Baffled!

Baffled!

30/1/1973 1h 39m 5.2/10

Overview

Tom Kovack is a hard-nosed race car driver until a sudden supernatural vision causes a near-fatal crash while he's hurtling down the backstretch at 140 miles per hour. Michele Brent is the woman who convinces Kovack that his visions are significant. She leads him to the manor house that appeared in his vision, which in turn leads him into a world of revenge and murder from beyond the grave. Kovack must tap into his newfound power to conquer the evil forces at work.

Director

Philip Leacock

Top Billed Cast

Vera Miles

Vera Miles

Andrea Glenn

Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy

Tom Kovack

Rachel Roberts

Rachel Roberts

Mrs. Farraday

Susan Hampshire

Susan Hampshire

Michele Brent

Valerie Taylor

Valerie Taylor

Louise Sanford

Jewel Blanch

Jennifer Glenn

Reviews

Wuchak

11/21/2025

6/10

**_Nimoy investigates mysteries at a manor on the coast of Eng_**land Shot in 1971, this was the pilot movie for a potential Brit series that never materialized. Nimoy’s costar is winsome Susan Hampshire and, as a team, they play psychic detectives, using his visions and her expertise in ESP and the occult. It’s basically a more lowkey version of ensuing pilot movies “The Night Stalker,” “The Norliss Tapes” and “Spectre.” Of course, only “Night Stalker” went on to become a series and, then, only for one season (barely). “Baffled” comes across more as a convoluted Agatha Christie mystery mixed with paranormal stuff, including bewitching amulets and the obsession with eternal youth. If you liked Peter Cushing’s “Corruption” or Christopher Lee’s “Curse of the Crimson Altar,” you should appreciate it. Just remember that the sensationalistic bits are toned down by comparison. On the downside, the music is quirky and dated. I get that we’re talking about the early ’70s here, but the scores to many notable films from that time period hold up. Also, the story is kind of complicated and challenging to follow, yet I’m sure mystery aficionados will have no problem. Jewel Blanch was only 13 as Jennifer during shooting and it’s surprising how the story morphs her into a lil’ wannabe hottie which, needless to say, wouldn’t fly today. Vera Miles is on hand as her mother while Rachel Roberts plays the lady of the manor. Lastly, it's amusing how Nimoy is referred to as "young" in the story when he was 40 during shooting, and looks older. It runs 1h 30m and was shot at Taplow Court, which is a dozen miles west of London, as well as areas nearby and Pinewood Studios. The opening racetrack scenes were done at Oulton Park, Cheshire, which is a four-hour drive northwest of London. I’m not sure where the scenic coastal footage was shot. GRADE: B-

Similar Movies

Extreme Measures

6.0

Extreme Measures

1996

Tomie: Revenge

4.6

Tomie: Revenge

2005

City Unplugged

6.1

City Unplugged

1993

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

5.3

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

1991

They Live in the Grey

4.9

They Live in the Grey

2022

Hellraiser: Hellseeker

5.0

Hellraiser: Hellseeker

2002

The Defiant Ones

7.1

The Defiant Ones

1958

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

4.7

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

2011

The Shadow in the North

6.5

The Shadow in the North

2007

The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro de Alcântara Francisco António João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim

0.0

The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro de Alcântara Francisco António João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim

2025

J.D.'s Revenge

5.7

J.D.'s Revenge

1976

Letters from Frank

0.0

Letters from Frank

1979

Survive the Hollow Shoals

4.8

Survive the Hollow Shoals

2018

Stalin's Last Plot

8.0

Stalin's Last Plot

2011