Crucible Of Terror (1971)

A reclusive artist (Mike Raven) living in a secluded area of Cornwall in England has a bizarre "habit" of killing beautiful young women by encasing them in plaster and pouring molten bronze through an opening thus turning them into a sculpture. Directed by Ted Hooker, a film editor in apparently his only film directorial credit. A rather sleazy variant of HOUSE OF WAX, the movie trudges along with several nasty killings but outside of the film's "twist" of a finale which I didn't see coming, it's a pretty routine horror movie. A British film, it flopped in England but it's developed a small cult following. I don't think it even had a U.S. release. As the demented sculptor, Raven looks eerily like Christopher Lee who might have brought a bit more gravitas to the proceedings as well as some decent acting. With Ronald Lacey, Mary Maude, Melissa Stribling, Judy Matheson, James Bolam and Me Me Lai.