As noted in The Hammer Vault: Treasures From the Archives of Hammer Films by Marcus Hearn, the Kinematograph Weekly stated “the principal ingredients are sex, revenge, mystery and murder and a talented and attractive cast vigorously churns them into exciting screen chop suey.” Hearn goes on to describe Christopher Lee’s return from a sunny vacation on the first day of shooting causing issues for the makeup team: he had a nice tan. Hammer’s board of directors also delayed the film’s opening date “considering the film to be below par.”
But I like it. I find Lee’s Fu Manchu-like performance (The Face of Fu Manchu followed in 1965), while rightfully questionable today, is still quite fear-inducing.
The film’s U.S. release, care of Columbia, for which it was again billed with Homicidal, had occurred a few months earlier on 15 March (though for some Stateside dates, Tongs played with The Warrior Empress [1960] or Hammer’s Sword of Sherwood Forest [1960], the latter of which must have made for a curious double bill). Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company, Howard Maxford, McFarland
