DEATH IS A NUMBER (1951) / CERT: NR / DIRECTOR: ROBERT HENRYSON / STARRING: TERENCE ALEXANDER, LESLEY OSMOND, DENIS WEBB / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (USA)
The latest release from Juno Films’ newfound partnership with British company Adelphi and BFI is the rare British occult thriller Death is a Number, directed by Robert Henryson. Back in the 40s and 50s, Adelphi films was one of the most prolific distributors of British cinema, so the newfound partnership with Juno Films (who have North American distribution rights to forty or so of their films) will hopefully unveil some little-know gems from forgotten talent.
Playing out like a pre-cursor to Jacques Tourneur’s classic horror film Night of the Demon, Henryson’s rare occult thriller is a short but sweet trip back to British occult of the 50s. By today’s standards, the film is neutered of its fear factor, but enjoyable nonetheless. The formula of Cambridge old boys and their exotic adventures is a symptom of privilege and empire, something that feels hopelessly twee and vaguely classist now.
Like so many classic Lovecraft or M.R. James stories, Henryson’s Death is a Number follows an old well-to-do gent’s reminiscing about a peculiar old friend. The friend, a daredevil race car driver, appears to have been obsessed with a peculiar number-related curse which apparently plagued his family. For the most part, Henryson’s supernatural chiller plays out like a sometimes stale melodrama recounted by a self-important toff. However, when Henryson dips his toes in the supernatural, the film shows off a gorgeous appreciation for eerie weirdness.
As a supernatural horror, Death is a Number holds its cards close to its chest. When it eventually gives in to true Gothic imagery, it offers a charming array of ghostly spooks. Like many films of its era, it achieves an eeriness of atmosphere rather than going for cutthroat scares. Spectral visions are gorgeously actualised, and though the ghosts of Death is a Number have a flitting appearance, they achieve a lasting effect. It’s a shame that some of the film appears missing and begs a question as to how much more of Henryson’s beautiful ghost work there was to be seen.
At a runtime of forty-five mintues, Robert Henryson’s Death is a Number is a short but sweet tale. Its early fifties approach to the supernatural is surprisingly effective and charming in its simplicity.
