Best movie of this year hands down!

Best movie ever!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Hysteria is directed by Freddie Francis and written by Jimmy Sangster. It stars Robert Webber, Anthony Newlands, Jennifer Jayne, Maurice Denham and Lelia Gordon. Music is by Don Banks and cinematography by John Wilcox.From the long line of Hammer Thrillers with one word titles that followed in the wake of Psycho, Hysteria is a decent addition to the roster. Plot in simple terms finds Webber as Chris Smith, a survivor of a car crash who is suffering with amnesia. Upon finding out some mysterious benefactor has been footing the hospital bills for him, he is naturally intrigued as to who it is. Following the bare minimum of clues, while struggling with angry voices he hears in his head, Smith finds himself in a vortex of mystery and shifty shenanigans.What follows is a monochrome murder mystery laced with psychopathic tendencies, paranoia, dangerous attractions, twists and extended flashbacks. It's all a bit flimsy if you wanted to dissect it as a viable story, but Sangster comes up with some good ideas in the name of entertainment, and Francis is able to eek out suspense at regular intervals. Cast are fine, including the sometimes maligned Webber who sits the role well, while Denham offers up a good one as the detective who is not to be taken lightly.Good solid twisty thriller from Hammer. 7/10

Hysteria (1965) ** (out of 4) Nice direction and fine performances can't save this Hammer thriller, which owes a few things to fellow Britishman Alfred Hitchcock. Chris Smith (Robert Webber) wakes up after a near fatal car crash and realizes that he can't remember a thing about himself. After getting out of the hospital he tries to learn about his past and starts with a magazine photo he had of a woman. It turns out this woman was brutally murdered but soon Chris sees the woman and something just isn't right. HYSTERIA owes a lot to VERTIGO and if you're seen that Hitchcock movie then this here is just going to feel like a very cheap rip-off. Around the fifteen-minute mark I realized that there were only two ways this story could work out. There was going to be a true way or there was going to be a cheat. I won't reveal which one actually happens but I found this film to be well made but its story was just so lazy and boring that I often found myself losing focus. Director Freddie Fisher does a very good job keeping the film moving at a nice pace and this here is something that's pretty hard to do when the story is boring. He also brings a nice touch of style to the scenes but there's only so much he can do. Webber, best known for his role in 12 ANGRY MEN, offers up a good and believable performance as does supporting players Anthony Newlands, Lelia Goldoni and Jennifer Jayne. The biggest criticism would have to go to the jazz music score, which is so wrong for this picture that I'm amazed that no one cut it. If you've ever seen a silent picture from a cheap public domain company you know they'll just throw any jazz score on it even if it doesn't fit the picture. Well, it seems like Hammer did that here.

This is an unusual little surprise from the Hammer Studio's and horror director Freddie Francis. It's a thriller in the style of Hitchcock.The movie and story are well constructed and there are quite some plot twists and mysterious elements in the movie. It truly leaves you guessing till the end so fans of the genre will be absolutely delighted.However the movie notably tries to create a film-noir kind of atmosphere and story and characters. It fails in it mainly because the backdrop of this movie, London, simply is no New York, Chicago or San Fransisco. Also director's Freddie Francis inexperience with this genre doesn't help much. It's too bad because the movie and certainly story were already good enough on it's own, it didn't needed extra style and atmosphere.The actors do their jobs well and they are believable enough in their roles. The cinematography by John Wilcox is also truly great at times. Director Freddie Francis himself of course also was a much famed director of photography and later did some well known movies such as; "The Elephant Man", "Glory" and "Cape Fear (1991)". So his skill almost certainly had something to do with the at times great cinematography in this movie.The Jazzy musical score of the movie however was awful. There are only two things I hate in this world; hospital clowns and Jazz. So, yes obviously I'm biased of course.A very surprising, watchable thriller.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Hysteria concluded the trilogy of psychological thrillers that Freddie Francis directed for Hammer. The series began with Paranoiac (1963) and Nightmare (1964). The plot concerns an American amnesia victim Chris Smith (Robert Webber), whom is being used as a tool by the ruthless Dr Keller (Anthony Newlands) and his beautiful mistress (Lelia Goldoni). Between them they plan to frame Chris for the murder of Keller's wife, but their clever plan proves to be their own outdoing. In 1965, it was poorly received by critics and the public, but it's a gripping thriller and Freddie Francis directs the somewhat far fetched script by Jimmy Sangster with pace, building it neatly to it's climax. The black and white Cinematography by John Wilcox manages some decent compositions of a gray and dank 1960's London. The only criticism is the somewhat unsuitable music score by Don Banks, which is too jazzy for this type of film.