When I first saw this many moons ago I didn't like it at all. It bored me. Now I have watched it again after a few decades and I really enjoyed it.
Peter Cushing stars as a former priest named Dr. Lawrence who has more than a few problems. More on that in a bit.
The story opens with a party of young people and two couples who make a bet on a short road race. One couple, Daphne (Veronica Carlson) and Billy (Stewart Bevan) get lost in a thick fog. He goes to find gas and she is accosted by a weird young man named Tom Rawlings (John Hurt).
She escapes him and runs into Lawrence who invites her into his home. After a while she is shown a room to stay in until the extra thick fog lifts/ Daphne is killed by an unseen person, and it is a brutal death scene indeed.
We eventually learn that Dr. Lawrence was a priest in India and saw many dark and evil things. We also learn that his son is the mysterious killer who has been terrorizing the countryside. He is a cannibal and became that way in India.
It's a very bleak and depressing storyline, but it is well handled by all involved and that includes director Freddie Francis. The rest of the cast includes Gwen Watford, Alexandra Bastedo, Ian McCulloch and Don Henderson.
This is a rare film that has been somewhat forgotten over the years. It really deserves to be seen more.
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