On P List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Paranoiac (1963)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
2/11, 12/17, 10/19
2/11:
Dark, brooding, combative, sexy, and absolutely talented, Oliver Reed, once upon a time, was the rage of British
cinema.
As great of an actor he was, his potential was largely untapped throughout his career which is a shame.
Neverthless, Paranoiac is a wonderful treat for his fans and newcomers alike. Oliver Reed is simply drop-dead
gorgeous in black and white, and it's hard to take eyes off him.
Although saddled with a weak ending, the Hammer Horror picture plays out like an episode in The Twilight Zone with a
lot of twists and turns, and the cast does a nice job of making the story work. But make no mistake: the show
starts and ends with Oliver Reed. Without him, there's no Paranoiac.
All in all, Oliver Reed was a gifted actor.
12/17:
When Oliver Reed appears in Paranoiac, it's literally impossible to take eyes off him, and he's drop-dead
gorgeous in black and white.
Mad, bad, and dangerous to know, Oliver Reed tears up the screen as Simon Ashby the youthful drunk who's set to
inherit his family fortune. If you think he's not the show, you're sadly mistaken. Born in Cannes, Liliane Brousse
was beautiful back then. She didn't have much of an acting career, having appeared in two more films before calling
it quits a year later.
Playing out like an episode in The Twilight Zone with a touch of Psycho,
Paranoiac is a strange addition to the Hammer Horror collection because of the absence of colors. Yet there's
no question that Freddie Francis' photography (although Arthur Grant was in the charge of it) is dazzling.
All in all, Paranoiac begins and ends with Oliver Reed.
10/19:
From start to finish, it's impossible to take eyes off Oliver Reed.
He's mesmerizing in the sublime black-and-white Paranoiac, one of the most well-done movies
about the supernatural although the ending is silly. With serious eyes, he puts his face to work to generate more
evil out of his manipulative character to get people do whatever he wants.
All in all, the more often I watch Paranoiac, the better it becomes.