From Beyond the Grave (1974)

Directed by Kevin Connor. Starring Peter Cushing, Ian Bannen, Margaret Leighton, Donald Pleasence, Ian Carmichael, David Warner, Ian Ogilvy, Angela Pleasence, Nyree Dawn Porter, Lesley-Anne Down, Diana Dors, Wendy Allnut. [PG]

The last in a long line of British horror anthology films from Amicus Productions; this one’s not one of the best, but gets the job done with modest but uneven success. Four segments in all, each one tied to purchases made at Cushing’s antiques and oddities shop in the wraparound storyline; the only recognizable moral to any of the tales is simply: don’t try to swindle a shopkeeper. A few nicely atmospheric moments, emphasis on old-fashioned chills over gore, low on irony and actual scares. The middle two segments are the best of the quartet, though none of them beg for a re-watch when the spooky mood strikes. Leighton stands out in the cast as a dotty psychic in the third episode; a strange and sinister father-and-daughter pair in tale number two are played by real-life father and daughter, Donald and Angela Pleasence.

57/100