Curse of the Crimson Altar is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele and Mark Eden. The film was produced by Louis M. Heyward for Tigon British Film Productions. The film was cut and released as The Crimson Cult in the United States. The screenplay, by Doctor Who writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln, was based (uncredited) on the short story "The Dreams in the Witch House" by H. P. Lovecraft. This film also featured one of the final appearances of horror heavyweight Karloff.
Video Curse of the Crimson Altar
Plot synopsis
Antiques dealer Robert Manning (Eden) searches for his brother, who was last known to have visited the remote house of Craxted Lodge at Greymarsh, their family's ancestral town. Arriving at night, he finds a party is in progress, and he is invited to stay by Eve (Wetherell), the niece of the owner of the house. His sleep is restless and strange dreams of ritual sacrifice disturb him. Enquiring about his brother, he is assured by the house owner, Morley (Lee), that the man is not there. Manning's suspicions are aroused by nightmarish hallucinations. Occult expert Professor Marsh (Karloff) informs Manning about a witchcraft cult led by Morley's ancestor, Lavinia (Steele). The cult is discovered to still be active. Craxted Lodge is burned to the ground, and the head of the cult is consumed in the flames.
Maps Curse of the Crimson Altar
Cast
- Christopher Lee - Morley
- Boris Karloff - Professor John Marsh
- Mark Eden - Robert Manning
- Barbara Steele - Lavinia Morley
- Michael Gough - Elder
- Virginia Wetherell - Eve Morley
- Rosemarie Reede - Esther
- Derek Tansley - Judge
- Michael Warren - Chauffeur
- Ron Pember - Petrol attendant
- Denys Peek - Peter Manning
- Rupert Davies - The Vicar
Production
The house used for Craxted Lodge is Grim's Dyke, the allegedly haunted former home of William S. Gilbert, located in Redding, Harrow Weald, Middlesex, London. The building, which is now a hotel, was used for both exterior and interior shots.
Critical reception
The New York Times said "Karloff himself, cadaverous and almost wholly crippled, acts with a quiet lucidity of such great beauty that it is a refreshment merely to hear him speak old claptrap. Nothing else in The Crimson Cult comes close to him--though there is Barbara Steele in greenface playing Lavinia, a glamorous 300-year-old and a monumental cast that lists no fewer than seven-party girls, plus several sacrificial virgins."
References
External links
- Curse of the Crimson Altar on IMDb
- Curse of the Crimson Altar at AllMovie
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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