I have to say with a title like The Hellfire
Club I was expecting a bit more depravity and libidinous activity. Orgies
and pagan rituals and such (don't let the posters fool you). The Hellfire
Club or clubs were a real thing. They existed in England in the 1700s and
their membership were the upper class and royalty. They did immoral things.
Blasphemous things. Basically sex and drinking clubs I imagine in which they
imported trollops to entertain the boys. All on the hush-hush. These clubs
sprouted up all over England like the Salvation Army. There are actually
still Hellfire Clubs but I imagine very much toned down to men secretly meeting
and then talking about the latest Marvel movie. There is very little of a
sexual nature in this film - more a straightforward adventure tale with a
fair amount of swashbuckling and villainy. One has to remember this was produced
in 1961, a few years before much depravity could be shown on screen. If made
ten years later, it might have proven much more interesting. Especially if
handled by Hammer - and though this came from a story by Jimmy Sangster and
has Peter Cushing in it - it is not Hammer.
Taking place in the 1700's two young boys sneak out of their palatial mansion
to see what is going on in the Caves. Ah. A fake sacrifice and lots of ladies
to manhandle. They are spotted and one of the young boys Jason is whipped
by dear old dad. His mother decides to run away with the boy but the other
boy - a cousin - rats them out. A swine at even that young age. The mother
is killed in a chase but the boy escapes and grows up in a circus where he
learns acrobatics and swordsmanship. When he learns his father has died he
goes back to claim his inheritance which has gone to the cousin. Who has
turned into an even bigger swine and who runs the Hellfire Club. He isn't
about to give up his life of luxury. Not with all those ladies waiting for
him.
Jason is played by Keith Michell, best known I think for playing Henry the
VIII in that famous mini-series. He is very athletic here - almost absurdly
so as he keeps doing somersaults and leaps during action scenes that are
pointless. Cushing is the lawyer who helps him in a smallish but important
role and the girl with the plunging cleavage is Kai Fischer, who I know nothing
about as she mainly appeared in German films but her assets were formidable.
It is an ok film - but very predictable and standard - at times more comical
than anything. 90 minutes.
