Steinesongo
Too many fans seem to be blown away
Konterr
Brilliant and touching
Keira Brennan
The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.
Leofwine_draca
One of my very favourites of the treasured gems of British comedy, this movie is a must-see for horror and comedy fans alike as it combines the two genres in a very successful way (although be aware that this film is foremost a comedy, with little that is meant to scare). The gags come thick and fast here and most of them hit home, and even if some don't the quick succession of them will soon have you forgetting the bad ones. From sight gags to wordplay to slapstick to excruciating puns, this film has it all.Visually it's very similar to a Hammer film of the period, with sumptuous colourful sets and costumes and spooky atmospheric woods and remote mansions. However the plot in itself seems to be a hodgepodge of classic horror themes, ideas and motifs. A subplot sees the "monsters" in this film creating their own shop dummies by using real women as the basis for the models. Also, all of the classic monsters are present: the monster Hyde and the werewolf combined in one, the lumbering monster (Frankenstein), the vampiress, the mad scientist, even the mummy making a cameo appearance at the end.Although a couple of the regular performers are conspicuous by their absence (Sid James and Kenneth Connor in particular), most of the usual faces pop up in supporting roles throughout this film and are a delight. Particularly good is Charles Hawtrey's hilarious turn as "Dan Dan the Lavatory Man", the owner of some gents who is offed by a hairy brute. However, the star of the show is Harry H. Corbett, who puts in a great performance here. Now, I know a lot of people hate Corbett's style of acting, but I personally find him very amusing, so I guess it's just a matter of taste. Corbett is supported by the criminally neglected Peter Butterworth who is also great value as an idiotic detective. Jim Dale is funny as a gurning goon who always seems to be in some mishap, and familiar British television faces like Jon Pertwee appear throughout too.However, the cast having the most fun are those playing the monsters in the film. Fenella Fielding is smashing as the seductive vampiress, whose classic line "do you mind if I smoke?" paves the way for one of the best-remembered jokes in the Carry On canon. Kenneth Williams is as great as he always is, flared nostrils and histrionics abound in his well-cast mad professor turn. Who can forget the classic ending which has him falling into his own bubbling vat while crying "frying tonight!"? The only cast member underused I feel was Bernard Bresslaw, who appears briefly as a Lurch-like butler and totally disappears at the film's end.There is just so much happening in this film, that there's something for everybody to enjoy. Be it Corbett's constant bickering with his wife, the insane goings on in the Gothic mansion or the bumbling idiotic policemen, I love every minute of this movie and could watch it again and again. Priceless entertainment, and one of the high points of British comedy cinema (and perhaps the high point of the Carry On series too).
stephensims53
I watched this movie again yesterday and I still laughed like it was the first time id seen it..Its my all time favorite Carry on with Carry on Cleo being my second favorite..Harry H Corbett and Peter Butterworth are brilliant as the inept coppers, Jim Dale stands out as the boyfriend of one of the girls who is kidnapped, I've never been a fan of Mr Williams but I have to say he does a good job as the villain with his death scene as over the top and really funny as ever .. My only complaint is that I think Sid James should have played the CSI/ scientist instead of John Pertwee and Pertwee could have played an Egor character as another foil to Kenneth Williams. What I think made the film was that they didn't stick to one horror story but bought in and mixture of Frankenstein, Werewolf's and Vampires etc
jc-osms
Another amusing and saucy entrant in the cheap-as-chips UK film comedy "Carry On" series, which definitely hits its peak in the mid-late 60's, not unrelated, I'd imagine, to that swinging decade's slightly, shall we say, more lax morals as it progressed. Thus we get a bit more innuendo than before, indeed, in the presence of the smoky-voiced, low-bodiced Fenella Felding, a bit more sex, period. The "Carry On" writing and production team were always looking for the current trend to spoof and with Hammer still going strong in the 60's, plus the TV success of shows like "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters", they were always going to take a bite (sorry!) at the horror genre. This time, the guest lead (after Bob Monkhouse, Bernard Cribbins and before Roy Castle) is Harry H Corbett who duly gets a nod or two to his more famous TV persona, young man Steptoe and he does a good job as the dimwitted Sherlock Holmes type cop on the trail of Kenneth Williams high-camp vampire, Fielding and their two Frankenstein creations with a penchant for literally picking up young girls for (waxwork) modelling work. Peter Butterworth is even funnier as Corbett's sidekick, Slowbotham while Jim Dale gives his usual young Norman Wisdom routine in support.There are more old laughs than new ones but laughs there are (my favourite line being Corbett's command to search Williams' old mansion which just happens to be on a street called Avory Avenue - "We must explore Avery Avenue") with Williams' last line "Frying Tonight" justly considered one of the funniest in British comedy history. Shot in colour with sets that look a touch more expensive than usual and with worthy support also from Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey and Jon Pertwee, this is a good entry in the series. Terrible theme song though and the waxwork models look like they're from Louis Tussaud's of Blackpool rather than Madame Tussaud's of London.
sol-
One of the better films of the Carry On series, the film spoofs the typical horror films of the 1960s quite well, and there is a great feel of the Gothic to it, thanks to apt costumes and sets. It is still overly silly as is usual for an entry in the series, and there are silly sound effects and some lame jokes that bring it down. However, there are quite a few good gags to make up for those that do not work, and the team receives great assistance from Fenella Fielding this time, who is perfectly cast as a vampire like seductress. The film also has some good makeup work, and the title song, sung by Jim Dale, fits in well.