10 Rillington Place (Special Edition, DVD)

Movie: Who would have thought that the naïve and yet likeable John Hammond of Jurassic Park fame would be a creepy serial killer? No, nor me, but in 1971 he did just that; playing the part of British serial killer John Reginald Halliday Christie in Richard Fleischer's 10 Rillington Place. John Christie (Richard Attenborough) is a landlord, along with his wife Ethel (Pat Heywood) at 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill. Christie looks like a quiet and unassuming character, with a balding head, glasses and soft voice. But he holds a terrible secret, and that is that Christie is a murderer, a fact that is established as soon as the movie starts. ...  Read the complete review

'10 Rillington Place' is one of those 'based on a true story' films. In this case it is the story of serial killer John Reginald Christie, who lived at 10 Rillington Place London with his wife Ethyl. Over a period of several years he killed people and buried them in the grounds of his house. Much like Fred and Rosemary West would do many years later. The story is given greater significance by the character of Tim Evans, a young Welshman who was convicted and sentenced to death for some of the murders which Christie is now alleged to have committed. There are some 'ifs' and 'ands' in all this, but it is certainly accepted that Christie was a serial killer. ...  Read the complete review

This is the movie of the book that, in 1968, probably ensured that capital punishment was abolished in the UK. I am personally not an enthusiast for capital punishment so, when it comes to this film (and the book) I am somewhat predisposed in its favour. It is a true story about a young man called Timothy Evans who was hanged for the crime of unwittingly moving into a flat two floors above a mass murderer (or, as the Americans like to say, "a serial killer") called Reginald Christie. Christie was also a necrophiliac but we are, thankfully, spared the hateful (and unnecessary) details in the film. Evans was hanged for the murder of his baby ...  Read the complete review

Introduction I imagine only a few young things will have not heard of John Reginald Christie, who murdered a young woman, Beryl Evans, and her baby and managed to get her husband Timothy accused of her murder. Timothy Evans was eventually hung for this and constituted one of the biggest travesties of justice that this country has seen; to the extent that it was one of the factors that led to the end of the death penalty. Directed by Richard Fleischer, this film is based on the book by Ludovic Kennedy about the life of Christie. The director Richard Fleischer died just a week or so ago of natural causes. He also directed The Jazz Singer and Conan the ...  Read the complete review