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Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR Year: 1971 Rates: ***1/2
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Fair and sophisticated, lithe and docile, straight-long-haired classic British beauty Mary Maude was as perfect a vulnerable ingenue in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR (an obvious muse for MESSIAH OF EVIL) as she's the sublime target for who seems to be a serial killing sculptor in LUST OF THE VAMPIRE antagonist Mike Raven, looking fitfully wicked enough to provide Mary's character Millie an inevitably nightmarish 11th hour chase...
Which does occur, kind of... but with a twist... beforehand spending most of the screen-time in an artistically Gothic beachside house where various beauties are either posing or being murdered, ranging from scream queen Judy Matheson as the artist's more faithful yet seductive, devilish (and possibly bisexual) moll to Raven's daughter-in-law Beth Morris, as sexy a blonde as Matheson's a deeply gorgeous brunette...
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR with Judy Matheson |
Starting and concluding with dependable British male actors spouting plenty of exposition, from James Bolam as an art-show curator, whose sidekick Ronald Lacey's the formidable sculptor's nervously jealous son, to veteran actor John Arnatt, providing the kind of 11th hour "explaining everything" monologue that ends all whodunnits...
Because despite the horror-sounding title, CRUCIBLE OF TERROR is more a slow-burn mystery/thriller that deliberately hides the true menace, which is somewhat predictable since Raven's somewhat lackluster in the villain department and, overall, everything really comes down to Mary Maude's uniquely unmatchable beauty (sharing more chemistry with polar opposite Judy Matheson than anyone else) that's downright hypnotizing from beginning to end.
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| Ronald Lacey and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Beth Morris in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Beth Morris in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mike Ravan Beth Morris in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Beth Morris in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Mike Raven in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Mike Raven in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| James Bolam in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mike Raven in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Mike Raven in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Mike Raven in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and John Arnatt in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and John Arnatt in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| James Bolam and Melissa Stribling in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR with Mike Raven
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude and Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Judy Matheson in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Me Me Lai in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Me Me Lai in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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| Mary Maude in CRUCIBLE OF TERROR |
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