''Persecution'' (also released as ''Sheba'', ''The Terror of Sheba'' and ''The Graveyard'') is a 1974 British

psychological horror film Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subg ...

directed by

Don Chaffey Donald Chaffey (5 August 1917 – 13 November 1990) was a British film director, writer, producer, and art director. Chaffey's film career began as an art director in 1947, and his directorial debut was in 1953. He remained active in the indu ...

, produced by Kevin Francis and starring

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized pe ...

Ralph Bates Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom '' Dear John'' and the original ''Poldark''. Biography Bates was born in Bristol, England. His parents were bo ...

Olga Georges-Picot Olga Georges-Picot (6 January 1940 – 19 June 1997) was a French actress. She was a great-niece of François Georges-Picot. Early life Born in Shanghai, in Japanese-occupied China, she was the daughter of Guillaume Georges-Picot, the French A ...

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...

and

Suzan Farmer Suzan Maxine Farmer (16 June 1942 – 17 September 2017) was an English film and television actress. She was regularly cast in movies produced by Hammer Films. Early life The daughter of David Farmer, a trader in metals, and Eleanor (née Bes ...

. The film was released in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

as ''Sheba'' and ''The Terror of Sheba'' and subsequently re-titled ''The Graveyard'' for VHS release in the 1980s. The film's promotional

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, s ...

s are: *''Warning: this film is NOT for the squeamish'' *''The horror of a twisted mind!'' *''Now it's David's turn to get even… and he has a very special treat for his mother''.

Plot summary

Carrie Masters (Lana Turner) is a crippled, wealthy, bitter woman who takes pleasure in tormenting her young son David (Mark Weavers). She blames him for her crippled leg and, in bizarre and horrifying ways, exacts her revenge by dominating him. Years later, a 24-year-old David (Ralph Bates) returns home with his wife Janie (Suzan Farmer) and their newborn child, but he is still subject to his mother's evil influence. When she is involved in two terrifying deaths, David's mind snaps; although he is already mentally twisted by Carrie's treatment, David becomes completely insane and swears vengeance on his mother for his years of hate and resentment.

Cast

as Carrie Masters *

as David Masters *

as Paul Bellamy *

as Monique Kalfon *

as Janie Masters *Mark Weavers as Young David *

Patrick Allen John Keith Patrick Allen (17 March 1927 – 28 July 2006) was a British actor. Life and career Allen was born in Nyasaland (now Malawi), where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada ...

as Robert Masters *Jennifer Guy as Waitress * Shelagh Fraser as Mrs. Banks * Ronald Howard as Dr. Ross *John Ryan as Gardener *Catherine Brandon as Mrs. Deacon

Production

''Persecution'' was shot in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

from late October to November 1973 at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and exterior scenes of the Masters House were shot on location at

Denham Place Denham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, approximately from central London, northwest of Uxbridge and just north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. The name is derived from the Old English for ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

Reception

''Persecution'' was a commercial and critical failure and widely panned by critics. In its review of the film, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote: "The old-fashioned meller is riddled with ho-hum and sometimes laughably trite scripting. Also, very tame in the shock horror department. Under the circumstances, Turner's performance has reasonable poise. There isn't much animation to Ralph Bates as the grown-up edition of the tormented son". Richard Schleib in ''The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Movie Review'' wrote: "Turner hams it up and she and Ralph Bates have fun playing games with one another. Don Chaffey’s pace is slow moving, despite occasionally inventive photography and some offbeat editing. The story is confusing – by the end, one is never sure who David’s real father was. The catty premise is not terribly interesting and the script trades in some unconvincingly histrionic psychology. The one show stealer is the sultry seductive Olga Georges-Picot."Shelley, Peter. ''Grande Dame Guignol Cinema: A History of Hag Horror from Baby Jane to Mother''
retrieved 21 July 2015. Lana Turner herself dismissed the film as a "bomb" and called it one of her worst performances during an interview in 1975.

References

External links

* * * * {{Don Chaffey 1974 films 1974 horror films 1970s psychological thriller films British thriller films British horror films Films directed by Don Chaffey Films shot at Pinewood Studios 1970s English-language films 1970s British films