[J Harker]

What a Carve Up. Pat Jackson. 1961.

Well where has this film been. I'd never even heard of this til recently but what a delight this was, even via the somewhat murky print I watched on YouTube.
Carry On regular Kenneth Connor plays Ernest Broughton, a jittery young chap who proofreads pulp horror paperbacks for a living and shares a London flat with his mate Sydney, fellow Carry On stalwart, the great Sid James.
When Ernest recieves the news that his Uncle Gabriel has died, he must travel to his remote ancestral home of Blackshaw Towers on the Yorkshire Moors to hear the reading of the will.
Now then. Let's just say, Donald Pleasance plays the family solicitor Mr Sloane, the great Michael Gough plays Fisk the Butler and the brilliant Michael Gwynn plays Malcolm Broughton one of the relatives (all at the very least eccentric) waiting to get their hands on the Broughton inheritance. This should give a good idea of what sort of story transpires. This is not a Carry On film, despite some daftness and a few particularly silly scenes (cats and suits of armour I'm looking at you) this is a film that recognises and respects it's inspirations. What a Carve Up is at heart an old dark house movie, taking its cue from such classics as James Whales masterpiece. Yes it's a comedy horror but it's not in the absurd sense that spoofs of the genre can often be, this walks a line, albeit probably more leading into comedy but far from being a mockery.
I really really enjoyed this, I watched it twice on my tablet in a log cabin in West Wales last week on hols and I look forward to rewatching on dvd shortly in what I'm hoping will be a better print.
Thanks to Demdike and I believe MrBarlow for bringing this one to my attention.