Cruel Britannia: Three Killer Thrillers From The UK – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: UK, 1974 (Craze), UK, 1973 (Penny Gold), UK, 1971 (Crucible of Terror)
Directors: Freddie Francis (Craze), Jack Cardiff (Penny Gold), Ted Hooker (Crucible of Terror)
Cast: Jack Palance, Diana Dors, Julie Ege, Edith Evans, Hugh Griffith, Trevor Howard, Michael Jayston, Suzy Kendall, David Warbeck (Craze), James Booth, Francesca Annis, Nicky Henson, Joss Ackland, Richard Heffer, Sue Lloyd, Joseph O'Conor, Una Stubbs (Penny Gold), Mike Raven, James Bolam, Mary Maude, Ronald Lacey, Betty Alberge, John Arnatt, Beth Morris, Judy Matheson, Melissa Stribling, Kenneth Keeling, Me Me Lai (Crucible of Terror)

Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 95 Minutes 53 Seconds (Craze), 90 Minutes 46 Seconds (Penny Gold), 90 Minutes 31 Seconds (Crucible of Terror)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $59.98

Craze: "By day, Neal Mottram operates an unassuming antique shop, while at night, he is the high priest of a small cult worshipping the idol Chuku. After accidentally killing one of his fellow worshipers, Neal offers Chuku her body as a sacrifice, shortly after which he finds himself bestowed with good fortune. Believing that the idol is responsible for his luck, Neal finds more sacrificial victims." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Penny Gold: "When a young woman is slain by a trench coat-wearing and razor-wielding killer, there’s no shortage of suspects, including her twin sister, boyfriend, and plentiful shady acquaintances. As the mystery unfolds and more people vanish or are murdered, a detective begins to suspect that the crimes might be connected to a prized stamp." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Crucible of Terror: "a group of hippyish youths staying at the seaside home of a reclusive and mysterious sculptor. Their holiday fun is short-lived as they begin falling prey to a vicious mystery killer who’s determined to protect a deadly secret hidden deep in the cliffside caverns." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Craze, Penny Gold), 4/5 (Crucible of Terror)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "Penny Gold and Craze scanned and restored in 4K from their 35mm original camera negatives. Crucible of Terror scanned and restored in 2K from a 35mm vault positive."

Craze comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.3 GB

Feature: 25.6 GB

Penny Gold and Crucible of Terror come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 22.2 GB (Penny Gold), 22.1 GB (Crucible of Terror)

The sources for all three films look great; any print debris that remains is minimal. That said, source-wise, Crucible of Terror is not as strong as the other two films. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5 (All Audio Tracks)

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. All audio tracks sound clear and balanced. That said, they are limited range-wise.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include an archival career-spanning interview with actor Michael Jayston (49 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Richard Heffer titled In for a Pound (10 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Judy Matheson titled Happy Gatherings (9 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with writers/film critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones for Craze, and an audio commentary with filmmaker David DeCoteau and film historian David Del Valle for Craze. 

Extras on disc two include an audio commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones for Penny Gold and an audio commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones for Crucible of Terror.

Other extras include a hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 5,000 units), and a 40-page perfect bound book (limited to 5,000 units) with an essay titled Crazy for Craze written by Simon J. Ballard, Crucible of Terror an interview with Mary Maude conducted by Adrian Smith, and an essay titled Going Postal Placing Penny Gold Into Context written by John Dear.

Summary:

Craze: A deranged antiques dealer sacrifices women to an African idol that he believes brings him good fortune.

Freddie Francis directed The Craze. He also helmed Paranoiac, The Skull, and Girly as his other notable works. Besides directing, Freddie Francis has an extensive resume as a cinematographer. His notable credits as a cinematographer include Time without Pity, Sons and Lovers, The Innocents, and The Elephant Man.

Craze is a textbook example of how casting can make or break a film. The weight of Craze rests on the shoulders of finding the right actor to portray its protagonist, Neal Mottram, a down-on-luck antiques dealer. Cast in the role of the protagonist is Jack Palance (Compañeros), an actor who made a career out of portraying maniacs. He delivers an utterly believable performance that brings the intensity he’s known for.

Besides Jack Palance, Craze’s other notable asset is director Freddie Francis, whose direction does a superb job evaluating everything involved and maximizing his limited resources. Though Freddie Francis’ as a director was a work for hire filmmaker, when compared to other low-budget horror films made by his contemporaries, his films always had something extra about them. That said, when it came to his instincts as a filmmaker, he was second to none.

From its opening moments, Craze does an excellent job pulling you in, and a well-executed narrative always holds your attention. Another strength of the narrative is how it balances exposition with moments of violence. Also, John Scott’s (Doomwatch) score does a phenomenal job reinforcing the uneasy mood. The most surprising aspect of Craze is how graphic the scenes are where the protagonist kills women. Ultimately, Craze is a film that lives up to its name.

Penny Gold: A detective’s only clue into a woman’s murder is a rare stamp.

Jack Cardiff directed Penny Gold. He also helmed Intent to Kill, Sons and Lovers, The Girl on a Motorcycle, and The Freakmaker as his other notable works. Besides directing, Jack Cardiff has an extensive resume as a cinematographer, notably his collaborations with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. His other notable credits as a cinematographer include Under Capricorn, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, The African Queen, and The Barefoot Contessa.

Penny Gold is a film about misdirection; in its opening moments, a black glove killer murders a woman after she leaves the shower. Though this sequence does a superb job setting the foundation for what follows, there are no other moments that replicate the tone of this scene. That said, what follows is a straight-forward whodunit that has a few well-placed red herrings and a whopper of a twist ending.

Once the narrative settles in, the first of a few plot twists reveals that the murdered woman has a twin sister. Though they are twins, the two women could not be more unalike. After this strong setup, the narrative does a great job filling in the backstory of the murdered woman via a series of flashbacks.

Penny Gold is a film that relies heavily on its cast's performances, especially Francesca Annis (Dune - 1984), who portrays twin sisters Delphi and Diane. She does an amazing job creating two unique characters. Another performance of note is James Booth (Inn of the Frightened People) in the role of Matthews, the lead detective investigating the murder.

Despite the narrative doing a fantastic job hiding the motive behind the murder, it does move at a leisurely pace that some will find slow. If you can look past pacing issues, there are not many areas where Penny Gold does not come out on top. Another strength of Penny Gold is its visuals, which take full advantage of its locations. The score by John Scott (Symptoms) should not be neglected; it effectively reinforces the mood. Ultimately, Penny Gold is a well-made crime drama that fans of whodunit films should thoroughly enjoy.

Crucible of Terror: A reclusive sculptor's obsessions drive him mad.

Crucible of Terror is a classic example of low-budget cinema; most of its cast and crew have limited film credits; for its director, this would be the only film he directed. That said, despite Crucible of Terror's negatives outweighing its positives, it does have one saving grace: Michael Raven's (Lust for a Vampire) portrayal of the crazy sculptor.

In the opening moments of Crucible of Terror, a woman is covered in gold and transformed into a statue. This memorable moment does a good job setting the foundation for what follows. Unfortunately, the narrative is not without shortcomings; there are a few lulls and no big surprises before the finale.

Besides Michael Raven, the only other performance that stands out is Betty Alberge, who portrays the sculpture's deranged wife, who dresses up like a little girl. She delivers an equally delirious performance that rivals Michael Raven’s. That said, when it comes to the rest of the cast, their performances are merely serviceable.

Based solely on premise, Crucible of Terror should have been a much better film than it is. And yet, the result is a film that feels like a missed opportunity instead of a success. Ultimately, Crucible of Terror is an underwhelming experience that never fully realizes its potential.

Cruel Britannia: Three Killer Thrillers From The UK is another solid release from Vinegar Syndrome, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer