Decemberdike # 15 Tam Lin (1970)
An obscure British semi-horror film based on the Scottish poem The Ballad of Tam Lin.
When i say obscure i say this meaning as obscure as any film can be that was directed by Roddy McDowall and stars American screen icon Ava Gardner.
There's a fine British support cast - Ian McShane (Who Gardner clearly has a lot of fun with), Richard Wattis, Stephanie Beacham, Joanna Lumley, Bruce Robinson and others but the film remains a curio, a fascinating glimpse back to the sixties age of Aquarius hedonistic lifestyles of the wealthy and drugged out. At it's heart Tam Lin is a story of witchcraft but McDowell keeps it well hidden in a cloud of LSD hallucinogens. Tam Lin may not be much of a horror film per se but it is certainly quirky and bizarre and even if, like me, you wonder exactly what the **** is going on for half the film it's a grower and well worth sticking with.
|