"Fright" starts off extremely well. Susan George is a very pretty girl who comes over to babysit while the lady and gentleman of the house spend an evening out. The setup of this film is done very skillfully, and I was rapt with interest as the groundwork was laid for the terror to come. As Susan spends the first quarter-hour alone in the house, there is a growing sense of foreboding...and then, much to my disappointment, the film proceeds to slowly jump the shark. The source of the film's evil menace—which should deliver the paralyzing fright that the film's title promises—is far more annoying than horrific, and modern-day viewers are apt to be bewildered by the police response (if you can call it that), which involve standing around outside the house talking somewhat loudly. What a terrible pity this movie couldn't follow through on what starts out so well. Although Susan George is quite easy on the eyes.

The sheer simplicity of this film is one of the main things I love about it. It plays upon our most primal fears and proves that you do not need severed, spurting arteries; chainsaws; or monsters to deliver chills. The chills found in 'Fright' are extremely minimal and thoroughly effective: a dripping tap has us genuinely unnerved! The glimpsed, unclear face of a stranger peering in at a window is incredibly frightening.The film's set-up is as old as horror itself: nubile young babysitter alone in house at night menaced by mental asylum escapee. Sounds boring, right? If you are looking for gore then you are definitely looking in the wrong place. 'Fright' offers very little blood but instead serves up excellent tension and a real sense of unease. The only bit that is a drag is the third act, which becomes a little tedious with repeat viewings. In addition, the film's story places a child in harm's way, which is something I never like to see.Susan George is fine as the chaste babysitter Amanda. Dennis Waterman pops up as her sexually frustrated boyfriend, and George Cole is also in it. Waterman and Cole would later star together in the successful television show 'Minder'.There is a delicious timelessness about 'Fright' which makes it an all-time favourite. The film's premise sounds like an urban legend which only adds to the film's appeal. It has nothing on 'The Italian Job' (1969) which was also directed by Peter Collinson, but is most enjoyable nonetheless.At the end of the day, there is just something downright unsettling about being alone in a strange house in the middle of the night, every sound taking on an ominous, sinister quality. The film works especially well when contrasting the loud, brightly-lit environs of The Plover Inn with the heavy silence and shadows of the Lloyd house. They don't make 'em like they used to!

You might call this a slasher prototype (since it resembles something of "Halloween" and "When A Stranger Calls"), as your generic staples are there and in full flight. However it's not terribly successful in making it totally effective, but anything with Honor Blackman and the lovely Susan George in a short purple skirt has got to be worth your time. Of course! Being a very minimal production, the Gothic set-pieces are tight and the story quite simple-minded (babysitter terrorised by a escaped homicidal lunatic who returns to his family home for one night), where its all about hysteria and claustrophobic tension in a forlorn staging. The main problem it was just too uneven. Good uneasy first half, let down by a weak, bloated second half. Some plastered jolts, and atmospheric touches worked (mainly those vivid sound effects), but definitely there were moments that didn't have much impact, and fell in the risible bracket. Not helping was the script completely plods along. Peter Collinson's terse direction, along with Ian Wilson's skillful cinematography and Harry Robertson's whimsically edgy musical score build upon the creaky, and moody old-school atmosphere. The dark, gloomy isolated house (you cant go wrong there!) is well-used in many of the set-ups, and they achieve many unique placements (reflections to silhouettes) with the characters. Collinson's framing is first-rate. A busty Susan George (who gets some scenes with her bra-exposed) is superb in her well-rounded performance of conveying the frightening despair that basically overwhelms her. On the other hand Ian Bannen's spaced out, muttering psychotic loony was a bit hit-and-miss. Honor Blackman scores points as the up-tight mother. George Cole, John Gregson and Dennis Waterman provide sturdy support. Passable little horror flick.

I might have missed out on the first fifteen minutes of "Fright" because the only thing that repeatedly went on in my head was: "Why the bloody hell didn't I ever had a babysitter as stunningly gorgeous as Susan George???" The unearthly beautiful star of "Straw Dogs" and "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" walks through the opening credits wearing a minuscule yet incredibly sexy purple dress as she goes to the Lloyd's mansion to baby sit their little son…That lucky kid! The house lies isolated in the country and young Amanda is in for a night of morbid surprises, as an uncanny figure pops up at the window and even beats the hell out of her boyfriend (though he was a bastard, anyway). "Fright" can actually be considered as an influential and progressive horror movie, since it got released many years before "Halloween" that once and for all portrayed babysitters as prototype target for demented serial killers and sleazy perverts. Obviously the number of casualties isn't very high and the evoked scares are very basic, yet "Fright" is an effective little chiller that honestly deserves to be more known and appreciated among the horror-loving crowd. The direction is solid and there are hardly any words to describe the essence of Susan George. You already know my opinion on her looks, but she's also a very decent actress and perfectly suitable to play a vulnerable and hard-screaming victim of a raving madman. The pacing slows down a bit as soon as the perpetrator has been identified, but the film most likely has made a positive impression on you already by then.