The plot for "I Start Counting" sounds rather interesting when you read about it on IMDb: "A 14-year-old girl coming to terms with her sexuality, discovers that her adored older brother may be guilty of a series of bizarre sex crimes.". However this really isn't what the movie is all about and it also has a really creepy semi- incestuous and Electra Complex-like theme that put me off.Jenny Agutter plays Wynne--a 14 year-old. She was actually about 18 when she made the film. Wynne is really, really obsessed about her older step-brother...to the point where she has lots of incestuous thoughts. These are not in an of themselves THAT creepy...but he's more than twice her age and this brings the notion of pedophilia if he were to reciprocate. Either way, it's awfully weird and disturbing. As far as the step-brother killing women...well that's all a misunderstanding that Wynne develops and the film really is about her awakening sexual desires (such as her masturbating) and her misguided affections. Creepy and yet oddly boring in spite of all this and I had to really struggle to pay attention to all this. All in all, a waste of my time, though I guess technically it's well made.

I remember seeing this movie on UK TV many years ago but, to my knowledge, it has never been shown again since. So I was happy to obtain it on DVD recently and watching it again has reminded me of just what a little gem of a thriller this film is.It stars of course the lovely Jenny Agutter. Her fans will be delighted to hear that this is the other film (apart from 'Walkabout') in which she can be seen in a schoolgirl's outfit! She plays the part of an adopted Catholic 15 year old girl who lives with her adoptive family with two blood brothers. She develops a crush on the elder 'brother' George (Bryan Marshall) who is about 20 years older than her. But then she becomes convinced that he is responsible for the murders of a number a young girls around the area where the family used to live. She regularly catches the bus back to their old house in the countryside to search for clues, despite being warned to stay away from that area. Her best friend at school is Corinne (Clare Sutcliffe) who herself also develops feelings for George.The story builds from there, and no spoilers here! If you get a chance to see this movie, take it. The plot is fairly simple and starts off a little slowly but tension really develops once the movie gets into its stride. It also captures the essence of late 60s UK life beautifully, and features a number of classic vehicles such as Austin A35.

This movie is awesome. I don't know why it isn't more popular. the cinematography was fab and the lead actress who played Wynne had this real innocence about her, that was so believable. I thought the storyline was great, it was something unusual. the synopsis based it around Wynne's suspicious feelings towards her brother and the murders, but I found it was about something more than that, about the way different people perceive situations and how different peoples duties and commitments can be seen differently in others eyes.The rest of the cast were great. I loved the few parts of humour in the film, that lifted from the somewhat dark and serious theme, and showed how unusual the film is. the theme song I Start Counting was awesome. It was an awesome name for the filmI'm totally raving about this film man. It freaking rules! I love it!

I saw this film for the one and only time on English television back in 1980.At the time I thought it was the best thriller film I had ever seen.Since then to my knowledge it has never been shown again over here (I stand to be corrected on this one !) and appears to have sank without trace.Agutter is excellent as the schoolgirl who thinks her foster brother(Bryan Marshall) may be the local sex murderer and the creepy atmosphere builds up carefully helped by the location work on the wide windy stretches of an English New Town which I believe is Bracknell,Berkshire where Sean Connery's equally disturbing film "The Offence" was shot a couple of years later.Photography ,editing and supporting cast all first class.This film deserves to be better known in the history of British film and indeed the horror/thriller genre and its continued omission in most of the weighty film guides on the market remains ,to me, the biggest mystery and injustice of them all.