Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Michael_Elliott Symptoms (1974) *** (out of 4)After spending time away from home, Helen (Angela Pleasence) decides to return to her country estate and she brings along her friend Anne (Lorna Heilbron). It doesn't take too long for Anne to realize that there's some secret that Helen is hiding. As the film moves along we start to realize that there's something supernatural or psychological going on.Director Joseph Larraz's SYMPTOMS is a film that was released to Cannes and got a few positive reviews but the film pretty much disappeared outside of that. Over the decades people spoke highly of the film but it was nearly impossible to actually find it. In truth, the majority of people had never even heard of it. With that in mind, it's rather shocking to see that the picture actually lives up to the hype.This film contains elements of Polanski's REPULSION as well as Hitchcock's PSYCHO. The lead character is quite an interesting one because she's just so strange and has such a blank look to her eyes that you can just feel that something is haunting her. What makes the film work so well is that we don't know if she's really being haunted by something supernatural or if it is all in her mind. The director perfectly builds up a very strange atmosphere and the back and forth elements of what's really going on perfectly plays out.The film also benefits to some shocking violence. Not shocking as in gory or over-the-top but instead it usually comes out of nowhere and catches you off guard. As I said, some of these seem influenced by the "shock" murders in PSYCHO but it plays out very well here. The performances are also quite good with Pleasence, the daughter of Donald, really shining in a very laid back and quiet role. I really thought she did a fabulous job at showing that damage this character has had done to her. Heilbron is also good in her supporting part as is Peter Vaughn.SYMPTOMS isn't a shock fest or in-your-face and fast-paced horror movie. It takes its slow, sweet time building up the character, the atmosphere and the outcome. It's certainly not going to be a film to appeals to everyone but it's certainly well-made and entertaining.

Scott LeBrun A young woman named Helen (Angela Pleasence, daughter of Donald P.) invites her friend Anne (Lorna Heilbron) to her country estate. Helen clearly has some mental problems, so it's unsurprising when she starts acting strange. She has a fixation on another young woman named Cora (Marie-Paule Mailleux), and also acts suspicious of the handyman on the grounds, Brady (top British character actor Peter Vaughan).Given that "Symptoms" is co-written and directed by Jose Larraz, the man who also gave the world "Vampyres" and "Black Candles", it's actually interesting how sleazy this film *isn't*. There is some out of left field T & A (for which Ms. Pleasence had a body double) and a *very* brief lesbian scene, but Larraz concentrates first and foremost on atmosphere. And "Symptoms" has tons of that, with many lovely shots of the English countryside. It also has quite the sombre quality, with precious little in the way of humor. The screenplay, by Larraz and Stanley Miller, doesn't play out in a particularly shocking way if you're familiar with this kind of psychological horror.But the actors all make this journey worthwhile. The striking young Ms. Pleasence does a nice job in the lead, with heavy assistance from a minimal cast of strong supporting players: Heilbron, Vaughan, Nancy Nevinson as the housekeeper Hannah, and Raymond Huntley (in his final film) as storekeeper Mr. Burke."Symptoms" may not deliver a lot when it comes to the sex quotient, but viewers may still appreciate the quick bursts of violence, which aren't overly gory.Worth a look if you enjoy this genre.Seven out of 10.

John Seal Jose Larraz's Symptoms has atmosphere to spare: shot in a decaying manor house in the fecund British countryside, there's nary a set-up that doesn't feature dust, rising damp, shadows, or rain. It also features a truly excellent performance by Angela Pleasence as Helen Ramsay, the flower frail owner-occupier of the manor, as well as solid support from gorgeous Lorna Heilbron as her friend Anne. Unfortunately, the story itself is as predictable as can be, confirming all the worst suspicions you probably conjured up during the first reel. That said, this is a film in dire need of a DVD release: the only available source material is a wretched Belgian VHS tape with colours that drop in and out at random, hideous reel change markers, and poor image resolution that blurs much of the action and makes the interior sequences a chore to sit through. I'm giving it a 5 for now, but I suspect a nice pin-sharp digital restoration would reveal a film more worthy of a 6 or 7.

verna55 Being a devoted horror buff, I've seen a great many strange and wonderful horror movies in my time, but I tell you none of them even begins to compare to SYMPTOMS! This rarely seen gem centers on Helen(Angela Pleasance), a rather odd young woman who invites her friend, Ann(Lorna Heilbron) to come stay with her at her decaying old house in the English countryside. Terror unfolds as Helen's sinister handyman(Peter Vaughan) discovers the corpse of her previous house guest, sending the disturbed woman into a violent and uncontrollable rage that culminates in the deaths of several innocent people. Though the plot is relatively simple, Spanish horror director Jose Larraz handles the material in a complex manner and like his British counterpart, Alfred Hitchcock, is able to find terror and menace in the most simple and mundane activity. Larraz also milks the strikingly eerie English landscape for all it is worth. The strongest aspect of SYMPTOMS however is the marvellous performaces by Angela Pleasance and Lorna Heilbron. Pleasance, the daughter of famed British character actor Donald Pleasance, is a supremely gifted actress who seldom ever got a role as good or as intriguing as this. Heilbron, a striking British beauty with genuine talent to match her sultry good looks, is a sadly underused actress who is intense and believable every moment as Pleasance's unsuspecting friend. Unfortunately, this is a frustratingly difficult film to find. It's never been released to video in the US, and the only reason I have seen it is because I had the good fortune of catching it on late night television some years back. They really need to release this one to video and DVD. I'm sure it will get the wide audience it deserves if it is given a reasonable amount of build-up and exposure!