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.

The first time I saw this movie was at least 30 years ago. Sleepless night. Richard Attenboroughs' portrayal of the nerdy "doctor" who was a real life serial killer terrified. Watched again 10 years later. Same effect. No sleep.Sets are extremely claustrophobic & the soundtrack of endless clattering tea cups & kettles, w/trains rattling by the flat all day & night are a set-up to hiss of gas pipes that creates an ambiance so depressing, eerie, and unbelievably frightening when you realize what's coming to Christie's victims...aagh. This movie is as suspense-filled as any Hitchcock movie.John Hurt ~ electrifying as always ~ plays a man falsely accused ~ got the gallows when he had no idea what happened ~ genius performance ~Horribly horrifyig horror movie This is one of the scariest movies ever. Extremely hard to watch but absolute genius acting

I first saw this film when it was released, of course, the world has moved on since then and the infamous Rillington Place long demolished. However, the Director, Richard Fleischer, did use the original location when filming this. It certainly added to the atmosphere to the point that it couldn't be replicated today. Richard Attenborough is truly amazing as Christie. Quiet and creepy but you feel the underlying violence just waiting to explode from under the surface. John Hurt is quite simply brilliant as the unfortunate and illiterate Evans. His reaction when learning his wife is dead is a tour de force of acting and shows just why he is so treasured today. I will never forget him when being led to the gallows, it was the stuff of nightmares. The lovely Judy Geeson plays the unfortunate Beryl Evans at the perfect pitch. The entire cast act this cinematic gem to perfection, and many actors today will go far if they can get even halfway as good as these were. I was lucky enough to obtain a DVD of this and what a refreshing change to see a handful of actors, with no special effects, make a truly memorable film. I'd give this 10 out of 10 and would say that if you get the chance, watch this film.

Grossly under-recognised thriller starring the versatile Sir Richard Attenborough as John Christie, meek and mild mannered by day, murderous by night. Claustrophobic (appropriate for the setting) staging lends itself to the ultimate demise of his hapless victims, but for those who know the true story on which this film is based, the more shocking aspect is that involving John Hurt's character, the intellectually delayed lodger who Christie frames for the crimes.Any history book will put paid to the deviousness of John Christie, but a film doesn't evolve to just convey the facts, for that's the role of a documentary. Hence, there are a couple of artistic licences taken with this true-crime story, but the film maintains a vice-like mind grip with its atmosphere of fear, a tactic with which director Fleischer had already successfully dabbled in his earlier serial killer flick, "The Boston Strangler".Judy Geeson plays Hurt's ill-fated young wife, while Pat Heywood is Attenborough's ignorant spouse and the remaining cast includes Isobel Black, Andre Morell, Robert Hardy, Basil Dignam, Rudolph Walker and Reg Lye all in very minor roles. Blink and you'll miss Edward Woodward just before the closing credits.If you've read the Time-Out review of this film, you've been misled - this isn't a melodrama that overcooks the acting nor overlooks the locational ambiance; on the contrary it's an intense urban horror film that conveys the mood of the less optimistic sectors of post-war London, their hardships and the sinister underbelly of fringe dwellers that preys upon that vulnerability. Great movie with a chilling climax.