An American tourist and a troubled young woman are chased by her gang leader brother to a top secret British government facility that conducts experiments on children.
Direction
Losey's blocked, theatrical staging builds suffocating tension.
Acting
Oliver Reed simmers with barely contained violence.
Score
James Bernard's jarring, dissonant brass assaults the ears.
Director
Joseph Losey
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film channels genuine nuclear terror; British audiences reportedly walked out, finding it too bleak.
Hammer Films cut 13 minutes for US release, destroying Losey's intended pacing; the complete version was lost for decades.
GB
US
