Corruption

Cult flick with Peter Cushing as a dubious doctor in swinging 60’s England

A surgeon in London (Peter Cushing) is dating a much younger woman, a model (Sue Lloyd), who becomes dependent upon him after a tragedy. How far will he go to prove his love for her?

"Corruption" (1968) takes its plot from “Eyes Without a Face,” aka “The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus” (1960), which can be traced even further back to Bela Lugosi’s “The Corpse Vanishes” (1942). Yet it’s different enough to stand on its own, mixing in elements of the quirky “Cul-de-sac” (1966) with a groovy glimpse of England's ‘hip’ counter-culture, as witnessed in the future "Dracula A.D. 1972." Like that Hammer film, Cushing appears in the modern day rather than a gothic setting. (While this isn’t a Hammer flick, it’s comparable).

You could say it mixes the basic Frankenstein story with the legend of Countess Bathory and places the story in mod 60’s London. Speaking of which, there’s an early scene wherein the doctor (Cushing) is invited to a ‘rad’ party and it’s amusing how uneasy he is. Cushing was 54 during shooting while the girlfriend (Lloyd) was 28.

Also on the female front is Kate O'Mara (Val), Wendy Varnals (Terry) and Vanessa Howard (the blonde at the party with the annoying voice). There are a couple of others (Valerie Van Ost and Alexandra Dane) but, for me, the top whoa-man is the redhead in the red corset at the swinging bash.

I like the fact that the film isn’t set-bound. There’s some nice location photography, like the vacation home by the shore. I also favored the unexpected turn in the last act (not talking about the twist at the very end) that is thoroughly comic booky, but energizes the climax with colorful eccentricity.

Don’t take the ending in a negative way. The filmmakers wisely leave open what’s going to happen next. It all comes down to what a certain character is going to do with the dubious knowledge he now has.

The movie runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot at Isleworth Studios, which was just west of London; with stuff done in the city and the greater London area, including the beach sequence at Seaford, East Sussex, which is on the coast about a 45-minute drive south.

Lastly, there are two versions of the film: The UK version and the international version; I saw the former, which features the negligee-wearing Jan Waters as the Soho prostitute. The other features topless Marianne Morris.

GRADE: B-/B (6.5/10)

"Sir John Rowan" (Peter Cushing) is an accomplished surgeon who is dating the rather vain and flighty "Lynn" (Sue Lloyd). When the latter is involved in a disfiguring accident, he decides to try to find a way to restore her beauty. He quickly discovers that by extracting fluid from the pituitary gland into the affected area, the skin recovers miraculously. What they equally swiftly realise is that this treatment isn't just an one-off. It needs to be repeated - ergo, he needs more glands and that needs volunteers! From here on in it loses it's way as it marries "Frankenstein" themes with a bit of murder and bodysnatching before leaving us with a final half hour that is just silly. Cushing is really just going through the motions and neither the wooden Lloyd nor an early appearance from the always unremarkable Kate O'Mara really add very much to this increasingly hysterical drama. Not one of Cushing's films he'd want you to remember, I don't think.