bit too slowly in the first part, although it picks up when the number of victims begins to increase, thanks also to a series of quite cruel and imaginative murders. Director Ted Hooker, also screenwriter with Tom Parkinson, is here in his first and only directorial role in a brief career that mainly sees him involved in the role of editor. A well-assorted cast in which, in addition to the aforementioned Mike Raven, stands out the beautiful Mary Maude ("The Horrors of the Girls' School," "Scorpio"), who plays Millie, the true protagonist of the film. In a small role, there is also Me Me Lay, an actress with Oriental features known mainly for having participated in several Italian cannibal movies ("The Country of Wild Sex," "Last Cannibal World," "Eaten Alive!"). Not a must-see but still enjoyable. Add half a pumpkin. In Italian DVD from Mosaico Media.