Neither the Sea Nor the Sand
Directed byFred Burnley
Written by
Based onNeither the Sea Nor the Sand
by Gordon Honeycombe
Produced by
  • Peter Fetterman
  • Jack Smith
Starring
Production
companies
Distributed byTigon Film Distributors
Release date
  • November 1972 (1972-11)
Running time
91 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (also known as The Exorcism of Hugh) is a 1972 British horror film, based on the book of the same name, by Gordon Honeycombe. The film is directed by Fred Burnley, and stars Susan Hampshire, Frank Finlay, Michael Petrovitch and Michael Craze.

Plot

Anna Robinson, having recently left her husband, has retreated to Jersey, where she attempts to sort out her complicated life. One day while out walking, she encounters a man named Hugh Debernon, with whom she begins a relationship, much to the disapproval of Hugh's religious brother, George.

On a holiday to Scotland, Anna begins to question the relationship, worried that it may just be an affair, for which Hugh reassures her that it is not the case and declares his love. While Hugh is chasing Anna on a beach, he suddenly collapses and is pronounced dead by the local doctor. A distraught Anna cannot accept that he is gone. During the night Hugh miraculously returns, much to Anna's delight, convinced that the doctor had made a mistake.

During their trip back to Jersey, Hugh does not speak and continually stares at Anna. Upon their return home, Anna realises that something is wrong. George tries to convince Anna that Hugh is dead, for which she remains in denial. He accuses Anna of being a witch and that she conjured an evil spirit that possessed his brother's dead body, which somehow explains why he is apparently alive and burns Hugh's hand to try and prove his theory. George is adamant that Hugh is possessed and must be exorcised by a priest. Hugh begins to communicate with Anna telepathically and appears to go along with George's wishes. While travelling to see a priest, Hugh forces George off the road and jumps to safety as George plummets over a cliff to his death.

The local authorities attempt to inform Hugh of George's death as Anna continues to conceal the truth and reveals that Hugh died in Scotland and passes on Hugh's death certificate. She soon realises that they can't keep up the facade for much longer as Hugh begins to get aggressive. A friend of Hugh's, Collie Delamare, tries to comfort Anna following the news of Hugh's passing and becomes suspicious of her. Anna realises that Hugh is really gone and is willing to die to be with him. Collie follows Anna across the beach and witnesses her join Hugh as the pair walk into the sea.

Cast

Release

Critical reception

Horrified Magazine said, "Neither the Sea Nor the Sand has the texture of a folk tale – something that is evoked by a particularly memorable score, which is too rarely-discussed in coverage of the film, from Nachum Heiman."[10] Radio Times rated the film 2 out of 5 stars.[11] In a negative review from Time Out, it comment that the film "must qualify as one of the worst films of the decade", and that "Gordon Honeycombe scripted this awful effort from his own novel".[12]

Home media

Neither the Sea Nor the Sand was released on DVD, on Region 1 in the United States and Canada from Redemption on 30 January 2007.[13] The film was released as a rental pre-cert VHS in the United Kingdom in December 1980 through Guild Home Video,[14] and on Region 2 DVD on 21 July 2008 via Odeon Entertainment.[15] It was again made available on DVD from Odeon on 17 July 2017, in a set comprising three films, which includes Blue Blood and The Legacy.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Neither The Sea Nor The Sand". British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Susan Hampshire". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "Frank Finlay". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "Michael Petrovitch". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Michael Craze". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Jack Lambert". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Betty Duncan". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "David Garth". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Anthony Booth". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  10. ↑ Lewis, Paul. "Neither the Sea Nor the Sand". Horrified Magazine. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  11. ↑ Lass, Frances. "Neither the Sea nor the Sand". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Neither the Sea Nor the Sand". Time Out. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "Neither the Sea Nor the Sand". dvdtalk.com. 3 February 2007. Archived from the original on 19 February 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "Neither the Sea Nor the Sand". videocollector.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "Neither The Sea Nor The Sand [1972] [DVD]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "British Horror Film Collection [DVD] [2017]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
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