Crucible of Horror (1971)

Interesting facts

• Budget: £55K

Crucible of Horror is a 1971 horror film directed by Viktors Ritelis, produced by Gabrielle Beaumont, and starring Michael Gough, Yvonne Mitchell, and Sharon Gurney. Its plot follows a mother who, along with her daughter, plots to murder her abusive husband at his hunting cottage.

Production

The script, written by Olaf Pooley, was originally titled The Velvet House and was loosely inspired by the film Les Diaboliques (1955).

Mitchell and Michael Gough were at the time well-known stage performers and Gough was a 'fixture' in British horror films. Rupert and Jane were played by Michael Gough's real-life son Simon and Simon's fiancée Sharon Gurney. The two married in 1970, before the film was released.

The film's £55,000 budget was raised from London-Cannon Films, a British company set up the American film distributor Cannon Films. The low budget meant that expenses had to be minimal, so an actual house was used for on-location filming, with the remainder shot at Merton Park Studios in London. Crucible of Horror was Ritelis' only movie, but he had 'a long and fruitful career as a television director". Filming started on 17 March 1969.

According to the film's assistant director, Nicholas Granby, owing to prior obligations, director Viktors Ritelis was forced to depart the production prior to its completion, and producer Gabrielle Beaumont took on directorial responsibilities for the last several weeks of filming.

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