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Britain’s Hammer Films is more famous for their gothic horror fare, but they also released a number of pretty solid little thrillers. In this one, a teenaged girl (Mandy Miller) tries to prove to her guardian and the police that her step-father killed her mother and made it look like a suicide. The Snorkel is a novel, pre-Psycho serial killer movie of sorts. The stepfather (Peter van Eyck) is also suspected to have killed the girl’s father years earlier, and when she gets too close to discovering the truth, he even kills her sweet little dog (animal lovers, you are warned). While Miller’s character tries to restore her mother’s honor, Van Eyck pursues her guardian (Betta St. John) as his next probable spouse… and victim.
While the actors aren’t quite to my liking and the first half drags a little, The Snorkel is interesting for how it depicts Van Eyck’s methodical approach to the murders — drugging his victims, taping up all the doors and windows, turning on the gas, then hiding under the floorboards while wearing a snorkeling mask connected to the outside. The tension winds nicely in the second half, with Miller taunting Van Eyck as he plots to kill her. The climax is a solid one with a few twists and turns, and the ending is surprisingly — and deliciously — devilish.
Based on a novel by Anthony Dawson. Directed by Guy Green (Oscar-winning cinematographer for Great Expectations).