Brian Clemens' Thriller 1.5 The Colour Of Blood

[michaellevenson]

London has been gripped by fear for months, but now the terror is over. Women can relax, Page the demented killer is behind bars, after being found guilty of murdering multiple times.


On the way from the court to prison the security vehicle carrying Page is involved in an accident, skidding off the road. The guards unconscious , Page opens the door of the van and calmly walks away.....free again.
Meanwhile at Baverstock solicitors Mr Baverstock is briefing assistant Julie Marsh on the assignment she is to undertake. Client Michael Graham has inherited a house and £40,000 , he is a busy businessman and wants to quickly view the house with a probability he'll put it on the market and he'd like his inheritance money in cash. Julie is to go with the money in a case to Waterloo Station, accompany Graham to the country house, Westerling, stay while Graham does an inventory and return. Julie sets off, a dependable girl, who no one would suspect would be carrying that money, and says goodbye to her boss and Peter, another employer at Baverstock's.
After Julie has left Peter reminds Baverstock of his promised afternoon off, and Baverstock says he can leave, Peter though has one thing to do, put a file in the archive cabinet, then he's done for the day.

The police are on the alert for Page , the hunt for the killer starts in earnest. Julie arrives at Waterloo to meet Graham, she will recognise him by a red carnation that Graham will wear, Graham's idea. Unfortunately Page is known as the Carnation Killer, he wears a red carnation too, and when Julie approaches him and asks if he's Graham , Page immediately says yes. Page can't believe his luck, on a train, a case of money and heading for some out of the way house to hide in.

 

[michaellevenson]

On the train the unsuspecting Julie gets Page to sign some legal documents to hand over the deeds of Westerling and the cash, and after an hour or so they arrive at their destination. Page momentarily leaves Julie on the platform and rushes back on the train to their carriage, a lady passenger is there, she got on halfway during the journey and was looking decidedly uncomfortable. Page says, " you recognised me didn't you ." He kills her and rejoins Julie on the platform.


The police have swamped Waterloo Station with officers, and stopped all trains leaving within 15 minutes of Page escaping as this was the nearest station, but too late, Page and Julie had left within 10 minutes.
Michael Graham is at the station waiting for Julie in vain, a young over enthusiastic policeman arrests him thinking he is Page because of the red carnation on his lapel.
Back at the police station apologies are offered to Graham for his false arrest and he rather angrily leaves.


Graham arrives at Baverstock's office and explains what happened to him and that he missed Julie . Baverstock is sure the dependable Julie will return to the office with his cash.
Peter, Julie 's colleague at work is also at Waterloo, sitting impatiently waiting for the trains to move, he is told by a guard that a killer is on the loose and the trains will leave when the police gives the all clear. Peter nervously checks his watch, he's in a hurry to get somewhere.

At Baverstock's, Baverstock is getting worried, Julie hasn't come back, Graham urges him to call the police thinking Julie has ran off with his money. Reluctantly Baverstock calls the police and when it's revealed how Julie was to recognise Graham, the red carnation, the alarm bells ring.

Page must have taken the fortuitous opportunity and went off with Julie.


Julie and Page arrive at Westerling, a large mansion in the middle of the countryside miles from anywhere. They enter and look around, Julie screams, a rat scampers across the floor upstairs, Page says he'll have them all humanely destroyed when he moves in. Julie is puzzled, Graham ( who Julie thinks she's talking to) said in his letter to Baverstock that he needed the ready cash because he's off to a business meeting abroad and just wanted a quick look at Westerling before selling it. Page says he's changed his mind.
Page insists on coffee and a sit down before they start on the inventory. Julie seems anxious, but agrees.

 

[michaellevenson]

Julie wants Page to get started on the inventory straight away but Page now insists on a meal first, and says he'll prepare it, they'll eat together, get to know each other better then start on the inventory. Julie reluctantly agrees, and Page starts preparing the meal. Julie is looking incredibly nervous, strange as she doesn't realise she's in danger!


She looks nervously out the window as if waiting for someone.

Scotland Yard police have sent a message to the Hampshire police to get to Westerling quickly and a car pulls up. The officer gets on his radio to inform his chief that he's at Westerling but everything is okay, no disturbance, no one here. The sign outside the house says Westerling, but it isn't the house Julie and Page are at!

The police are at Baverstock's and get the message, Baverstock can't understand it, the police say it looks like the Page link to Julie was not true, Julie will go on the wanted list, she seemingly has run off with the money. The police tell Baverstock the dead body of a woman strangled was found on a train that Julie might have taken , but surely if Page had met Julie they'd be at Westerling and they're not.
At the house Julie and Page are at, Peter has arrived, he creeps into the house and calls over to Julie sitting in the chair looking worried.

She is so pleased to see him, and excitedly asks where the hell has he been he's late. Peter explains about the train delays and everything will work out fine.
He explains they are in a house of someone who died intestate, without heirs, he has placed the file on the house in the archive section at Baverstock's, it'll probably be lost for ever. Even if it is found he'll claim he made a clerical error. After they kill Graham they'll have 40,000 pounds to themselves, and if one day the council or police break in here all they'll find is a skeleton, the rats will see to that , the place is full of them , Peter says he chose this house for that reason.
Peter gives Julie two tablets to put in Graham's ( Page) drink, Julie takes them and Peter departs before Page returns.
Outside Peter walks up to the sign Westerling on the gatepost, he pulls at it, it comes away to reveal the sign " Houghton Heights " the real name of the house.

 

[michaellevenson]

Page has completed the cooking of the meal and enters the spacious lounge wheeling a trolley of food. Julie says she'll pour the wine. She pours two glasses and slips the tablets into one of them, unfortunately Page sees this....

Page approaches her, looking frustrated, he strokes her hair.
Page " soft, I thought it was, they women ...its never as the promise...they always lead you on, then disappoint...the reality is a let down..Julie you're not going to let me down are you?"
Page's hands move to her throat.

After about ten minutes Peter re- enters the house, and goes into the lounge, Julie is sitting on a chair, the case of money open on the sideboard , he excitedly handles the cash, assures Julie that Graham didn't suffer, it was a painless death. He goes over to Julie, taps her on the shoulder, she slumps onto the floor...dead. Peter spins round, Page is there menacingly moving towards him.
Later Page leaves the house , locks the door and hurls the key into some bushes. He's heading back to London, where vulnerable women await his pleasure.
At Waterloo Page alights the train and tries to get passed the ticket gate, police are still there, they spot him he is caught.
Back at Scotland Yard Page is interrogated, where did he go, did he meet Julie Marsh? Page plays dumb, the psycho knows nothing.
...........and at Houghton Heights , a property empty, and it's existence lost in the archives, the dead bodies of Julie and Peter lie, undisturbed except for the pitter patter of rats scampering over the money and their lifeless corpses.




Cast
Julie Marsh....Katharine Schofield
Peter...Garrick Hagon
Page.....Norman Eshley
Baverstock....Derek Smith
Graham.....Geoffrey Chater