Demons of the Mind (1972) – Film Review

Director: Peter Sykes
Cast: Robert Hardy, Shane Briant, Gillian Hills
Certificate: 18

By Sarah Morgan

By the early 1970s, Hammer Films’ horror output was starting to look a little old-fashioned to audiences who wanted something more terrifying than watching people wandering about in dusty old castles wearing period clothing.

Nevertheless, executives at the studio continued to churn out the gothic chillers that helped make its name, with most of the films gaining little, if any, critical acclaim. However, more than 50 years on, it could be argued that this period produced some of Hammer’s most intriguing output as film-makers attempted not to flog a dead horse, but to find new ways of presenting it.

“Inheriting the insanity”

One of the best offerings released during this period is Demons of the Mind, which was a co-production with independent producer Frank Godwin. He brought the idea for the story to Hammer, which is probably why it features so few of the studio’s regular stars and was shot predominantly on location – most notably Wykehurst Park in Surrey – rather than the confines of a studio.

At the centre of the tale is Baron Zorn, a wealthy widower so obsessed with the idea of preventing his son Emil and daughter Elizabeth from inheriting the insanity displayed by his wife that he keeps them locked up in their rooms in his manor house.

Zorn doesn’t seem to realise that the draconian measures he’s taking are making the situation worse. Meanwhile, he employs a doctor of dubious merit to ‘cure’ the siblings of their ills, just as a series of brutal murders take place among the local peasants.

Both Dirk Bogarde and Paul Scofield reputedly turned down the role of Zorn, so Robert Hardy stepped into the breach. Quite frankly, he’s terrible – he performs every line as if he’s playing to the gallery at the Old Vic; there is no attempt at any kind of nuance or subtlety. It’s a good film despite his efforts, but one is left wondering how fine it could have been had either of the original choices accepted the part.

“Fascinating moments”

Thankfully, everyone else is up to scratch. Around this time, Hammer were trying to find a younger man to step into an ageing Peter Cushing’s shoes as their most reliable star. Ralph Bates was one such chap, but it’s Shane Briant who perhaps came the closest. In his Hammer debut, he gives a haunting performance as Emil.

When Marianne Faithful proved too expensive to insure as Elizabeth, Gillian Hills took over and does a decent job, while Patrick Magee, as the dodgy doc, and pop star-turned-actor Paul Jones, as the man in love with Elizabeth, are hugely watchable. Look out too for Michael Hordern, who is sadly underused as a wandering priest, but grabs the attention whenever he’s on screen.

However, the real stars of the show are Peter Sykes’s direction and Christopher Wicking’s screenplay. They’re packed full of fascinating moments, including nods to both mesmerism and folk horror.

Among the special features are fascinating interviews with supporting actress Virginia Weatherill and camera operator Neil Binney, while a 64-page booklet offers insights into this fascinating and under-appreciated film.

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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