SETH HOLT

Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB

United Kingdom, 1971. EMI Films, Hammer Films. Screenplay by Christopher Wicking, based on the novel The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker. Cinematography by Arthur Grant. Produced by Howard Brandy. Music by Tristram Cary. Production Design by Scott MacGregor. Costume Design by Rosemary Burrows. Film Editing by Peter Weatherley.

Adaptation of Bram Stoker’s oft-filmed novel Jewel of Seven Stars that represents a solid if not outstanding effort from the folks at Hammer.  Valerie Leon is excellent in a rare lead role as the daughter of an Egyptologist who is beset by bad dreams involving her being mummified and mutilated in ancient Egypt.

In her waking life she is trying to enjoy her romance with her handsome boyfriend, but when her father is stricken ill and his colleagues find themselves being killed by an evil force, the crimes lead to her own basement and the possibility that she is connected.

The film loses its pulse a bit in the last third, but its shamelessly indulgent manner makes it fun (ancient Egyptian sorceresses sure do have some very effective push-up bras) and the cast is not in the least bit ashamed of themselves (nor should they be).