I'm writing this review a couple weeks after having watched the film and I can barely remember it. However, IMDB refreshed my memory and it was about a group of archeologists uncovering an ancient and cursed treasure underneath the titular tower. The film was more gruesome than I was expecting and had a decent amount of atmosphere given it's meager budget, but the story and characters were all pretty dull which really drug the film down. Okay viewing for people wanting something along the lines of a lesser Hammer Horror film.

The plot = Two teenage couples arrive on Snape Island, to party and have sex, but not for long as they start to get victimized by an unseen killer who disposes the victims with an axe. One of the girls survives the massacre but is driven mad with fear and actually kills one of the sailors who tries to rescue her. As she's in a traumatised state, the police decides she's the killer, so the girls parents hires a private detective to travel to the island of doom to prove her innocence. He teams up a group of museum types, who believe that a temple for the Phoenician god called Baal resides in the caverns underneath the rocky island.I can across this little gem late one night on BBC 2, and not expecting much to come from this, well I was actually pleasantly surprised. This movie came out in 1972, and definitely sets the tone for what's to come later with the slasher craze that was to follow within' the next couple of years. The setting of the island is very dark and Gothic and sets the perfect tone and atmoshere. The effects are also surprisingly realistic for a movie this old particularly the headless body and the severed hand - are very realistic.Tower of Evil is fast-paced and entertaining, full of solid performances and shocks. But is also has many cheesy moments that undermine the atmosphere. And there are one or two cheesy moments like when the girl is the hospital in a special machine with disco lights, I mean thought that scene was hilarious. There are also red herrings, blood-lettings, occasional bouts of madness, explicit sex scenes, and the extended use of fast-cutting, with subliminal shocks.All in all a solid British slasher that has aged reasonably well, definitely worth checking out.

In "Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide", he gives this film a savage review and in hindsight I probably should have listened to him, as this is a portion of my life I probably wasted. That's because this is a perfectly dreadful film in just about every way--particularly in how the characters were written. Heck, my cats could probably write better characters and dialog! I was also quite surprised as I watched the film, as it had a very significant amount of nudity and sexual content. That surprise was because it was shown on Turner Classic Movies--a channel that rarely has nudity but even when it does, there's far less than in this film. Oddly, the nudity made little sense because the film was set on an island in Britain (and you DON'T want to run around naked there--especially at night--it's just too cold!). Also oddly because if you DO want a soft-core pornographic movie, you should certainly hire better looking ladies. I didn't want to see a skin flick but couldn't see why these flat-chested and mediocre ladies were chosen. As I said, I don't usually watch films with this much skin in it but for those who want this in a film, you'll be pretty disappointed--though the men seemed a bit more photogenic in this regard.As for the plot, it was pretty stupid but had possibilities. The problem wasn't just than having Phoenicians and the pagan god Baal in the UK was silly but the characters were just pathetic. Here's the story in a truncated form. 3 of 4 young nudists are murdered and the 4th kills one of the rescuers. They aren't sure if she was the one who murdered the others or if she just panicked and killed the rescuer because of her mental condition following the massacre of her scantily-clad friends.A psychiatrist uses a form of shock therapy (using chemicals and goofy lights) to get this survivor to tell her story, as once she's in custody, she'd become catatonic. The folks are able to learn that she believed they were attacked--but by what they still don't know. What I would like to know, though, is how this lady not only knew what she and her boyfriend were doing (this mostly involved getting naked and her saying 'she wasn't THAT kind of girl' when he later wanted to have sex?!?) but she also detailed what the other couple was doing on another part of the island at the same time!! While they still don't know what happened, an 'expert' announces that one of the victims was impaled with a Phoenician sword associated with funerals and Baal worship and they MUST search the island for treasure. Oddly, no one in the group that then heads back to the island appears to be an archaeologist or anthropologist--just a motley crew of adventurers who look nothing like the sort to investigate--particularly the slutty lady whose only interest in life is sex. Why they would bring this nympho along is beyond me, but the others, too, seem completely out of place. There's no 'Indiana Jones' here--or anyone remotely like him. Also, while this makes no sense, what makes even less sense is why such a small group goes there--and they have no backup plan! Think about it--a group was slaughtered there and they aren't sure who did it. The mass murderer might still be on the island waiting but they don't even consider the possibility or bring weapons or a cop!!! But, fortunately, they did bring a horny lady who talks incessantly about sex and who lifts her skirt at the first available moment on an island where mass murder just occurred!! I could try to say more about the plot or the rest of the idiot characters, but frankly it's like shooting fish in a barrel.So, what we have is a dumb plot, horrible characters who make no sense and who are dumber than eels and lots of nudity featuring not especially attractive people. Need I say more?! This is just a terrible film and I can see almost nothing interesting to say about this low-budget bucket of bile. It only manages a 2 because at least, on rare occasions, it does offer a few decent chills (aside from those experienced by the nudists at the beginning of the film).Oh, and by the way, this isn't a huge plot problem because they guy was not supposed to be a forensics expert, but at the beginning when the two men discover the massacre, one says to the other "how long have they been dead?". The other guy says "...about a week"--even though the bodies showed no evidence of critters nibbling on the corpses, putrification or discoloration at all and there was fresh blood all about the bodies. Maybe this man's not an expert, but he apparently was an idiot--especially since this moron returns to the island later in the film!

Sexy vintage British horror tale packed with traditional atmospheric fog, shades of Gothic and hot young flesh. From the firm buttocks of the hunky men to the smooth perky breasts of the women, this film exploits the 70's free love era. Three interconnected tales revolve around an old lighthouse island purported to be closed but hiding deep secrets. They are . . . First: A man, his wife and their child escape the near by village to live in isolation. Something happens. Second: Free spirited young Americans who are for the most part naked during their flashback sequences, and we're all happy about that, visit the island for a little hot sex and weed. Surely this movie was made by content bisexuals because both sexes bare enough flesh to make your engine hum. Someone murders three of the hot and horny kids (while they're all naked). Third: A research team is sent to the island because one of the boys was murdered with an antique sword only found in southern Europe. The sword it appears belongs to a cult that worships the God of Orgies, lust and firm male butts. The team is comprised of four young hot archaeologists, and two locals, one in particular is a hungry stud (Gary Hamilton) who is by far the best looking 70's hunk I've ever seen naked on screen. There's a lot of "whose been sleeping in my bed" antics before the truth about the island is uncovered.The underground worship chamber is by far the funniest horror set I have ever seen.All in all for film history's sake and a nice slice of 70's nudity mixed with chills and thrills, this is the best of it's kind.Did I mention hot men and sweet women are starked naked most of the time? Catch it!