Monday, March 10, 2014

Horror Film countdown 2013, part 16


Four-Sided Triangle (1953), dir. Terrence Fisher, Hammer Film Productions



Moving back in the Hammer library, we go to what is considered their first foray into the genre of mad science. With Fisher at the helm and a story based on the novel by William F. Temple, the story showed some of the same themes would pop up in their Frankenstein series.




Told in flashback by Dr. Harvey (James Hayter), we learn of Bill Leggat (Stephan Murray) and Robin Grant (John Van Eyssen) two childhood friends who both loved Lena Maitland (Barbara Payton). Bill and Robin were also scientists, developing something they call the Reproducer, an amazing device which could perfectly copy any physical object down to the tiniest detail.

They promptly forget about this when Lena returns to their village. Both men promptly forget about their amazing device and try to woo her, Robin only succeeding when he tosses the science nonsense and go to work for his father.

Bill, on the other hand, remembers the whole ‘machine that can copy anything perfectly’ and has Lena sit in front of the machine. The double (named Helen) is an exact copy of Lena, including the whole dumping him in favor of Robin.

Bill, deciding to handle this the mature way, straps Helen into a crude electroshock treatment machine and sends an untold amount of electricity into Helen’s brain. The machine also explodes. There is only one survivor. Is it Lena or Helen?

Science fiction can be a tricky thing to do, but there are just too many moments in the film that give my face a palm shaped imprint. Hammer would later mature with their science fiction films, giving us Frankenstein and the Quartermass series, but this has rightly been dropped into the dustbin of memory. It should stay there. 



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