#10 rillington place

[lobbycards]

10 Rillington Place, Italian lobby card (fotobusta). 1971

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On October 13, 1971, 10 Rillington Place debuted in France.

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10 Rillington Place (1971)

Directed by Richard Fleischer

Cinematography by Denys N. Coop

[fourorfivemovements]

Films Watched in 2023:

14. 10 Rillington Place (1971) - Dir. Richard Fleischer

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[audiemurphy1945]

10 Rillington Place(1971)

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10 Rillington Place (1971)

Serial killers are frightening and monstrous but there's also something completely pathetic about them and their personage. Richard Attenborough is chilling as John Reginald Christie, a man who took the lives at least eight people and yet managed to pass off the murder of two onto another man who is innocent. Though he cuts an unassuming figure upon initial impression with his balding pate and thick glasses, the film still finds an unsettling nature to his presence. At points his silhouette precedes him, hard shadow casting him like Nosferatu onto the wall of this otherwise unassuming home. When he first encounters Beryl, he offers her tea, something which will be his last gesture to her prior to her murder. There is a shabbiness to him, a desperation, and yet he's able to manipulate Tim and assert a sort of false authority as landlord, legal expert, ex-cop, and medical professional. None of these are true of course, but it's easy to prey on the weak and desperate if you're sociopathic enough.

If films like Anatomy of a Fall emphasize the theatricality of the courtroom and the ambiguity of justice, 10 Rillington Place shows have that same court can exploit the vulnerable. Uneducated and illiterate Timothy John Evans is the perfect mark for manipulation by Christie. Though Tim is overly trusting and gullible, it’s ultimately the court system that fucks him over. The trial of Timothy John Evans is a farce steeped in the class discrimination in the English court system as emphasized by its pomp, circumstance and preposterous regalia. As presented here, one’s character—or the perception of it—is all one needs to be held as a liar or as honest, regardless of past record or behavior during the court proceedings. Tim's defense attorney makes something of an effort to point out Christie’s erratic and inconsistent behavior, drawing attention to withheld details earlier in the proceedings and coming into question the consistency of his story. And yet, all that the prosecution need to do is suggest that Tim has been inconsistent regardless of all other circumstances. Reasonable doubt has no meaning here. His verdict is handed down swiftly and the apathy of the medical examiners condemns this innocent man to death. The rhetoric in this film, whether the condescending paternalistic admonishments to Tim made by John or the dismissive quips about character by the medical board, is cutting in a way only the British can pull it off. John may have his day in court, but sometimes the system creates its own victims along the way.

THE RULES

SIP

John or the dog does some, ah, gardening

Tea is offered

Name a sum of money

Tim can’t read

BIG DRINK

Time jump

John’s silhouette precedes him

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Bodies in the Walls and Under The Floorboards - The Horrors of 10 Rillington Place

Welcome, dear readers, to our tranquil corner of the internet, where‌ we explore the fascinating depths of history ‍and human nature. Today, we‍ embark on a ⁣journey that travels back in time ⁤to a place filled with secrets and shadows – the infamous 10 Rillington Place. As we delve into the dark corridors of this haunting location, we unmask the ‍chilling horrors‍ that‍ were concealed within its…

[misskattylashes]

So far in My Mistakes Were Made For You;

Alex is compared to Princess Margaret

Miles lives close to 10 Rillington Place - scene of several real life horrific murders

We have the return of Dom John

We also have the return of Jarvis Cocker

Starts serialising Monday 18th November....

[wilburwhateley]

Hooptober X

For those of you who use Letterboxd (or who just want something semi-structured to distract you for at least 31 days), Hooptober is on again--31 Horror movies in 31 days, initiated originally by Cinemonster. It is a challenge sort of deal, and I have transferred-over the list criteria from their updated post below. Click-into the link to Cinemonster's list description on Letterboxd to retrieve the Screambox link for a complimentary channel trial. I am starting early, as well, since I have a lot on my plate. Plus I get to start my Halloween celebration early. Again.

Here's the list:

"There must be 31 films 6 countries 8 decades 2 post apocalyptic or natural disaster related films

1 film with Robert Englund 1 something is underground film 3 Satan/Devil centered films 1 Amicus film. The worst Dracula film (by Letterboxd rating) that you haven't seen and can access. 1 LGBTQ+ connected film 5 Films from De Palma, Wes Craven, Ken Russell, Hitchcock and/or Moorehead & Benson. 2 Peter Cushing films 1 film based on a work of or invoking the name Bram Stoker 1 film based on a Clive Barker story 1 film that was released the year that you turned 10 1 Mario Bava film. 1 film with an 'x' in the title 

And 1 Tobe Hooper Film (There must ALWAYS be a Hooper film)

***FOR THOSE THAT LIKE TO DO EXTRA WORK: WATCH The Zodiac Killer and 10 Rillington Place. Like last year, there is a third film: Shaky Shivers."

[crimesandcuriosities]

What Happened to the Most Infamous Murder Houses in the UK?

The stories behind the real-life ‘Houses of Horrors’ in 20th century England— and what has become of them since.

Pictured above are the infamous homes in which some of Britain's most notorious killers lived and committed their heinous murders. They are recognised to this day as the real-life 'Houses of Horrors' which were, in the second half of the 20th century, plastered across the front covers of global newspapers from the 1950s through to the 1990s.

In true crime books, podcasts and documentaries, the buildings above are still frequently named in association with the crimes that took place within their walls - these crimes being some of the worst the UK has ever seen.

John Reginald Christie killed and buried eight women at 10 Rillington Place, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley killed two out of five child victims at 16 Wardle Brook Avenue, Fred and Rose West killed at least nine young girls and women at 25 Cromwell Street, and Dennis Nilsen killed three of at least twelve young boys and men in his apartment at 23D Cranley Gardens.

This post details the gruesome history of the houses and also what has become of them since their era of notoriety. The full article is available to read here.

[lobbycards]

10 Rillington Place, Italian lobby card (fotobusta). 1971

[schlock-luster-video]

Remembering 10 Rillington Place star Richard Attenborough on the anniversary of his birth.

[moviesandmania]

FEAR IN THE NIGHT (1972) Reviews of the Hammer psychological thriller

Fear in the Night is a 1972 British psychological horror thriller film produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster from a screenplay co-written with Michael Syston. The Hammer Film production stars Judy Geeson (10 Rillington Place, Inseminoid), Joan Collins (Tales from the Crypt), Ralph Bates and Peter Cushing. Fear in the Night was the last of three features directed by Hammer screenwriter/producer…

[thecrimecrypt]

Crimes That Shook Britain (London)

Murder of Nisha Patel-Nasri Special Constable Nisha Patel-Nisri, 29, was stabbed to death outside her Wembley home in May 2006.  It was assumed she’d interrupted a burglary. Her husband Fadi Nasri made an emotional televised appeal for information. But, six months later, police found the murder weapon - a knife missing from the Nasris’ kitchen - in a nearby drain. 

CCTV footage showed a silver Audi - traced to a nightclub bouncer - pulling up to the drain. The bouncer claimed his friend Jason Jones, 36, of disposed of the knife.  Jones’ phone records connected him to drug dealer Rodger Leslie - and also to Nisha’s husband Fadi Nasri. Officers charged all four with murder. At the February 2008 trial, it was revealed Nasri had been having an affair with a Lithuanian prostitute, was £100,000 in debt. 

Nasri had paid Jones £15,000 to kill his wife for her life insurance - a deal set up by dealer Leslie.  The bouncer was acquitted, but Jones, Leslie and Nasri were all found guilty and sentenced to life. 

John Christie On 9 March 1950, Timothy Evans was hanged for murdering his daughter Geraldine. Police believed he’d also killed his wife Beryl at 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill, London. 

Evans claimed the downstairs neighbor John Christie killed Beryl in a botched abortion, but Christie was a prosecution witness, and the jury believed him.  When Christie moved house three years later, another tenant stumbled across three bodies in a hidden alcove in Christie’s kitchen. A total of seven bodies were found in the house and garden - including those of Beryl and Geraldine, plus Christie’s wife Ethel.

Christie was arrested and confessed to murdering seven women. Most were raped and strangled.  On 5 July 1953, Christie was hanged by the same executioner who’d hanged innocent Timothy Evans. 

Killing of Rachel Nickell The sexual assault and killing of Rachel Nickell, 23, on Wimbledon Common in July 1992, was one of Britain’s biggest unsolved cases.  The model was stabbed 49 times in broad daylight. 

Heartbreakingly, her son, then 2, was found clinging to her, covered in blood, begging her to wake up.  A local man was charged, but the trial collapsed. 

In November 2004, after a DNA breakthrough, killer and rapist Robert Napper became prime suspect. He was already in psychiatric hospital Broadmoor for murdering Samantha Bisset and her daughter Jasmine, 4, in 1993.  Napper finally admitted killing Rachel and, in 2008, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. 

Death of Baby P In August 2007, 17-month-old Peter Connelly, known as Baby P before his full name was released to the media was found dead in his cot in Haringey, north London, with a catalogue of injuries. 

His mother Tracey, her lover, Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen had inflicted the unimaginable violence.  Prior to Peter’s death, doctors and social services had noticed injuries, yet Peter was always returned to his mother. 

Just days before Peter’s death, a social worker failed to spot further injuries - disguised by chocolate deliberately smeared on his face.  When he died, little Peter had a broken back, fractured shin, his ear was ripped, a tooth knocked out and his head was gashed. 

The distressing case left the nation horrified. Connelly, Barker, and Owen were convicted of causing Peter’s death, and jailed. Owen and Connelly were released but since returned to prison for breaching parole.  Haringey council apologized for its failure to save the life of little Peter Connelly. 

Dennis Nilsen In February 1983, residents of 23 Cranley in Muswell Hill, north London, complained of blocked drains and a sickening stench.  In the outside drain, a technician found bones and rotting human remains. 

In the filthy attic of Dennis Nilsen’s flat, police found dismembered, decaying corpses. Nilsen had been luring young gay men to his flat, then strangling them.  After cutting them up, he’d boil the skin off their bones and hide body parts in the house. He’d flushed limbs, flesh and organs down the toilet and sink. 

Three men were killed at Cranley Gardens, 12 more were murdered at Nilsen’s previous flat in Cricklewood, where he’d burned remains in the garden.  Nilsen was serving a whole-life sentence for the murders when he died in 2018 from a pulmonary embolism. 

Murder of Stephen Lawrence On 22 April 1993, Stephen Lawrence, 18, was killed in Eltham, south London, in a racist attack - David Norris, Gary Dobson, and three other suspects were arrested and Norris and Dobson were charged with murder, but the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence. 

In 2005, laws preventing suspects being tried twice for the same crime were scrapped. New DNA evidence was found on Dobsons’ and Norris’ clothes and, in 2011, they were re-tried, found guilty of murder and jailed for life. 

[diematrosen]

My annual Shocktober watchlist is here 🕸️