Episode 169 - Hammer Britannia 018 - Maniac (1963)

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism Fancy a twisted trip to France? Our American painter, Jeff, certainly gets more than he bargained for when he dallies with the alluring Eve. She cooks up a rather madcap scheme to spring her hubby, Georges, from the local asylum using a handy oxyacetylene torch. But hold onto your berets! This seemingly straightforward caper spirals into a fiery game of murder, mistaken identities, and shocking revelations. Turns out, some folks are just a tad maniacal, and poor Jeff's in a very sticky situation! Paranoiac (1963)

Right then, pack your bags for the sun-drenched, yet surprisingly sinister, Camargue region of France! Our protagonist, the somewhat hapless American painter Jeff Farrell, arrives looking for inspiration but quickly finds himself ensnared in a rather sticky wicket. He catches the eye of the mature and manipulative Eve Beynat, who runs a local bar with her lovely stepdaughter, Annette. Eve spins a yarn about her husband, Georges, unjustly locked away in a nearby asylum for a crime he didn't commit – supposedly for using an oxyacetylene torch on his daughter's attacker. Before you can say "amour fou," Jeff is persuaded to help bust Georges out. The plan? Use that infamous torch to cut through the bars, or, if Georges has already shuffled off this mortal coil, to discreetly dispose of his remains. Naturally, things go wildly off-piste. The breakout seems to succeed, but soon a body turns up, and the ever-suspicious Inspector Etienne starts sniffing around. Jeff, bless his naive heart, finds himself sinking deeper into a quagmire of deceit, where identities blur and everyone seems to have a hidden agenda. Was Georges truly wronged? Is Eve the damsel in distress she claims? And what's Annette's real role in this increasingly dangerous charade? Prepare for twists, turns, and a climax that proves some folks are just plain maniacal! "You take a man's wife, Mr. Farrell, but not his money?"

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Thanks for listening Scott, Steven and Mark