HorrorComedyThrillerMystery

What a Carve Up!

- It's Corpus Delectable.......

Ernie's Uncle Gabriel has just died but to claim his inheritance he must spend the night in the ancestral family home with the rest of his rather eccentric relatives. Ernie's imagination has been affected by his constant immersion in cheap horror novels, but his wildest fears turn out to be justified when the guests begin to drop dead.

Release Date : 1961-09-15

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : New World Films Ltd.

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles : No Place Like Homicide!

Cast

Character Name : Sid Butler

Original Name : Sid James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ernie Broughton

Original Name : Kenneth Connor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Everett Sloane

Original Name : Donald Pleasence

Gender : Male

Character Name : Linda Dickson

Original Name : Shirley Eaton

Gender : Female

Character Name : Guy Broughton

Original Name : Dennis Price

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fisk - the Butler

Original Name : Michael Gough

Gender : Male

Character Name : Janet Broughton

Original Name : Valerie Taylor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Aunt Emily

Original Name : Esma Cannon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Edward Broughton

Original Name : George Woodbridge

Gender : Male

Character Name : Malcolm Broughton

Original Name : Michael Gwynn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Arkwright

Original Name : Philip O'Flynn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Porter

Original Name : Timothy Bateson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hearse Driver

Original Name : Frederick Piper

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Ring Madame Tussauds and ask if anyone is missing. When Uncle Gabriel dies, all his relatives are summoned to an old country mansion in the middle of nowhere to hear the reading of his will. Once there, tho, somebody starts murdering them one by one and the remaining group must solve the mystery or expect not to see the night out. What a Carve Up! is adapted from Frank King's novel The Ghoul and stars Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Donald Pleasence, Shirley Eaton, Dennis Price, Esma Cannon and Michael Gough. Basically this fine and amusing film is a sort of British version of genre pieces like Scared Stiff, The Cat And The Canary and The Ghostbreakers, or a spoof of its source material if you like. All the elements are in place, a bunch of eccentric and odd characters land at a ghostly mansion, greeted by a limping scary looking Butler {Gough}, and they then promptly spend the night trying to stay alive. Set to a backdrop of a thunderstorm, creaking floorboards, revolving secret doors and "what was that?", did the eyes just move on that painting? There's nothing new here of course in terms of creepy house formula, it is however a premise that never grows old if it is done right. Either seriously or as a comedy. Thankfully, What a Carve Up! does everything it possibly can to make it work as a creepy house mystery spoof. The gags are excellently written by Cooney & Hilton, which in turn are delivered with comic agility from the cast. Who rightly are having a blast with the material to hand. The "who done it?" reveal is a good one after the red herrings have been and gone, and a nice cameo at the finale feeds Sid James another in a long line of fine gags within the piece. Finally getting a DVD release in late 2008, this film has now started to pick up newcomers and the revisit crowd alike. Which is real nice to see. Because as long as you are a fan of the creepy house comedy mystery then you shouldn't be disappointed in this one. 8/10