Brian Clemens' Thriller 5.4 The Crazy Kill

[michaellevenson]

Dr. Frank Henson, mid forties, a severe looking man walks down the stairs of his country house, running down the stairs in front of him is Hilary, a blonde haired lady , crying. She sobs as she sits in the living room, Henson stands over her, glaring at her, then strikes her across the face, she screams. He then puts his arms around her saying, " it's all over now my poor neurotic darling!"
A strange situation indeed.
In the countryside nearby, two felons have escaped from jail and are on the run.

Garard and Filton are dangerous murderers, they've killed a clay pigeon shooter and stolen his gun, a shotgun, and are looking for someplace to hideout.
The police have swung into action, Superintendent Brooke is in charge, drafted in from Scotland Yard, this is big news, Garard is notorious, a psychopath that will kill again unless found quickly. A large security net is thrown over the area, police patrol cars everywhere.

 

[michaellevenson]

Dr Henson meantime is worried for Hilary, as her doctor and the man who loves her he feels he can not prescribe any more tranquillisers, she needs rest. The front doorbell rings, Henson answers it and in barges Garard and Filton covering them with the shotgun.



Into this area, Spearbury, drives a taxi , the passenger is American journalist Tracy Loxton, she's come to interview Mrs Henson who has a famous collection of valuable posters, a very rare collection of original movie and advertising posters , some are priceless. The taxi is stopped by a police patrol car and told not to pick up strangers, two convicts are on the loose.

 

[michaellevenson]

Back at Henson's things are tense, Garard has got Mrs Henson, Hillary tied and gagged upstairs on the bed in the smaller bedroom.

Filton the small fry of the two hoods is busy repairing a police radio they've ripped out of a police car they ambushed before getting here , they want to pick up police radio broadcasts to hear how the police search is going. Downstairs Garard has helped himself to booze as he and Henson chat, Henson assuring him they'll be no unexpected callers to the house as he isn't a usual village doctor, he's a heart surgeon.

Suddenly the doorbell rings, it's the police checking the vicinity. Henson nervous as he answers door, Garard hidden behind door covering him with gun. Henson tells Det Tredgett that he's seen no-one, when suddenly upstairs Hilary has pulled her gag off with her teeth and screams, Henson quickly thinking, calls upstairs for Hilary to keep the kids quiet, telling Tredgett that she's probably reading them horror stories. Tredgett leaves, Henson relieved, Garard impressed, " one minute Doc I thought I'd have to kill you, next moment I was proud of you."
Garard calls up to Filton, who sheepishly comes down, apologises, saying she got her gag loose, Garard responds by punching Filton in the stomach who collapses, Garard orders him back upstairs and get that bloody radio working.


In the bedroom Filton tells the gagged Hilary that he needs scissors for his repair work on the radio, and walks over to a cupboard door, it's locked, Hilary starts shaking her head and trying to scream as Filton tries to pull open cupboard door. " What's the matter with you, what you got in here ?" he says.
From downstairs a loud bump on the upstairs floor is heard, Garard and Henson run upstairs to find Hilary on the floor and Filton standing over her, he swears he never touched her, all he did was try to open the cupboard and she went berserk. Henson says the cupboard contains old clothes nothing more, Garard is about to shoot open the lock when the front doorbell rings, Tracy Loxton has arrived.


Tracy introduces herself and says Mrs Henson is expecting her for an interview for a magazine regarding her poster collection. Henson apologises, saying his wife isn't here and he'll call a taxi for her to go . But Tracey apologises for being presumptuous but she's already arranged for her boyfriend to pick her up here in a couple of hours and even though Mrs Henson isn't here she could still look at the posters for her article. Tracy walks into the living room, and sees on the wall framed movie posters first editions from some famous Hollywood films, and says even just the posters in this room make her trip worthwhile.


Henson looks over to Garard for guidance, Garard places the shotgun out of sight and steps forward saying, " Sir if the young lady is staying perhaps she'd like a drink sir." Garard plays manservant and pours the drinks. Garard asks Tracy if her boyfriend will be alone when he arrives and will they require dinner. Tracy says no, they won't be staying.
Tracy," am I drinking alone?"
Garard, " sorry sir, would you ..."
Henson, " yes please, a scotch Garard "
Garard looks daggers and pours Henson a drink, then..
Garard asks Henson if he can have a word in private. In the hall Garard grabs Henson,
"I suppose you thought that was funny!"
Garard tells him if he doesn't play along with this charade they'll be trouble. Garard wants the girl to see normality, looks at the posters, leave with her boyfriend and no-one gets hurt.



Upstairs in the bedroom Filton has got the radio working, police inter- car messages are heard , the police are in force in Spearbury, the net closing. Filton stamps hard on the floor a message to Garard to come up. Garard pushing Henson enter the bedroom, all listen to the radio.
Back at police HQ near Spearbury Superintendent Brooke wonders why car 23 isn't answering, Tredgett says they're good men on that patrol, they'd call in if their radio is out of commission , something might be wrong. The area the car was in was Spearbury, Tredgett says he's just gone through the area, nothing to report, except Doctor Henson's kids playing up. One of the officers is alarmed, " what kids!, the Hensons don't have kids!"
The police rush off.
At the house Tracy has finished looking at the framed posters in the living room ,making notes , and she now slowly moves up the stairs looking at more posters on the wall along the stairway.

She is studying a poster when she hears conversation down the landing , the door at the end is the small bedroom door, ajar, Tracy peers in, and looks in horror, Hilary is on the bed gagged, Garard holding the shotgun as he intently listens to the police broadcasts Henson looks up and eyes Tracy looking in, he silently mouths that she should go back downstairs.

 

[michaellevenson]

Brooke and Tredgett and a couple of uniformed officers find car 23, in a ditch, the two officers inside dead, the radio ripped out. Brooke realises what's happened, he needs to put out a fake message knowing that Garard is listening. He gets on the radio in his car to HQ , " call off Spearbury search, Garard and Filton positively identified in the Dover area"
Delighted with this news Garard goes downstairs with Henson to rejoin Tracy.

Henson knows of course she saw what was happening upstairs, Garard still playing at manservant.

The police are now in the grounds of the house with a directional listening device hearing what's going on. Tracy hopes her boyfriend will soon come, Garard offers her another drink and quietly tells Henson that as soon as the police have moved to Dover and removed the road blocks from the Spearbury area he and Filton will go, in the Doctor's car.
The police outside make their move, Tredgett says he'll go to the house, posing as the boyfriend.
The front doorbell rings Tracy runs to answer it, Tredgett is there greeting his "girlfriend " , Filton appears at the top of the stairs and shouts out to Garard, " he's a cop, he was here earlier"


Tredgett pulls out a gun, Garard grabs his shotgun, police pile in from the backdoor and overpower Garard and Filton, siege over.
Henson alarmed for his wife runs upstairs, moments later he appears at the top of the stairs looking glum, " she's dead, they've killed my wife."
Police vehicles turn up, Garard and Filton are put in the back of a van. The body of Mrs Henson carried down on a stretcher covered by a sheet. Henson and Tracy look on as the stretcher passes them in the hall. Momentarily the sheet slips off the body, Henson rushes forward to replace it, the woman on the stretcher isn't Hilary, but a brunette, Tracy sees this, the stretcher party leave, she is about to speak up when Henson strikes her with a karate chop around the neck.

 

[michaellevenson]

The dead body is placed in the back of the police van with Garard and Filton, it sets off.
Garard notices the hair of the woman sticking out of the top of the sheet, it's dark, it's not the same woman as Mrs Henson.
Superintendent Brooke at the house wonders what's happened to Miss Loxton, she'll be needed to make a statement. Henson says she left , must have just walked right passed you outside, she's a journalist and probably can't wait to write up her experience here. Brooke leaves ordering Tredgett to put out an APB on her, she must be found. Henson has dragged the unconscious Tracy into a back room, he goes to the bottom of the stairs and calls out that all is clear. The cupboard door in the bedroom opens and out steps Hilary.
At police HQ Brooke interrogates Garard who insists they didn't kill Mrs Henson and the dead body isn't her anyway.
Brooke, " building up a tricky little defence aren't we?"
Garard, " leave it out, what have I got to gain. I tell you the dead woman isn't Mrs Henson."
A uniformed officer says, " I know Mrs Henson, and that body in the morgue is her."
Garard, " okay then, who's the blonde? The lady Henson said was his wife."
Back at the house Hilary and Henson look down at the unconscious Tracy, Hilary panicking Henson reassures her it'll be okay. Henson says everything was going to plan, better than expected, "Garard and Filton coming here means no one will suspect Elizabeth was already dead before they got here, no one will question that those two thugs did it, we've got away with it. If only Miss Loxton had just seen you or the body we'd be okay but unfortunately she saw both, she cannot wake up, a painless injection as we used on Elizabeth simulating heart seizure. Then we'll do what was planned for Elizabeth, we'll take her far from here , no one will suspect anything but heart failure then we're in the clear....fetch my bag"
Tredgett reports to Brooke, no trace of Miss Loxton, but suddenly realises, " she must return to the house, two reasons, first her luggage was still in the hall, and second her boyfriend is picking her up "
Tredgett dashes out.

Tracy has woken up, and asks, " what happened?"
Henson replies " you had a fall, this injection will help you "
Tracy suddenly remembers she was hit, Henson orders Hilary to grab her and hold her down, as Tredgett runs in from the backdoor covering him with a gun as Henson was about to administer the lethal injection.

Tredgett, " unusual method Doctor Henson."
Henson, " I was just administering a sedative."
Hilary, " Frank, it's over."
Tredgett, " yes, I rather think it is."
The doorbell rings, Tredgett turns to Tracy and says with a smile, " I'm sorry to say Miss that's probably your real boyfriend at last."



Cast:
Henson....Denholm Elliot
Tracy.....Tandy Cronyn
Garard.....Anthony Valentine
Filton....Juan Moreno
Hilary.....Claire Nielson
Brooke...Alan Browning
Tredgett...David Horrovitch

 

[michaellevenson]

Thriller (1973)