The Curse of the Crincon Altar is a tale that has captivated the imagination of many throughout the years. This ancient relic, believed to hold mystical powers, has a dark history shrouded in mystery and tragedy. Legend has it that the crincon altar was created by an ancient civilization as a sacred object to channel their spiritual energy. It was said to possess the ability to grant immense power to anyone who possessed it, but at a great cost. The altar was said to be cursed, and that anyone who came into contact with it would suffer a terrible fate. Over the centuries, there have been countless reports of those who sought the powers of the crincon altar, only to meet with tragedy and misfortune.
Antiques dealer Robert played by Mark Eden, discovers that his brother has disappeared whilst he is on a business trip, Robert takes it upon himself to search for his sibling. He ends up at an old manor house which is owned by the Morley family, the current owner played by Christopher Lee, invites Robert to stay at the house whilst he carries out his investigations, but these are fruitless. It is not long before Robert becomes aware that the Morley family are obsessed with a legend that surrounds the Manor and the history of the family. The Black Witch of Grey marsh is an ancestor of the family that was burned at the stake many years before, but it is soon apparent that the Witch Lavinia played by Barbara Steele very much influences the Morley’s and her presence is still firmly felt.
His score for THE CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR is an atmospheric one, the composer utilising apprehensive but at the same time dramatic music to underline the more unnerving sequences and then drawing on his considerable experience within the pop easy listening world to fashion a tuneful theme that enhanced scenes between the leading man and lady and also infused an atmosphere of calm into the proceedings, which effectively lulled the watching audience into a false sense of security, thus giving the moments of horror a greater impact. It s not surprising with our beautiful Victorian appearance, typically English interior, and stunning location and grounds oh, and did you know we apparently have a resident ghost.
Over the centuries, there have been countless reports of those who sought the powers of the crincon altar, only to meet with tragedy and misfortune. It is said that the curse would bring about death and destruction to those who dared to use it for their own personal gain. The curse of the crincon altar is said to manifest itself in various ways.
CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR.
The 1960’s in my opinion was the golden age for British made Horror movies. Yes. When we think of horror films from that period we invariably go straight to Hammer film productions. But there were as we know more to the genre than what came out of Hammer studios. A classic example is WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) directed by Michael Reeves and starring Vincent Price. Its interesting to point out that composer Paul Ferris’s music for the movie which is the property of De Wolfe music was originally released on a long-playing record for promotional purposes with a view to it being played on radio stations, on the B or flip side of the record was the music from another De Wolfe owned soundtrack for another classic British horror movie that was also in cinemas in 1968. On viewing THE CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR recently it is true to say that it probably does not stand the test of time as well as WITCHFINDER GENERAL, but it is still part of the horror genre from that period which is now considered as cult cinema alongside titles such as THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR from the same year and BESERK, EYE OF THE DEVIL and THE SHUTTERED ROOM from the previous year and taking into consideration the wealth of horror movies made during the 1960’s I suppose the film does have something about it to be remembered at all and also to have attained a cult status in later years. It was movies such as this that were the inspiration for later British entries in the form of stylish and disturbing BLOOD ON SATANS CLAW (1971) and the excellent THE CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1970).
But, CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR, does pale effectively when compared to the examples I have mentioned.
The musical score for THE CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR was composed and conducted by British musician/composer/arranger Peter Knight. Knight was the veritable chameleon when it came to his musical skills and was active and popular within many varying genres of music. During his career he worked with THE MOODY BLUES, PETULIA CLARK, HARRY SECOMBE, TOMMY STEELE, NANA MOUSKARI, THE BATCHELORS, VAL DOONICAN, JUDITH DURHAM, THE MOODY BLUES, THE CARPENTERS, CLIFF RICHARD, SCOTT WALKER and LULU.
As well as acting as musical director on popular TV shows for DICK EMERY, BRUCE FORSYTHE, MORECOMBE AND WISE, BENNY HILL, BERNARD CRIBBINS, LANCE PERCIVAL, THE LAST GOON SHOW OF ALL and many others. He was also active in the scoring of television programmes and series, which included THE BOUNDER and HOME TO ROOST. Knight was much in demand as an orchestrator and conductor working with composer Trevor Jones on the film scores THE DARK CRYSTAL and SAVAGE ISLANDS and orchestrating the music for the mini series THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH. He also had a long association with French Maestro Philippe Sarde and conducted and orchestrated many of his scores, QUEST FOR FIRE, GHOST STORY, TESS and COUP DE TORCHON amongst them.
Peter Knight was born in Exmouth, Devon on June 23rd, 1917, he is probably well known in general for his numerous recordings with his orchestra which were of the easy listening variety. The composer being responsible for arranging and producing a completely orchestral album of the famous SGT PEPPERS album originally recorded by The Beatles. He also worked on the vocal arrangements for THE KINGS SINGERS and his arrangement of YOU ARE A NEW DAY became a best seller in the United States. The composer began his career in the mid-1950’s when he began to work for ITV in the UK, becoming the musical director on SPOT THE TUNE in 1956. His association with ITV and in-particular Yorkshire TV, endured until 1986 when he worked on popular sit-com series such as HOME TO ROOST and DUTY FREE.
His score for THE CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR is an atmospheric one, the composer utilising apprehensive but at the same time dramatic music to underline the more unnerving sequences and then drawing on his considerable experience within the pop/easy listening world to fashion a tuneful theme that enhanced scenes between the leading man and lady and also infused an atmosphere of calm into the proceedings, which effectively lulled the watching audience into a false sense of security, thus giving the moments of horror a greater impact. It is something of a mystery as to why the score has never been released commercially, seeing a Knight was a popular figure within the world of music and because of the popularity of the movie at the time of its release and because the music is already in the library of De Wolfe music, maybe it will be a future project for the company, after all it did only take then forty-five years to release WITCHFINDER GENERAL. Knight died on July 30th, 1985.
THE CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR is a movie that at times ends up exasperating the watching audience rather than being entertaining, this is not because it is a bad movie although many critics and cinema goers at the time of its release had mixed feelings about it, because of its rather muddling and at times disjointed storyline. Released under the Tigon films banner, which was the brainchild of Tony Tenser and had already had success with WITCHFINDER GENERAL followed this release up with the less successful BLOOD BEAST TERROR, assigned the director of BLOOD BEAST TERROR Vernon Sewell to the movie which was to the disappointment of many who believed it should have been Michael Reeves who took the helm on the film. One would have thought with a cast that included iconic figures such as Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Barbara Steele and Michael Gough that the production could not fail, and maybe the finished movie would have been a more focused and cohesive if Reeves had directed.
Antiques dealer Robert played by Mark Eden, discovers that his brother has disappeared whilst he is on a business trip, Robert takes it upon himself to search for his sibling. He ends up at an old manor house which is owned by the Morley family, the current owner played by Christopher Lee, invites Robert to stay at the house whilst he carries out his investigations, but these are fruitless. It is not long before Robert becomes aware that the Morley family are obsessed with a legend that surrounds the Manor and the history of the family. The Black Witch of Grey marsh is an ancestor of the family that was burned at the stake many years before, but it is soon apparent that the Witch Lavinia played by Barbara Steele very much influences the Morley’s and her presence is still firmly felt.
Since 1961 (when we first appeared in an episode of the TV series, The Avengers), The Grim’s Dyke has often been used as a TV and Film location. It’s not surprising with our beautiful Victorian appearance, typically English interior, and stunning location and grounds (oh, and did you know we apparently have a resident ghost?).
Some claim to have been plagued by never-ending bad luck, while others have experienced strange occurrences and supernatural phenomena. There are even accounts of individuals who have fallen into madness after coming into contact with the powerful relic. In an effort to protect future generations from the curse, the crincon altar was hidden away deep within a secret chamber, hidden from prying eyes. It was believed that by concealing the altar, the curse would be contained, and the world would be safe from its malevolent powers. While the exact location of the crincon altar remains a mystery, its legend continues to capture the curiosity of adventurers and historians alike. Many have dedicated their lives to uncovering the truth behind the curse and the altar, hoping to unlock its secrets or put an end to its deadly influence. The Curse of the Crincon Altar serves as a warning to those who seek power at any cost. It reminds us of the dangers of greed and the consequences that can arise from tampering with forces beyond our understanding. Whether the curse is real or simply a cautionary tale, the legend of the crincon altar continues to intrigue and unsettle all those who dare explore its dark history. Its story serves as a reminder that some secrets are best left buried, and that the pursuit of power should never come at the expense of one's own humanity..
Reviews for "The Enigma of the Crincon Altar: Unraveling the Curse"
1. John - 2/5 stars
I found "Curse of the Crincon Altar" to be rather disappointing. The storyline was convoluted and lacked depth, leaving me feeling confused and disconnected from the characters. Additionally, the pacing was inconsistent, with some scenes dragging on for too long and others feeling rushed. The overall execution of the film felt amateurish, with weak performances from the cast and sloppy editing. Overall, I would not recommend this movie to others.
2. Emily - 1/5 stars
"Curse of the Crincon Altar" was an absolute mess. The plot was incoherent and made little sense, leaving me scratching my head throughout the entire film. The acting was atrocious, with wooden performances that failed to elicit any emotion. The special effects were laughable and looked incredibly cheap. It felt like the creators were trying to mimic a horror-comedy, but failed miserably. Save yourself the time and skip this disaster of a movie.
3. Michael - 2.5/5 stars
I had high hopes for "Curse of the Crincon Altar" but unfortunately, it fell flat. The concept had potential, but the execution lacked finesse. The dialogue was cringe-worthy and felt forced, making it difficult to fully invest in the characters. The pacing was all over the place, leaving me feeling bored during some parts and confused during others. The movie was neither scary nor funny, failing to deliver on both fronts. It's a shame, as with better writing and direction, this could have been a decent horror film.