''The Uncanny'' is a 1977 British-Canadian

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

directed by

Denis Héroux Denis Héroux, (; July 15, 1940 – December 10, 2015) was a Canadian film director and producer. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, he was the older brother of prolific Quebec film and television producer Claude Héroux. Héroux wanted to bec ...

, written by Michel Parry, and starring

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...

, Joan Greenwood, Donald Pilon,

Samantha Eggar Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar (born 5 March 1939) is a retired British-American actress. After beginning her career in Shakespearean theatre she rose to fame for her performance in William Wyler's thriller '' The Collec ...

, and

John Vernon John Keith Vernon (born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz; February 24, 1932 February 1, 2005) was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada. He was best known for playing Dean Wormer ...

.UNCANNY, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 44, Iss. 516, (Jan 1, 1977): 154. Although it is similar to the horror anthologies released by

Amicus Productions Amicus Productions was a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England, active between 1962 and 1977. It was founded by American producers and screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg. Films Prior to establish ...

and could be mistaken as one, it was actually distributed by

The Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...

. However, the co-producer was Milton Subotsky of Amicus.Ed. Allan Bryce, ''Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood'', Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 153-154

Plot

Montreal 1977

In 1977, in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, writer Wilbur Gray visits his publisher Frank Richards to discuss his new book about

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

s. Wilbur believes that felines are supernatural creatures, and that they are

the devil Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...

in disguise. Wilbur tells three tales to illustrate his thoughts:

London 1912

In 1912, in

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 ...

, Miss Malkin is a wealthy woman who rewrites her will leaving her fortune to her cats rather than to her nephew Michael. Her maid Janet, also the mistress of Michael, steals one copy of the will from the lawyer's briefcase and tries to destroy the original copy which is kept in the safe. When Miss Malkin sees her attempt, Janet kills her. The cats avenge Miss Malkin's death.

Quebec 1975

In 1975, in the Province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, the orphan Lucy comes to live with her aunt Mrs. Blake, her husband, and her cousin Angela after the death of her parents in a plane crash. Lucy brings her only friend, the cat Wellington, but her mean cousin forces her parents to get rid of Wellington. Lucy uses her mother's book of witchcraft to avenge Wellington.

Hollywood 1936

In 1936, in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, the actor Valentine De'ath replaces the blade of a fake

pendulum A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward th ...

to kill his actress wife, and give his young mistress and aspiring actress Edina a chance. The cat of his wife avenges her death.

Cast

Montreal 1977

as Wilbur Gray *

as Frank Richards

London 1912

Susan Penhaligon Susan Penhaligon (born 3 July 1949) is a British actress and writer known for her role in the drama series ''Bouquet of Barbed Wire'' (1976), and for playing Helen Barker in the sitcom '' A Fine Romance'' (1981–1984). She appeared in the so ...

as Janet * Joan Greenwood as Miss Malkin *

Roland Culver Roland Joseph Culver, (31 August 1900 – 1 March 1984) was an English stage, film, and television actor. Life and career After Highgate School, he joined the Royal Air Force and served as a pilot from 1918 to 1919. After considering other c ...

as Wallace * Simon Williams as Michael

Quebec 1975

* Donald Pilon as Mr. Blake *

Alexandra Stewart Alexandra Stewart (born June 10, 1939) is a Canadian actress. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, Stewart left for Paris, France, in 1958, to study art. Within a year, she made her film debut in '' Les Motards'', and has since then enjoyed a st ...

as Mrs. Joan Blake *

Chloe Franks Chloe Franks (born 1 September 1963) is a British actress, best known for her appearances as little girls in British films of the 1970s. Franks was born in London, England. Career Her best remembered role was as Jane Reid, the young, witchcraf ...

as Angela Blake *

Katrina Holden Bronson Katrina Holden Bronson is an American film director, screenwriter and actress. She is the adopted daughter of actors Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American acto ...

as Lucy * Renée Girard as Mrs. Maitland

Hollywood 1936

as Edina Hamilton *

as Valentine De'ath *

as Pomeroy *

Catherine Bégin Catherine Bégin (22 April 1939 – 29 December 2013) was a Canadian actress. Biography Catherine Bégin's parents were Quebec sound engineer Lucien Bégin (1895–1964) and Belgian accountant Marie-Louise Vanhavre (or Van Havre) (1906–19 ...

as Madeleine * Jean LeClerc as Barrington * Sean McCann as The Inspector

Production

"The Uncanny" is the fifth Milton Subotsky film in which a character has the name "Maitland" ("Mrs. Maitland" played by Renee Girard). The others are ''

And Now the Screaming Starts! ''And Now the Screaming Starts!'' is a 1973 British gothic horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom, Patrick Magee, Stephanie Beacham and Ian Ogilvy. It is one of the few feature-length horror stories by Am ...

'' (1973) in which Guy Rolfe plays "Maitland;" ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' (1972) in which Ian Hendry plays "Carl Maitland;" ''

The Skull ''The Skull'' is a 1965 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis for Amicus Productions, and starring the frequently paired horror actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, alongside Patrick Wymark, Jill Bennett, Nigel Green, Patrick ...

'' (1965) which top-bills Peter Cushing as "Dr. Christopher Maitland;" and the earliest, '' The City of the Dead'' (aka ''Horror Hotel'', 1960) in which Tom Naylor plays "Bill Maitland."

Filming

The film was a British-Canadian co-production shot on-location in

and

Senneville, Quebec Senneville () is an affluent on-island suburban village on the western tip of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the wealthiest town in the West Island. Situated close to the city of Montreal, it was historically a popular location fo ...

, and

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Filming started in Montreal on 16 November 1976.

Release

Certification

In the UK, the film was originally given an X-rating.

Reception

Box Office

The film performed poorly at the box office.

References

External links

* *
The Uncanny review - Family Friendly Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uncanny (film), The 1977 films 1977 horror films British supernatural horror films Films about cats Films set in 1912 Films set in 1936 Films set in 1975 Films set in London Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Quebec Films shot at Pinewood Studios British horror anthology films Films about size change Films about writers Films about witchcraft English-language Canadian films Canadian supernatural horror films Films directed by Denis Héroux 1970s English-language films 1970s Canadian films 1970s British films