Demons of the Mind – 1971 | 89 mins | Horror, Thriller | Colour

Plot Synopsis

The ambitious screenplay to this gothic psychological thriller by Christopher Wicking, based on a story by its producer Frank Godwin, is somewhat confusing despite an admirable attempt to explore new themes of the genre. Director Peter Sykes at least makes sure the proceedings are excellently paced and the locations are visually refined. The stylish film was a Hammer production and an attempt by the studio to break into new horror avenues but co-financers EMI were unimpressed and ensured it received only a limited release and was duly a commercial failure. The cast is headed by former Manfred Mann lead singer Paul Jones but the acting honours are taken by Patrick Magee’s suitably sinister doctor, a wildly overacting Robert Hardy’s barmy Baron, Gillian Hills’ vulnerable Elizabeth and Shane Briant’s superb brother Emil.

Emil (Shane Briant) and Elizabeth (Gillian Hills) are the son and daughter of Bavarian Baron Zorn (Robert Hardy). Elizabeth escapes from her Aunt Hilda (Yvonne Mitchell) whilst returning home from Vienna, where she has been a patient in the sanatorium of psychoanalyst Falkenburg (Patrick Magee). She escapes from the carriage and takes refuge with handsome young student Carl Richter (Paul Jones) in his lakeside cabin, but is quickly recaptured and returned to the family home, where Baron Zorn keeps the entire family prisoner, believing them to be victims of hereditary insanity and incest. Falkenberg travels to the family home in order to continue his research.

There are a series of murders taking place in the nearby village, where young girls are strangled and their corpses covered in rose petals. It’s left to Falkenberg to discover the truth by re-enacting the past using a serving girl dressed in Baron Zorn’s dead wife’s clothes. Meanwhile, the outraged villagers are preparing to take action of their own and Richter arrives hoping to save Elizabeth.