Short Sharp Shocks (2020)
A series of short films that would have been programmers alongside a main feature in British cinemas from the 1940's-1980's.
Lock Your Door (1949)
The Reformation of St Jules (1949)
I had high hopes for these two short films. Part of a series in which the renowned author Algernon Blackwood tells his own stories whilst sat at a fireplace. I'd hoped these would be a precursor for the classic MR James television adaptations as told by Christopher Lee and Robert Powell which i absolutely adore and in a way they are. Except Blackwood, despite being a prolific writer of ghost and horror stories which i have a lovely compendium of, is a really boring storyteller. He never looks into the camera, never engages the viewer and is sadly not at all interesting.
So, so disappointing.
Portrait of a Matador (1958)
Duller than dull tale of a matador and an artist. This was poorly acted and my mind was wandering from the off. Notable only for an appearance from Yvonne Romain.
Death Was a Passenger (1958)
I wasn't looking forward to this second Theodore Zichy effort after struggling to stay awake through Portrait of a Matador, but thankfully this tale of Terrence Alexander recounting to his fellow passengers a lucky escape he had while trying to escape the Nazis on a train at the start of WWII has a bit more about it and takes it's hat off to classic train set films like Berlin Express (1948). At least this throws a bit of mystery and the odd thrill our way if not exactly a short sharp shock.
I still have The Tell Tale Heart (1953) to watch but as it's another camp fire / fireside tale type thing, this time read by the great Stanley Baker i thought i'd leave it for another day.
Hopefully this and what is to come on disc two will make this set a little more memorable because following 4/9 tales it's a collection fast heading to CEX.
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