Escapement (film)
Escapement (a.k.a. The Electronic Monster in the U.S.) is a 1958 British horror science fiction film. It was based on the sci-fi novel "Escapement" by Charles Eric Maine (London, 1956). Original working titles included Zex, the Electronic Fiend and Dream Machine. Plot. Inquiring into the mysterious death of a Hollywood star, insurance investigator Jeff Keenan uncovers an exclusive psychiatric clinic on the French Riviera. Here, patients who want to escape the stresses of life are hypnotized, then laid out in morgue-like drawers and left to dream for several weeks. It turns out that Dr. Zakon, the  clinic's ex-Nazi owner, is using a "dream machine" to alter the sleepers' dreams, and to impose his will on theirs. Production. Producer Richard Gordon later said there were major problems with the film's special effects. He also said that he had a dispute with Anglo-Amalgamated, who did not want the movie to get an X certificate in England, whereas Gordon wanted more horror for the US. Critical reception. Leonard Maltin called it a "blah sci-fi programmer" ; while TV Guide noted, "an intriguing feature in that it was among the first to examine the possibilities of  psychological manipulation and brainwashing." Moria found that the movie failed to live up to its interesting premise, being overly talky. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction found the movie was leaning towards a thriller-like plot and had a disinclination to argue too about its often shaky scientific pinning.