robin-525 I often wonder if movies like this had the audiences of the time rolling in the aisles or did folk react in much the same way most people today would, with a certain cynical boredom? Personally, I'm a fan of all sorts of humour, and that includes the light silliness of movies like this. Few people, probably nobody in fact, will get belly-laughs from this film, but my girlfriend and I, and her sister, watched it together smiling and chuckling all the way through. We were entertained and we'd watch it again.Part of the appeal, of course, for a thirty-something like me is that strange nostalgia for a time you never experienced and certainly never was. Even though it's an unrealistic spooky murder mystery, you'd still quite like to be there with the characters, enjoying this curiously innocent world where people die in a remarkable bloodless fashion.There's a good cast, full of recognisable faces - there's fun to had from finally realising that you're looking at a very young Michael Gough and playing a butler long before Alfred in the first four Batman movies.It's ultimately absurd, but it's a well-put-together little film, with a great cast, an atmospheric set and a light but entertaining plot, perfect for lazy Sunday afternoon viewing.

kennedya-1 Absolute dross, totalling wasting the talents of Michael Gough, Dennis Price, Shirley Eaton and Donald Pleasance. Kenneth Connor as always overacts and overdrools(over Shirley Eaton)in his usual brow - furrowing scenery-chewing excuse for comedic acting. Sid, aware that the script contains no real humour, laughs at his own "jokes" in the hope that the audience will be conned into joining him; a ploy he was to use the rest of his life. How anyone ever found this mess even mildly amusing beggars belief. Surely the production team should have jacked it in after viewing the initial rushes and spent their money more wisely on Rolls Razor shares or bought up unexpurgated copies of Lady Chatterley's Lover to cash in the recent court ruling. Incredible to think that this tosh was contemporary with Beyond The Fringe and several years after The Goon Show.

stephenbrown83 This is a movie which falls between categories. It's not a British full-blooded farce of the type that the Carry-On series exulted in. That said, it does indeed come the same stable as that cinematic equivalent of naughty seaside postcard humour. And even though it strives to emulate The Cat and the Canary genre, it is a rather weak candidate for the comedy-thriller category. It has some of the United Kingdom's prize comic actors of the time - Syd James, Kenneth Connor etc. Ray Cooney had a primary hand in the screenplay but even with his string of vehicles for Brian Rix and London's Whitehall Theatre the only thing that gets carved up are the reputations of some usually funny actors. Hackneyed - yes. A white knuckle ride - definitely not.One element of the study of spectator ship is the use of locations in films. What made me return to the film in recent times was its Yorkshire scenes. I have been interested in this county as a movie set. There are many of examples of it being used this. I would welcome knowing which places, if any, were used for this purpose in the film.In summary: an enjoyable enough film that nowadays will be mainly watched for its social and geographical settings.

Landers It's not a great film but it's still excellent. Although the plot is see-through you still end up hanging on every word and at some point some people will do the "shouting-at-the-screen" thing.It seems to mix pre-"Carry On" with post-"Ealing" and it does it well.Worthy of watching.