I'd heard of this movie years ago, seeing a picture of it in a book on horror films and recalling the ad campaign when it came out in theaters. Being young at the time it didn't register much with my interests and it wasn't until years went by that I wondered what it was about and if it were any good. With this release from Twilight Time that curiosity finally had a chance to be satiated and I got to discover the answer to that questions.Based in the real life account of serial killer John Christie (Richard Attenborough) it tells the story of a man that everyone considered a mild mannered older gent who along with his wife lives at the address in the title. To make ends meet they rent out an apartment on the upper floor to tenants. Unknown to his wife is that John has been killing those same tenants and burying them in the backyard.Passing himself off as a medical expert, having had some small amount of training in the military, Christie lures women to his home for treatment for various illnesses. What they end up with instead is being murdered. What was probably more controversial at the time the film was released is the fact that Christie also found sexual release in handling the bodies once they were deceased. Nothing blatant mind you but the topic is obvious.Into the lives of Christie and his wife enter Beryl and Tim Evans (Judy Geeson and John Hurt). The pair are doing their best to make ends meet and have a new baby along with them. Renting the upstairs apartment Beryl becomes the focus of Christie whose intentions we are well aware of. Not only is this a horrifying situation involving a new mother and child, the end result which we know will happen, he convinces Tim that he is to blame for it all.The question that follows is what will be the undoing of Christie? Since history tells us he was revealed and captured, how did this happen? And what of the family's whose lives he touched? What of Tim who blames himself for the events that took place at 1 Rillington Place? The film is not one for a generation of quick cuts and fast paced storytelling. This is a slow burn, revealing the motives, passions and mysteries that surrounded John Christie. He's not a sympathetic character at all but a curiosity instead. How he was able to not only take the lives of people but keep it hidden to the extent that he did is chilling.All involved play their roles to the hilt. Hurt, an actor that most were unfamiliar with at the time, is the most animated of the bunch. Geeson, whose most well-known role prior was in TO SIR WITH LOVE, turns in a fine performance as well. But it is Attenborough who we focus on as the star of the film. His cold and calculating killer is one that sends chills in the methodic taking of lives he goes through. It makes you realize that once again it is rarely the manic screamer that we have to worry about and more often the neighbor who is described in words like "he always seemed like such a nice guy".As with every film released by Twilight Time they've done an amazing job with the transfer here, a crisp and clean version of the film that has never been done before. They are also limiting the number of copies available so if you're interested pick up one before they're gone.

I couldn't help but feel that the film is about the British psyche in post-war and post-colonial Britain. The film was representative of a time when British control and power over the rest of the world was on the wane. With their best already behind them, the British were trying to find a new purpose. I wrote the above for my review of Look Back in Anger. Like the characters in Look Back in Anger, Christie, Beryl Evans and Timothy Evans seem to have no future. Their meager residences with barely hidden squalor had decline and desolation written all over them.The film is subtly terrifying and gruesome. It is under-directed with a zoom in (or dolly in?) often used to punctuate many scenes. There is a play like quality to the sets with a single light used in the sordid and seedy indoor scenes. Words cannot describe how good John Hurt is in this film. He is the very embodiment of the illiterate, confused and helpless working class man. The scene where he is surrounded and sneered at by patrons at a bar was very very sad. Richard Attenborough as Christie was menacing and insidious. But were we supposed to feel some sympathy for the cunning and murderous Christie? Why else was the film mostly told from his point of view?

I have to admit, i usually stay away from a lot of 'older' films. They tend to be very slow paced, very badly dated, and a lot of the time very poorly acted.This film thankfully is one the exceptions to the rule. Richard Attenborough (who most people my age will probably only recognise as the old bloke from Jurassic Park) puts in an exceptional performance in the true life story of John Reginal Christie and the murders at 10 Rillington Place. From what i have read of Christie, Attenborough acts him out perfectly as the quiet, unassuming and nonthreatening landlord, whilst at the same time managing to hold a creepy undertone throughout.A young couple Timothy and Beryl Evans (played by John Hurt and Judy Gleeson) choose to stay at rundown 10 Rillington Place as Tim's big dreams of becoming a somebody have not yet come into fruition (quite possibly because he is a very slow and very stupid dreamer that will never amount to anything.) Tim knows he has done well in managing to persuade Beryl to not only live with him, but to also have his first child. Unfortunately for both of them, they do not realise they have just moved into the dungeon of serial killer John Christie, who immediately takes a liking to beautiful Beryl.John Hurt also plays his part superbly. Having only seen his more recent work in titles such as Harry Potter and Hellboy 2, it was nice to see him in his younger days, when he was earning his way to becoming the great actor he is today. He plays the very simple Tim in this film, and you really do feel for him by the end of the story.Overall, if you are like me and try to avoid the old black and white films, then break that rule for this one. I have seen many recent 'great' horror films, and not many of them manage to keep the dark suspense and hostile atmosphere that this one manages throughout. And with John Hurt and Richard Attenborough putting in wonderful performances, you really cant go wrong with this one.One more thing to add that i am starting to notice the more and more older films i watch, the women were much more attractive than they are nowadays. Judy Geeson as Beryl is absolutely gorgeous, and on top of that is a very talented actress. If only there were more like her in our current times.Excellent film, and i would definitely recommend it. Especially for those of you who have read about Christie or for those of you who hold an interest in any serial killers.'Just a whiff of gas, like at the dentists' Thank you for reading :)

Immediately one of the greatest films I have ever seen. I feel so privileged that I was able to see this film on the big screen. It starts with the wonderful Richard Attenborough being a sick little puppy. Set during the war, in a policeman's uniform, offering medical help to a young woman. Attenborough is everything that someone should trust. A calm English man that offers you tea. Next, he's murdering the woman with gas, and not a hint of remorse. The film jumps forward 5 years, and introduces a tragic couple. They are about to have a baby, but cannot afford one. This sparks Attenborough's killing side, and he offers to perform an abortion. The film becomes a tense and depressing thriller that outlines the problems with capital punishment. It's sad as it's a battle of wits, but one of the protagonists has no wits to battle with. Attenborough is one of the most chilling and disturbing villains I've ever seen. The claustrophobic setting, the invasion of someones life, and the heartless deception, are just some of the great things about this movie. As it finished on a freeze frame we hear heavy breathing, next the credits scroll silently. Everyone in the cinema stood up in silence as though they had just been punched and winded. This film had more dread and a bigger impact than any I can recall.