''Revenge!'' is a 1971 British

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

Sidney Hayers Sidney Hayers (24 August 1921 – 8 February 2000) was a British film and television director, writer and producer. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Hayers began his career as a film editor. Among the films he directed are ''Circus of Horrors'' (19 ...

and starring

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...

James Booth James Booth (born David Noel Geeves; 19 December 1927 – 11 August 2005) was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. Though considered handsome enough to play leading roles, and versatile enough to play a wide variety ...

and

Sinéad Cusack Sinéad Moira Cusack ( ) is an Irish actress. Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, before moving to London in 1969 to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has won the Critics' Circle and ''Evening Standard'' Awards f ...

. The screenplay concerns a family who seek brutal revenge on the man who they suspect attacked their daughter. The film is based on the novel ''There Was an Old Woman'' by Lou Ellen Davis. In May 1976 this was released in the United States under the title ''Inn of the Frightened People''.

Plot

Pub landlords Jim and Carol Radford (

and

) are grieving for the death of their young daughter Jenny, who was raped and murdered by Seely (

Kenneth Griffith Kenneth Griffith (born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths, 12 October 1921 – 25 June 2006) was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker. His outspoken views made him a controversial figure, especially when presenting documentaries which have been ca ...

); Jim has two other children by his first marriage, Lee ( Tom Marshall) and Jill (Zuleika Robson). Seely is arrested for the crime by the Inspector (Donald Morley), but ultimately released due to a lack of evidence. As well as Jenny, Seely is suspected of also killing the daughter of Jim's friend Harry (

Ray Barrett Raymond Charles Barrett (2 May 19278 September 2009) was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a leading actor on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in ''The Troubleshooters'' (1965–1971). From the 1970s ...

). Seely himself lives a quiet,

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite ( adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a C ...

-like existence, but he is observed stopping at a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

near his house to watch the children. Seeking revenge, Harry and Lee urge Jim to kidnap Seely and keep him in the cellar of his pub. After some persuasion, Jim agrees to the plan; they capture Seely, beat him beyond recognition and keep him locked beneath the pub. This puts pressure on the Radford family, who don't dare release him but are too afraid to kill him. Having Seely in the cellar puts a strain on the relationships within the family, especially between Carol and Lee, and also on the business, when Carol tries to prevent brewery deliveryman Fred (

Geoffrey Hughes Geoffrey Hughes may refer to: * Geoff Hughes (born 1939), Australian tennis player *Geoffrey Hughes (actor) (1944–2012), English actor * Geoffrey Forrest Hughes (1895–1951), Australian aviator and pilot See also *Jeff Hughes (disambiguation) J ...

) from delivering the stock. Things reach a head when it seems that Seely may be innocent after all, and the relationships between Jim, Harry and Lee become more fractured.

Cast

as Jim Radford *

as Carol Radford * Tom Marshall as Lee Radford * Zuleika Robson as Jill Radford *

as Harry *

as Rose *

as Seely * Donald Morley as Inspector * Barry Andrews as Sergeant * Artro Morris as Jacko * Patrick McAlinney as George * Angus MacKay as Priest *

as Fred, the brewery driver * Nicola Critcher as Lucy Tom Marshall, Zuleika Robson and Donald Morley all had their voices dubbed, by

Nicky Henson Nicky Henson ( Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson; 12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019) was a British actor. Early life Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha ( Collins) and comedian Leslie Henson. Adam Henson, a f ...

Michele Dotrice Michele Dotrice (born 27 September 1948) is an English actress. She portrayed Betty Spencer, the long-suffering wife of Frank Spencer, portrayed by Michael Crawford, in the BBC sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', which ran from 1973 to 1978 ...

and

Garfield Morgan Thomas Timothy Garfield Morgan (19 April 1931 – 5 December 2009) was an English actor who appeared mostly on television and occasionally in films. Biography Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Morgan began acting with a youth club drama group ...

respectively.

Home media

When it was released in the United States on video, it was retitled ''Terror from Under the House''. That version is available as a region-free DVD. The region 1 DVD is titled ''Revenge!''

Critical reception

David McGillivray wrote in the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'', "what begins as a serious examination of a growing social problem becomes increasingly melodramatic, ending in a blaze of hysterical shrieking and stabbing. Quite unconvincing, enjoyable for all the wrong reasons" ; while the ''Joan Collins Archive'' described it as "an entertaining slice of 70s sensationalism."

References

External links

* 1971 films Films directed by Sidney Hayers 1970s thriller films British thriller films Films shot at Pinewood Studios 1970s English-language films 1970s British films {{1970s-thriller-film-stub