The Fiend (film)
Encyclopedia
The Fiend is a 1972
British serial killer
horror film, directed by Robert Hartford-Davis
and starring Ann Todd
, Tony Beckley
and Patrick Magee
. The film is set against a background of religious fanaticism and, as with other films directed by Hartford-Davis, also includes elements of the sexploitation
genre of the early 1970s.
The Fiend as originally released runs for 98 minutes, but an edited version of 87 minutes (removing most of its more graphic content) was produced for the U.S. market. The film was released on DVD in 2005; however the DVD uses the cut version.
The film opens with shots of a terrified mini-skirted young woman fleeing for her life along a riverbank, interspersed with scenes of a Brethren baptism service in full swing complete with gospel-style music and the congregation working itself into a religious frenzy. The girl is finally cornered by her unseen pursuer, strangled, stripped naked and thrown into the river at the same time as a boy is symbolically submerged during the baptism service.
Kenny works two jobs, as a part-time lifeguard at a public swimming pool and a night-time security guard. He returns from his nightshift to morning newspaper headlines screaming "Third Nude Body Found!" He later goes to the swimming pool, where he sees it as part of his job description to berate female bathers for the skimpiness of their attire. Birdy meanwhile is in failing health; a diabetic, she is dependent on insulin to control her condition but has to obtain supplies surreptitiously as the use of medicine is strictly forbidden by the Brethren's beliefs. A local nurse Brigitte (Madeleine Hinde) is hired to care for Birdy, against Birdy's wishes, and becomes alarmed at what she sees of The Brethren. She passes on her concerns to her sister Paddy (Suzanna Leigh
), a campaigining journalist eager to write an exposé of religious cults. In order to infiltrate The Brethren, Paddy decides to pose as an unmarried expectant mother seeking God's forgiveness and redemption from her sins.
Kenny descends into a frenzy of killing. One day at the pool, he is outraged when a young woman removes her bikini top and later follows her home to exact retribution for her Godless ways. While on his nocturnal beat he stumbles across a prostitute servicing a client, and she too is brutally despatched. Naked female bodies turn up across London in bizarre circumstances, dropping out of a cement mixer or dangling from a meat hook.
Birdy takes such a shine to Paddy that the Minister begins to suspect a suppressed lesbian attraction. Accusing Birdy of "foul thoughts", he orders her to fast in order to cleanse her soul. Birdy slips into a diabetic coma and Paddy attempts desperately to administer an insulin shot, but is accidentally locked in the cellar by Kenny. Kenny locates a supply of insulin and rushes to his mother, but it is too late and she dies. In his grief Kenny finally finds the courage to stand up to the Minister. Having confessed his identity as the Nude Killer, he exacts vengeance by leaving the Minister crucified in his own church.
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
British serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
horror film, directed by Robert Hartford-Davis
Robert Hartford-Davis
Robert Hartford-Davis was a British born producer, director and writer, who worked on film and television in both in the United Kingdom and United States. He is also sometimes credited as Michael Burrowes or Robert Hartford....
and starring Ann Todd
Ann Todd
Dorothy Anne Todd was an English actress and producer.She was born in Hartford, Cheshire and was educated at St. Winifrid's School, Eastbourne. She became a popular actress from appearing in such films as Perfect Strangers and The Seventh Veil...
, Tony Beckley
Tony Beckley
Tony Beckley was an English character actor. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Beckley went onto carve out a career on film and television throughout the 1960s and 1970s often playing villainous roles, as well as being a veteran of numerous stage productions.-Film career:He made his...
and Patrick Magee
Patrick Magee (actor)
Patrick Magee was a Northern Irish actor best known for his collaborations with Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter, as well as his appearances in horror films and in Stanley Kubrick's films A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon.-Early life:He was born Patrick McGee in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern...
. The film is set against a background of religious fanaticism and, as with other films directed by Hartford-Davis, also includes elements of the sexploitation
Sexploitation
Sexploitation, or "sex-exploitation", describes a class of independently produced, low-budget feature films generally associated with the 1960s and serving largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sexual situations and gratuitous nudity. The genre is a subgenre of exploitation films...
genre of the early 1970s.
The Fiend as originally released runs for 98 minutes, but an edited version of 87 minutes (removing most of its more graphic content) was produced for the U.S. market. The film was released on DVD in 2005; however the DVD uses the cut version.
Plot
Widow Birdy Wemys (Todd) has become a devoted member of a fundamentalist fire-and-brimstone religious sect called The Brethren, led by the charismatic Minister (Magee). Birdy has turned her sizeable home over to the Brethren for use as a church and a recruiting ground, and her son Kenny (Beckley) has also fallen under their spell. Kenny is a troubled individual, dominated by his overbearing mother, introverted and socially inept. He has taken the teachings of the Minister to heart, and feels repulsed by what he sees as sin, lust and temptation being openly flaunted by the young women he sees as he goes about his daily business.The film opens with shots of a terrified mini-skirted young woman fleeing for her life along a riverbank, interspersed with scenes of a Brethren baptism service in full swing complete with gospel-style music and the congregation working itself into a religious frenzy. The girl is finally cornered by her unseen pursuer, strangled, stripped naked and thrown into the river at the same time as a boy is symbolically submerged during the baptism service.
Kenny works two jobs, as a part-time lifeguard at a public swimming pool and a night-time security guard. He returns from his nightshift to morning newspaper headlines screaming "Third Nude Body Found!" He later goes to the swimming pool, where he sees it as part of his job description to berate female bathers for the skimpiness of their attire. Birdy meanwhile is in failing health; a diabetic, she is dependent on insulin to control her condition but has to obtain supplies surreptitiously as the use of medicine is strictly forbidden by the Brethren's beliefs. A local nurse Brigitte (Madeleine Hinde) is hired to care for Birdy, against Birdy's wishes, and becomes alarmed at what she sees of The Brethren. She passes on her concerns to her sister Paddy (Suzanna Leigh
Suzanna Leigh
Suzanna Leigh is a former English actress.Born to a manufacturer of car engines Suzanna Leigh grew up in the Belgrave district of Leicester, England and later went to convent schools outside London...
), a campaigining journalist eager to write an exposé of religious cults. In order to infiltrate The Brethren, Paddy decides to pose as an unmarried expectant mother seeking God's forgiveness and redemption from her sins.
Kenny descends into a frenzy of killing. One day at the pool, he is outraged when a young woman removes her bikini top and later follows her home to exact retribution for her Godless ways. While on his nocturnal beat he stumbles across a prostitute servicing a client, and she too is brutally despatched. Naked female bodies turn up across London in bizarre circumstances, dropping out of a cement mixer or dangling from a meat hook.
Birdy takes such a shine to Paddy that the Minister begins to suspect a suppressed lesbian attraction. Accusing Birdy of "foul thoughts", he orders her to fast in order to cleanse her soul. Birdy slips into a diabetic coma and Paddy attempts desperately to administer an insulin shot, but is accidentally locked in the cellar by Kenny. Kenny locates a supply of insulin and rushes to his mother, but it is too late and she dies. In his grief Kenny finally finds the courage to stand up to the Minister. Having confessed his identity as the Nude Killer, he exacts vengeance by leaving the Minister crucified in his own church.
Cast
- Ann ToddAnn ToddDorothy Anne Todd was an English actress and producer.She was born in Hartford, Cheshire and was educated at St. Winifrid's School, Eastbourne. She became a popular actress from appearing in such films as Perfect Strangers and The Seventh Veil...
as Birdy Wemys - Tony BeckleyTony BeckleyTony Beckley was an English character actor. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Beckley went onto carve out a career on film and television throughout the 1960s and 1970s often playing villainous roles, as well as being a veteran of numerous stage productions.-Film career:He made his...
as Kenny Wemys - Patrick MageePatrick Magee (actor)Patrick Magee was a Northern Irish actor best known for his collaborations with Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter, as well as his appearances in horror films and in Stanley Kubrick's films A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon.-Early life:He was born Patrick McGee in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern...
as Minister - Suzanna LeighSuzanna LeighSuzanna Leigh is a former English actress.Born to a manufacturer of car engines Suzanna Leigh grew up in the Belgrave district of Leicester, England and later went to convent schools outside London...
as Paddy Lynch - Madeleine Hinde as Brigitte Lynch
- Percy HerbertPercy Herbert (actor)Percy Herbert was an English character actor who often played soldiers, most notably in The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Geese and Tunes of Glory. However, he was equally at home in comedies and science fiction...
as Commissionnaire - David LodgeDavid Lodge (actor)David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
as CID Inspector - Ronald AllenRonald AllenRonald John Allen was an English character actor who achieved the status of a soap opera star.Allen was born in Reading, Berkshire...
as Paul - Maxine Barry as Singer
- Jeannette Wild as Prostitute
- Diana Chappell as Poolside Girl
- Hani Borelle as Riverside Girl
- Susanna East as Teenage Girl
External links
- The Fiend at British Horror Films