Directed by Vernon Sewell, 1968
Antiques dealer Robert Manning visits the foreboding Craxted Lodge in the English countryside village of Greymarsh in the hope of finding his missing brother Peter.
Starring Boris Karloff as Professor John Marsh, Christopher Lee as J.D. Morley, Mark Eden as Robert Manning, Barbara Steele as Lavinia and Michael Gough as Elder.
“It’s a bit like one of those old houses in horror films. I expect Boris Karloff is going to pop up at any moment.”
Of course, Boris Karloff does about one minute later, playing the wheelchair-bound Professor Marsh. Robert Manning spots a candlestick which matches one his brother sent him, then finds a secret passageway that leads to the room in which he is being tortured and pressured to sign a big fat book. Sign (your life away) on the dotted line or else!: "Enter our world of darkness. You know what you have to do," says green-skinned, golden-horns hat-wearing Lavinia, loving every minute of it. He is also left with a deep cut on his arm in the physical world.
We then learn that Morley has a split personality and that his charming countenance belies a dark secret. He fancies himself as some kind of warlock who assists Lavinia to exact revenge on those who persecuted her in the 15th century, accusing her of being a witch. We learn that fake daggers were used to 'prove' that a woman was a witch as no blood was drawn as a result. Morley's servant, Elder, is also under Lavinia's spell and is murdered when he warns Manning to leave. His niece, Eve, is also to be put to death for aiding Manning in his search for truth. After much flirting and ending up in bed together. In fact, he has them in bonds in the secret loft room in the house to which he intends to set light. And does. Fortunately, by this time, everyone is onto him. The police and CID are on the case, the fire brigade show up in the nick of time and the professor arrives to shoot Morley in the arm. As a result, he left trapped on the roof, with flames closing in on him.
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