Just rewatched this for the first time in about 30 years and it is every bit as good and bad as I remembered. It has so much going for it - some real heavyweight acting talent; fantastic settings and atmosphere; Judy Matheson at her most luminous in a substantial role; and, best of all, a really off-kilter story. The pieces are all there. Of course it often belies its low budget and while there are some great actors on display others may not be quite so top-drawer. But none of that reduces the enjoyment of Crucible of Terror. Like several other British horrors it succeeds because of its shortcomings rather than in spite of them. If you're a fan of the genre you owe yourself a viewing.

*Possible Spoilers Ahead* Please watch movie before reading thisOkay, so I finally saw this movie and wow...it's amazing but not for the reasons you would think. First of all, the star, Mike Raven could have easily made a career out of being a stunt double for Christopher Lee. I am really surprised he never gave it a try. In the face, he is a dead ringer for Christopher Lee. What a shame he did not go that route. He also was one of the financial backers of this film and no doubt had some say-so regarding the script. The script often doesn't seem to make sense. Okay, first spoiler coming here if you did not read the warning above...In the beginning of the film, we are treated to a James Bond type opening where we are dropped into a scene without explanation where someone is making a mold of a woman who is unconscious. He completely covers her except for one eye, in which molten metal is poured. Pretty horrible and unsettling open for a horror film and lets you know the filmmakers mean business. Problem is, he is later shown with a perfect cast of the woman. However, he would be unable to make that cast with her still in the mold. Pouring the molten metal in there would yield nothing more than a burned woman and even then, it is doubtful there was enough room for the metal to travel into the mold. Okay, nitpicking aside, this seems to be the only time he does this, until the end as it probably turned out to be very difficult to get that perfect metal copy of the woman with his lack of skills. So he tries it again at the climax but this time, the woman turns into the first woman he killed, now burned beyond recognition. The burn make-up leaves something to be desired as well. It is credited to make-up artist Jimmy Evans, who did underwhelming make-up jobs in other films such as TOWER OF EVIL and BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE just to name a few. The score is pretty over- the-top attempt at a horror score but it works for this film. It's not the worst film ever made but it just seems like they didn't think it out much before they started shooting. Luckily, there are 10 minutes of footage that have been restored for the DVD version so I suggest getting that one. I didn't talk about the plot because it makes so little sense, I see no reason to discuss it.

Deep down, many horror fans want to act in a horror movie. I've romanticized over the idea, and I'm sure you have too. Here's the thing-many a time, people who want to be or try to be a big name in horror suck as actors. All the notable names in the genre either have experience in acting or became genre icons by sheer accident.I bring all of this up because I want to talk about Mike Raven. He was a popular radio DJ and occult enthusiast who was also a huge horror fan. So, with Horror in Britain going through a slow decline in the 70's, some saw Raven as the next big horror star. That worked out as well as you think it would, as Raven gave bad performances in such movies as "Lust for the Vampire", "Disciple of Death" and this movie, 1971's "Crucible of Terror." Raven stars as Victor Clare, an insane sculptor who kills a woman named Chi-San (cult actress Me Me Lai) and turns her into a sculpture. Well, James Davies (James Bolam) acquires some of Victor's work through his son Michael ("Raiders of the Lost Ark's" Ronald Lacey), who decides to set up a weekend with some folks at his dad's secluded cottage. As you can guess, people start getting knocked off.Though it resembles a Giallo film and has some decent, bloody death scenes, "Crucible of Terror" is a bore. For one thing, the script and direction by Tom Parkinson (his sole writing and directing credit) is flat and uninvolved, with cheap sets and wooden acting dominating the proceedings. It also fails to do anything interesting with Victor's family, who are all unlikeable, obnoxious characters who lack anything resembling empathy, interest or investment, which makes everyone's fate more boring than interesting. Then there's Raven. It's been said many times that he resembles a poor man's Christopher Lee, but I disagree-that would be insulting to an actual poor man's Christopher Lee. His bug eyed, over dramatic performance can't even register on a camp level.If you ask me, films like "Crucible of Terror" are living proof that you can't just automatically become a horror star. There's better British horror from the 70's, so why bother with this?

Crucible of Terror starts in a old tin mine forge, an unknown assailant prepares a plaster cast mixture & spreads it over the naked body of Chi-San (Me Me Lai) to form a perfect cast of her body & then the unknown psycho pours white hot molten metal into a hole in the cast... Jump to London where art dealer Jack Davies (James Bolam) is holding an exhibit trying to impress the main investors George (Kenneth Keeling) & his wife Joanna (Melissa Stribling) as well as trying to sell some of his items. Things don't go so well but one item in particular seems to generate a certain amount of interest, a bronzed sculpture of a Chinese woman by an artist named Victor Clare (Mike Raven) supplied by his alcoholic son Michael (Ronald Lacey). Jack ask's Michael if he can supply more of his father's work, Michael says no but he is welcome to talk to his father personally. Jack his wife Millie (Mary Maude), Michael & his wife Jane (Beth Morris) all decide to go together & make a weekend out of it. Once there things take a turn for the worse, Victor is stark raving mad as is his wife Dorothy (Betty Alberge) & that night someone brutally stabs Jane to death...This English production was co-written & directed by Ted Hooker & I found it so bad that it was just so entertaining & funny. The script by Hooker & Tom Parkinson moves along at a nice pace, is never boring or dull & is just so bizarre & funny that I couldn't help but like it. Some of the dialogue in Crucible of Terror is pure gold, "the only spirits you believe in are brown & poured out of a bottle" for instance after two character's discuss a haunted tin mine. There are loads more as well. I also thought the murder mystery elements were cool, I mean you think you have the killer & their motives nailed down but then the twist ending just comes out of nowhere & turns everything on it's head. I just love the silliness of it all. What's up with Victor's wife? I mean she's probably in her 50's yet she dresses like a little girl, has pig tails plus she talks to & plays with cuddly toys & dolls! It's never given any sort of satisfactory explanation as to why she is like this but hey, who cares when it's this strange & entertaining. One of the character's commits suicide for no apparent reason & is never explained why. I have no idea why but I liked all the zaniness, idiocy & eccentricity in Crucible of Terror.Director Hooker keeps the film moving, however his red-herrings & throwaway lines make little sense overall. I'm a big fan of 70's British horror & I love the look throughout Crucible of Terror from the clothes & locations to the cars & interior design with some horrible garish wallpaper! Even the obviously fake mine shafts add a certain feel. I could have used a bit more in the way of violence & gore as well, there is a stabbing, someone has their head bashed in with a rock, some acid thrown on someone's face & a couple of slit wrists, a bit too dry for my liking.With a budget that probably was pretty low Crucible of Terror is generally well made in & around some nice British coastal seaside locations. The best way to describe the acting is over-the-top, Raven used to be a Radio 1 DJ (anyone from the UK will know what I'm talking about) & Bolam is more widely known for his role in the successful British TV sitcom 'The Likely Lads' & it's various follow ups & spin offs.I must admit I wasn't expecting to but I really rather enjoyed Crucible of Terror, it kept me entertained for 90 odd minutes & that's all I could really ask for. I definitely can't recommend it to anyone as I think you need to be of a certain disposition to get anything from it, far from what one would call a good film but a highly entertaining & fun one none the less & how can you not like a film where someone is murdered using a 70's novelty see-thru plastic cushion!