DOMINIQUE (1978) Reviews and overview

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dominique

‘A story of the macabre… with a different twist.’

Dominique – aka Dominique is Dead – is a 1978 British horror mystery film directed by Michael Anderson (Murder By Phone; Orca) from a screenplay by Edward and Valerie Abraham. The film is based on the 1948 short story What Beckoning Ghost by Harold Lawlor. It was produced by Andrew Donally and Milton Subotsky (Amicus films and The Monster Club).

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The movie stars Cliff Robertson (13th Child; The Twilight Zone: ‘The Dummy’), Jean Simmons, Jenny Agutter (Child’s Play 2; The SurvivorAn American Werewolf in London), Simon Ward (The Monster ClubDeadly Strangers), Ron Moody (Legend of the Werewolf), Judy Geeson (31; Inseminoid; 10 Rillington Place), Michael Jayston (Jack the Ripper 1988; Craze; Tales That Witness Madness), Flora Robson (The Beast in the Cellar; The Shuttered Room), David Tomlinson (City in the Sea), Jack Warner (The Quatermass Xperiment).

Dominique is being released by Vinegar Syndrome as a Blu-ray + DVD combo on March 26, 2019.

Special features:

  • Audio interview with actor Michael Jayston
  • Audio interview with assistant director Brian Cook
  • Trailer

Plot:

Greedy David Ballard (Cliff Robertson) wants to get the money of his wife Dominique (Jean Simmons), so he attempts to drive her insane. He succeeds and she hangs herself, only to come back to haunt him from the afterlife…

Reviews:

“By far the film’s biggest problem is that it feels like a 50 or 60 minute script has been dragged and stretched to, and beyond, breaking point to more than 90 minutes that feel significantly longer. The sheer amount of time spent watching characters walk around the house is staggering and, most of the time, incredibly dull.” Andrew Garvey, The Spooky Isles

“Produced by the mediocre Milton Subotsky and directed by the fair-to-middling Michael Anderson … you might want to pump up the volume a bit and turn down the colour – there’s a lot of whispering and more harsh lighting than a high school rock eisteddfod.” Nigel Honeybone, Horror News

Ten Years of Terror FAB Press book Harvey Fenton David Flint

Buy: Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk

” …the use of luckless British characters actors in stock roles (Robson as the housekeeper, Ward as the ambiguous chauffeur) only serves to underline the lack of effective detail which might have served, as in Les Diaboliques (1955), to offset the essential contrivance of the storyline.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

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“A sluggish British attempt at a ghost yarn not helped by wooden acting and interminable use of the “let’s make it look like night” blue lens filter. The twist at the end is entirely predictable in this tedious effort.” John Elliott, Elliott’s Guide to Films on Video

“The old Diabolique syndrome revamped in a very parsimonious production with little to hold the interest.” Leslie Halliwell, Halliwell’s Film Guide

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Buy novelisation: Amazon.co.uk

Cast and characters:

Cliff Robertson … David Ballard
Jean Simmons … Dominique Ballard
Jenny Agutter … Ann Ballard
Simon Ward … Tony Calvert
Ron Moody … Doctor Rogers
Judy Geeson … Marjorie Craven
Michael Jayston … Arnold Craven
Flora Robson … Mrs Davis
David Tomlinson … Lawyer
Jack Warner … George
Leslie Dwyer … Cemetery Supervisor
Jan Holden … Ballard’s Secretary
Jack McKenzie … John, First Chauffeur
Michael Nightingale … Vicar at Funeral

Technical details:

100 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Mono

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