Bjorn (ODDBear)
Married couple and hypnotists Karloff and Lacey control the mind and actions of young Ogilvy and the wife, after years of pent up frustration and anger, starts indulging her psychopathic tendencies through the young man. Surprisingly effective thriller. Starts out somewhat clumsily with a too convenient setup but once past that the film becomes quite involving once the hypnotists start living, and feeling, through Ogilvy who becomes, in a sense, their puppet. As the couple go further in their control Ogilvy's whole life crumbles and he doesn't even know it. "Sorcerers" moves pretty fast and doesn't outstay it's welcome but you get a clear idea of the characters and really feel for Ogilvy (who gives a good performance) as it becomes clear there's not gonna be an easy way out for him. Karloff and especially Lacey are very good as well. Only the second movie of three that director Michael Reeves made in his short life and despite an obvious low budget the film is very well done, well paced, somewhat stylish and quite suspenseful.
goblinhairedguy
Yes indeed, the Swinging Sixties were sexy, years before life-threatening STDs, political correctness and exploitative commercialism ruined it all. And pop music was great too, before it was compromised by self-indulgent overproduction and that same rampant commercialism.Ian Ogilvy (much cooler than David Hemmings as a prematurely jaded hipster) and the luscious Euro-babe Elizabeth Ercy make appealing leads, and get to strip down to their undies for a furtive swim that is simultaneously erotic and innocent, like Weissmuller and O'Sullivan before them. She also gets to wear a knockout peekaboo mesh outfit later on. A teenage Susan George shows off her bedroom eyes and flashes her yellow panties to great effect in the film's most effective thrill scene. And pouty-lipped Sally Sheridan (mom of Nicolette) coolly lip-syncs to a great garage tune (actually sung by a wonderfully brassy Toni Daly), with the low-angle camera appreciating how she sports her clingy chiffon mini-dress. Check out all those turned-on necking couples in the background. (By the way, I think Karloff is in the film, too.) It all brings to mind Mimsy Farmer's outrageously provocative LSD-fuelled dance in "Riot on Sunset Strip", Jane Asher's sultry seductiveness in "Deep End", and all those whacked-out Sergio Martino giallos.
utgard14
An elderly hypnotist (Boris Karloff) develops a new technique that allows him to not only control the mind of a person but also share their experiences. In an unintentionally hilarious scene, Karloff approaches a young man about participating in his experiment ("I can offer you an unusual evening..."). When the guy agrees, Karloff and his wife (Catherine Lacey) hook him up to their machine, put him under hypnosis, and start controlling his every move. Soon the wife starts enjoying the power she has over the young man a bit too much.Interesting and sometimes fun British thriller (not really a horror movie, despite its listing as such). It's slow-going but with some decent atmosphere and good performances. Catherine Lacey delightfully hams it up as the villain. Karloff is solid as always. Ian Ogilvy is fine as the man the old couple controls. Susan George has a small part as one of his girlfriends. It's a decent movie, especially for this point in Karloff's career. His fans will likely enjoy it more than most.
tavm
With The Sorcerers, Boris Karloff went back to his native country of England to make this for director Michael Reeves. He plays Professor Marcus Monserrat-a disgraced hypnotist who lives with his wife, Estelle (Catherine Lacey), in a drab apartment. They've created a new machine that allows them to experience and control the minds of anyone they manage to get tested on it. That someone would be Mike Roscoe (Ian Ogilvy), a young man who seems bored with the swinging '60s London lifestyle as evidenced by his nonchalant treatment of his girlfriend Nicole (Elizabeth Ercy) and their friend Alan (Victor Henry). Unfortunately, while Marcus wants to use it to help certain kinds of people, Estelle just wants some thrills...The plot seemed to be similar to Brainstorm, only more disturbing especially concerning the Estelle character. The mix of atmospheres is quite exciting and the shocks are genuinely frightening. Karloff is at his most sympathetic here as he feels truly overwhelmed by Ms. Lacey's aggressive power. And seeing Ogilvy truly trying to be a mix of emotions without overdoing it was compellingly played here. Also good was Sally "Dani" Sheridan (Nicollette's mother) as singer Laura Ladd and young Susan George as Audrey Woods, Mike's previous girlfriend. In summation, The Sorcerers comes highly recommend due to Karloff and the rest of the cast.
AD
