The Uncanny [1977]

Country of Origin: Canada / UK
Year of Production: 1977
Running Times: 89 mins
Format: colour
Ratio:
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Cinévidéo / Tor Productions
Executive Producers: Harold Greenberg, Richard R. St Johns, Robert A. Kantor
Producers: Claude Heroux, Rene Dupont
Production Supervisor: Claude Leger
Production Manager: Jim Brennan

SCRIPT
Script: Michel Parry

DIRECTION
Director: Dennis Heroux
Assistant Directors: Jack Causey, Justine Bouchard-Héroux

PHOTOGRAPHY
Directors of Photography: Harry Waxman, James Bowden

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editors: Peter Weatherley, Keith Palmer, Michel Guay

MUSIC
Musical Director: Phillip Martell
Music: Wilfred Josephs

SOUND
Sound Editor: Jack Knight
Sound Recording: Ron Seltzer, Ron Barron
Sound Re-Recording: Gordon K. Mccallum

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Tom Smith
Costumes: Nicoletta Massone, Joyce Stoneman

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Michael Albrechtsen

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designers: Wolf Kroeger, Harry Pottle
Title Designer: Robert Ellis

LOCATIONS
Locations: Montréal, Québec, Canada; Senneville, Québec, Canada
Studios: Panavision Studios, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

CAST
Montreal, Present Day
Peter Cushing [Wilbur Gray]
Ray Milland [Frank Richards]

London, 1912
Joan Greenwood [Miss Malkin]
Roland Culver [Wallace, the lawyer]
Susan Penhaligon [Janet]
Simon Williams [Michael]

Quebec Province, 1975
Alexandra Stewart [Joan Blake]
Donald Pilon [Mr Blake]
Chloe Franks [Angela Blake]
Katrina Holden [Lucy]
Renée Giraud [Mrs Maitland]

Hollywood, 1936
Donald Pleasence [Valentine De'ath]
Samantha Eggar [Edina Hamilton]
John Vernon [Pomeroy]
Catherine Bégin [Madeleine]
Jean Leclerc [Bruce Barrington]
Sean McCann [Inspector]

Horror writer Wilbur Gray discovers a plot by cats [who are really supernatural creatures] to overthrow Mankind and writes a book warning of the coming danger. He visits a publisher and tries to persuade him to take his book by telling three stories involving the cat conspiracy.

Thank God for Donald Pleasence and Peter Cushing, whose manic performances here are the only saving grace in an otherwise perfectly dreadful film. Lacking the light, satirical touch it really called for, the film plods wearily along from one feline encounter to another with little in the way of tension or suspense. The cats are nowhere near as menacing as they should have been and the whole production has a slipshod air to it that suggests a rushed production schedule.

UK
Video Distributor: Rank

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Astral Films

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: M

Norway
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 15

1976
November
16: Canada - shooting begins

December
24: UK - shooting ends

1977
March
1: UK - rated X by the BBFC [for theatrical release]

August
24: Canada - shown at the Montreal Film Festival

B-r-r-r! - shooting title

MAGAZINES

Flesh and Blood 4 p.46
credits, synopsis, review

Halls of Horror 27 p.28
note

TV Times 12 - 18 July 1986 p.64
credits, synopsis

BOOKS

Horror Film Handbook
credits, synopsis, review [by Alan Frank]

Ten Years of Terror pp.284-285
illustrated credits, review [by John Hamilton]

KEYWORDS

cats, anthologies, conspiracies, writers

Last Updated: 6 March, 2007