Introduction

History

Screenplay

Casting

Shooting

Post Production

Gallery

Downloads

Links

Post Production: Armstrong was completing his rough cut of the film, as yet unseen by anyone, when Arkoff and Nicholson arrived in town and asked for it to be included in their sales screening of future product for an audience of international buyers.

As there was no edited Hayward version to show them, a panicked Tenser ripped Armstrong’s unseen cut apart overnight and added the risible Hayward footage of Dennis Price in a wheelchair. To try and cover certain resultant gaps in this new version, he instructed the editor to put in cutaways of anything to hand: the moon, owls, London streets, famous landmarks.

At the buyer’s screening, Armstrong was horrified by the resultant mess on screen. "Even I couldn’t follow the storyline,” he says, “There were hardly any shots which even cut together - and as for the wheelchair stuff! - even before the end I had run out of the screening room. It was one of the most upsetting and embarrassing moments of my life. Jimmy Nicholson found me in tears in the toilets afterwards. He asked me what had gone wrong and I told him the cut had nothing to do with me.”

An emergency inquest the following morning found Arkoff and Nicholson wanting to know what the absurd wheel-chaired Inspector footage was doing in the film and where were the cabaret scenes and others which were missing. Armstrong explained they had been cut from the script before shooting had begun. Upon their demanding to know who had authorised this, Armstrong’s reply was quickly shouted down by a defensive Hayward claiming Armstrong was lying to cover up the fact that he had been unable to shoot them because Tenser had only given him a 4 week schedule when AIP had funded a 6 week schedule.

“The whole room went silent,” Armstrong recalls, “Sam [Arkoff] turned to me and politely asked if I would leave them. I went back to Tigon’s offices and waited for Tony [Tenser]. When he came back several hours later, he was in a terrible state. Both Arkoff and Nicholson were ex-lawyers and not the kind of people you messed with when it came to contracts.”

While Tigon was desperately trying to appease AIP and Hayward was trying to cover his tracks, Armstrong returned to the cutting rooms and set about re-assembling his original cut, still unseen by either of the two co-producing companies.

One week later, as he was nearing completion, he was informed that Gerry Levy, director of The Body Stealers was now overseeing the film’s production, that two weeks extra shooting were to be done and that under no circumstances was he to contact Arkoff or Nicholson.

Naively, Armstrong wrote new scenes for the additional shooting, in an attempt to put back some of the information which had been lost in the original script cuts. This wasn’t easy as neither Avalon nor Haworth were going to be available for the new shoot. Still under the belief that he would be directing the new material, Armstrong was surprised to learn that Levy was having a private meeting with Hayward and Tenser to discuss the shoot. Levy promised to show the scenes Armstrong had written and explain what Armstrong intended.

“Later that night, I called Gerry to find out what had happened and to get a reaction to my scenes,” Armstrong says, “He assured me Hayward and Tenser liked the scenes, everything was fine, I wasn’t to worry and to have a good night’s sleep.”

The following morning, Armstrong was informed by a highly apologetic Tenser that Hayward had okayed the new scenes Levy had shown him and informed Arkoff and Nicholson that he was personally salvaging the film following Armstrong not having shot the script as originally approved, due to his “inexperience” and that Tigon were now honouring their contract by paying for another two weeks shooting. Armstrong further learnt that his new scenes had not even been read as Levy had sold them ideas of his own which Hayward was going to allow him to direct.

“Tony so obviously hated the whole situation but there was nothing he could do. Hayward was running the show and covering his tracks as fast as he could in order to keep his job. If Arkoff or Nicholson had ever found out the truth, that would have been the end of him,” Armstrong says. “Tony was so apologetic, promised to make it up to me on my next film and warned me not to say anything about what had happened. To sweeten the pill, I was paid to keep quiet.”

So, the additional two weeks shooting resulted from Tigon being forced to fulfil its contract for a six-week shoot when AIP learnt that its co-producing partner had “saved” money by only paying out for four weeks.

Levy’s ideas for new scenes were used to justify Hayward’s unauthorised cuts and mutilation of the original Armstrong script approved by AIP bosses, Arkoff and Nicholson. These “new” scenes were subsequently shot by Levy and spliced into Armstrong’s existing cut at certain points as additional scenes (Carnaby Street, Gary/Dorothy, the pub singalong, the George Sewell and police storylines). Additionally, replacement footage was added to several existing scenes (the party and Gary/Sylvia love scenes and her exit from the house) together with occasional close-ups to add or replace dialogue for the “new” storylines (the hand and torch of George Sewell hanging out of the cupboard as Sheila walks by, Richard’s “brother John” speech, Dennis Price’s CU in the club etc).

At no point, from the end of shooting in Southport, did anyone from the two producing companies see or even express interest in seeing Armstrong’s original cut of the film. All decisions made were entirely to justify Hayward’s earlier interference and the “saving” of money in the budget. Under veiled threats, Armstrong was paid a “retainer” to stay away and keep quiet while these “minor problems” on his debut feature film were “resolved to everyone’s satisfaction”.

The film was the last co-production between the two companies.

Upon completion of post production, Tenser laid on a private screening for Armstrong who had just returned from another movie battlefield called Mark Of The Devil.

“For the opening fifteen minutes I was in despair at the embarrassing garish crap I was witnessing,” Armstrong recalls. “I was, however, relieved to see that once the kids had left the party most of my original cut remained untouched until the middle section which is just a mess, with bits of my stuff splattered around all the new police scenes. Once we’re back in the house, it’s really back to my cut with a few minor excisions. Of course I knew the gay scene on the fire-escape wouldn’t have survived. Gerry had also altered the scene between Sylvia and Gary when she wants to leave the house, in order to fit in with his George Sewell plot and, for some unknown reason, substituted Henry for Richard in the scene. Then, dotted about, there are a few re-shot close ups for other plot and dialogue changes - I actually let out a cry in the preview theatre when the character of Richard suddenly started talking about his brother John! - What was all that about? - but, at least, the replacement close-ups were more or less where the original close-ups had been. Generally, while the film’s in the house, though, it’s my cut. Having said that, at the very end, all the clichéd police cutaways and police cars racing to the rescue were added by Levy as was that interminable scene with Sylvia and the Sergeant! - which has to go on record as the slowest played scene in movie history. I was also upset by the loss of the final scene with the sobbing Richard staggering through the busy streets - it was so sad to see that go...like the opening love scene - all in enormous close-ups and...even to this day - I’m not saying it would ever have been a Citizen Kane or even anything particular, maybe - but it was my first feature, I cared about it desperately and any kind of credibility it might have had was sabotaged for no justifiable reason - other than to salvage one incompetent executive’s tottering career, another’s desperate effort to gain credibility after a directorial fiasco and a company making a “financial saving” at their co-producer’s expense - well, I guess it was one way to learn about the realities of the movie business.”

Certification: To the company’s surprise and delight, John Trevelyan at the BBFC passed the film with an “X” Certificate and without cuts. At the time the killings were the bloodiest and most graphic to have appeared in a certificated horror film in the UK.

Distribution: Because of its post-production “problems”, the film’s distribution was delayed until 1969. Only weeks before its release, Armstrong’s debut feature film The Dark was finally buried officially when Tenser retitled the film The Haunted House Of Horror.

The film initially went on general release in the UK supported by a British crime thriller, Clegg, directed by Lindsay Shonteff and starring Gilbert Wynne. It proved as popular in the UK as with audiences worldwide and continued doing excellent business on subsequent re-issues.

[For further information, anecdotes and details concerning the front office interference and resultant altered footage, download a copy of the original 2nd draft screenplay of The Dark and reference Armstrong’s director’s commentary on the UK DVD release of the film, currently available in the Tigon Collection Box Set - see Links]

Copyright © 2004-2005 Michael Armstrong