Ken Russell had many qualities as a film-maker, but I wouldn't put subtlety at the top of the list, even though I enjoyed several of the movies he directed. I've now caught up with his adaptation of Bram Stoker's story The Lair of the White Worm, and 'over the top' is barely an adequate description. You have to regard it as a comic horror film, I think, with the emphasis on 'comic', though there are a few scenes that are definitely not for the faint-hearted. But for all its absurdity, it has a certain appeal as a guilty pleasure, which is why it's achieved something of a cult reputation.
The cast is terrific. It includes the young Peter Capaldi, the young Hugh Grant, and, in a small part, Gina McKee. Stratford Johns, better known to cop show fans as Charlie Barlow, makes an unexpected appearance. And Amanda Donohoe (who else?) plays the sultry temptress Lady Sylvia Marsh. Sammi Davis is quite good as Mary Trent, although Catherine Oxenburg, playing her sister, acts as though she'd rather be doing something else.
The locations include a sinister cavern which is actually Thor's Cave, in Wetton, Staffordshire. It looks intriguing and watching the film made me want to visit the cave one day. On the assumption, of course, that there are no monsters lurking in the hidden depths of the cavern's interior...
I haven't read the book, but I've no doubt that Russell's adaptation is a very loose one. He also updates the storyline to the 1980s. Briefly, it features an old legend about a monstrous worm and it's pretty barmy throughout. But the ending is surprisingly good and, whatever else one can say about the film, it doesn't lack pace or incident.
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