Straight on Till Morning

Rating:
Summary: A surprise from Hammer
Review: For fans of Hammer, this film comes highly recommended.Set in modern London (1972), those familiar with the period Hammer pieces might expect a somewhat confused plot or hard to follow story. Whlie such Hammer films are still enjoyed by many, pleasingly, this is not the case here. This one should easily hold your attention from start to finish, and is truly a departure for Hammer, being a rather modern story, in a modern setting. For purposes of comparison, Fear In The Night comes closest, but Straight on Till Morning has a far better story to tell, is much clearer, and is therefore more rewarding. A genuinely enjoyable, substantial, and frightening thriller- you'll spend the length of the film trying to figure out the extent of madness to which Shane Briant's character has fallen into- not to mention wondering when, and if Rita Tushingham's character is about to be murdered by him. I was expecting a fairly average Hammer film with this one, but got much more.
Really interesting and unique piece for Hammer fans.

Rating:
Summary: great psycho thriller from Hammer
Review: I've been wanting to see this rarely shown Hammer movie for a long time so it was great to finally get the chance with this superb release from Anchor Bay.This is a disturbing and quite shocking psychological thriller with some genuinely unsettling scenes that must have packed quite a punch in the early seventies.Rita Tushingham is brilliant as the northern girl who moves to London in search of a boyfriend to father the baby she desperately wants.Shane Briant is suitably creepy as the guy she eventually meets.The print used here is astonishingly clean and sharp.Absolutely pristine in fact.Well done Anchor Bay.Again.

Rating:
Summary: Shane Briant is fantastic!
Review: This unique and complex thriller from Hammer is one of their most off-beat films. If you can withstand the erratic editing in the beginning of the film then you're in for a real treat. Besides swinging London settings and terrific performances from so-hip-it-hurts Shane Briant (DEMONS OF THE MIND & FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL) and so-NOT-hip-it-hurts Rita Tushingham (A TASTE OF HONEY & SMASHING TIME), the film has an original style that's very daring for the time thanks to the great direction by Peter Collinson (FRIGHT & THE ITALIAN JOB).

The Peter Pan inspired story unfolds slowly and has a quiet creepiness that sticks with you long after it's over. Shane plays a twisted 'Peter' to Rita's clueless 'Wendy' in this odd and slightly uneven film. In minor ways it resembles other great 'trapped women' thrillers such as THE COLLECTOR, but in STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING 'Wendy' is an almost willing victim. It also has some similarities to the classic PEEPING TOM, but 'Peter' enjoys recording his victims instead of filming them.

Shane Briant's low-key acting style makes his performance as a murdering psychopath very believable and he brings a vulnerability to his role that makes you both love and loath him (similar to Terence Stamp in THE COLLECTOR). The movie contains very little gore and the murders that do occur take place mostly off screen, which probably makes the viewer more sympathetic toward 'Peter.'

Unfortunately the film has gone unappreciated due to bad reviews when it first played in Britain by critics who seemed to not like the new direction Hammer was taking. Overall I think it's a terrifically weird little film, but probably not for everyone. Fans of unusual psychological thrillers should enjoy STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING.

And reviewer Robert Horton was right, STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING does indeed contain the following: "In one scene Rita Tushingham pretties herself up in what may be the ugliest make-over in screen history."

The DVD print quality is wonderful and very sharp. The sound is very good but recorded a little low. Like most Anchor Bay releases, the overall quality is great!