The Pyx

Ah, Canadian suspense/horror! This film is almost completely forgotten and unknown, and it certainly isn't an undiscovered classic, but it does have many good points. Young Christopher Plummer is hot and bilingual, and younger Karen Black looks pretty lush and less cross-eyed than usual. This was shot in Montreal and actually intended to be Montreal, so there's some Quebecois French in there to make this a little more interesting than your average film. The story is told non-linearly, alternating between her storyline leading up to her tragic end (not a spoiler) and Plummer, the cop investigating her death. The whole Satanic cult angle is a plus if you're a fan of that kind of horror, and while this is no Rosemary's Baby it does keep you interested. If you're going through a Canadian horror checklist, you've got to check this one out (though be advised, it's a lot more suspense thriller than pure horror, and it's not gory).

This DVD is of a little-known film made in Montreal in the early 1970s, starring a very young and beautiful Karen Black, Christopher Plummer and Quebec actor Donald Pilon. This film was often shown on TV in Canada throughout the 70s, and although I cannot call it a great movie, it does have a certain atmospheric quality to it which has stuck in my mind all these years.This movie is one of a host of films that came out at around this time (see also: "The Devil's Rain", "Race With the Devil", "The Omen", "The Sentinel", etc.) which, influenced by the success of such films as Rosemary's Baby and especially The Exorcist, dealt with the theme of Satanism.Police detective Plummer and his partner Pilon are called to the murder case of prostitute Black. We flash back to Black's final days, as clues gradually lead the detectives to a Satanic cult.Plummer is good as the detective but the real star here is Black, who has never been more radiant, and who also sings the movie's hauntingly etherial theme song.It's a pity that the DVD transfer of this film is so bad, because I really do like this film and would otherwise have given it 3 stars.But unfortunately the money-grubbing DVD-making people at Beverly Wilshire were so cheap they did not even bother to do what most el-cheapo DVD release companies do when releasing a movie with a picture screen ratio wider than a conventional TV screen, which is to pan and scan. Instead, they merely went and squeezed the entire wider image into the smaller screen, thus giving us a movie of long, thin "stick people". Such lazyness is absolutely INEXCUSABLE, and I wish there were some way to punish these people who are obviously out to cheat the unsuspecting public.I guess the only real method to punish them we have at our disposal is to withhold our hard-earned money, so I would strongly advise you NOT to buy this DVD.--Which is a real pity, because this film does deserve to be seen, and if you've viewed and enjoyed the other films I've mentioned above, chances are you will probably like this one too. I can only hope that someone will someday rerelease this again in a proper DVD version, giving the film the respect it deserves. In the meantime, this film was also previously released on video, so if you scrounge around you may be able to find yourself a copy. This is what I will now have to do.

The film opens with Christopher Plummer as a detective investigating the death of prostitute Karen Black. The film switches back and forth from Plummer's investigation to flashbacks of what happened to Karen Black and how she ended up being killed. The detective realizes that she was the victim of a satanic cult. This is a very suspenseful and incredibly well acted and directed film. This has plot and character and not blood, gore and monsters. There is in fact very little horror in the film. It could pass as a detective murder thriller except at the end. In the confrontation between the detective and the head of the cult, the head of the cult tells the detective several things, such as what the detective was thinking when his wife was killed in an accident, that he could only have learned from a supernatural source. Karen Black's character, a wayward Catholic, redeems herself towards the end. By current standards it might be considered slow but I found it very involving. I was surprised to find out what a pyx is, and I was raised Catholic. Leonard Maltin give this 3.5 stars and it deserves it. I don't know why this film is not better know.

Good actors always give it 100 percent . Plummer and Black (and the other guy playing a detective) went for it. Good acting in a straight flat line of a story with little else to recommend it. Certainly not the photography.

without Karen Black - not much here - all chopped up, but it had potential - also, Plummer is a strong actor and had a few witty lines that made the film somewhat watchable.

Good.

A great classic film that's part of Katarina's Midnight Nightmare collection. This film has its moments, but the audio is poor at times.

Print was very nice but couldn't get through the movie. It'll be in my horror collection without ever watching it.

The review is for Katarina's Nightmare Theater release of the PYX. I have been curious about this film for decades & I am glad I finally picked it up.The Pyx is based on the novel written by John Buell, I grew up in Montreal and attended elementary school with his son. So, I knew about the book first, then years later I learned it was made into a film. This Canadian production is a an early example of Canadian Exploitation Cinema, during this period several productions were being made in Canada featuring American actors. Canadian film making was in it's infancy & the producers probably had their eye on making a dent in an American market. The Pyx also serves as a bit of a time capsule, as you get to see how Montreal looked back in the early 70's. Christopher Plummer plays a cop who is investigating the murder of prostitute, Karen Black. Plummer finds evidence of a devil cult, drugs, & the church being involved during her final hours. The storytelling style is interesting - from Karen's perspective it unfolds through a series of flashbacks leading up to the final days just before her death. It's a suspense thriller with supernatural elements. The version presented here is taken from the original film negative & it also features commentary with Karen Black & the original trailer. You can watch the movie with the intoduction from horror hostess Katarina, or just play the feature film. The Pyx is also known as "The Hooker Cult Murders", but this particular version is 2:35:1 widescreen, it has the best quality. This is the one to get if you are interested.

I like Karen Black a lot. I wanted to see some of her vintage stuff. I was expecting something a bit scarier so I guess I was disappointed because although it was intriguing, I did not find that it qualified under the "horror" section under "Katrina's Nightmare Theater" So I can only give it 2 stars. At least now I know what a pyx is.

Montreal.A high class hooker Elizabeth Lucy(Karen Black) takes a swan-dive off the penthouse balcony clasping the eponymous locket in one hand and an upside down crucifix around her neck.Police detective Henderson(Christopher Plummer)gets the case and very quickly finds himself up to his neck in dead bodies and occult rituals.Released on the trinity label in 2005,the Pyx was unwatchable but here thankfully Scorpion have done a much better job.Taking from the org negatives and presenting in anamorphic widescreen,The pyx has never sounded better and the picture quality is perfectly decent throughout with the night scenes much improved.No real surprises narratively but hart compensates for that with some nice touches -naturalistic performances-Plummer and Black are very gd as are the numerous supporting players,some sharply handled,almost jabs,of violence and a brooding sense of peril for Black's character presenting her sins(prostitution and drug habit) and lapsed catholic faith almost as if she welcomes or indeed deserves her eventual fate.Hart's use of flashback is superb and keeps you on your toes.A cult item from the 70s and well worth seeking out.

I almost gave this largely forgotten 1973 film 4 stars, because it really tries to be a bit different, but I did find the plot and particularly the ending abit confusing. However, the rest of it is very watchable in a rather dreamlike way, and Black and Plummer are good, so good I can't single one out. But, strangely, I can see why their performences and the film could bore and annoy a lot of viewers. The action - Plummer's investigation into Black's death, and flashbacks as to what led up to it are filmed almost in an offhand way, which worked for me, but...not t6o everyone's taste. The print is pretty good, both sound and picture (tho not absolutely perfect). The price is good, and as usual there are Katarina's "extras" - I haven't seen them so can't comment. I recomend this with slight reservations, but personally I enjoyed it. (My wife and I both enjoyed Karen's singing, even if the style is a bit, well, "Hippyish??")

This is a badly executed attempt. The storyline is poor and full of gaps. The direction is weak as is the screenplay. There is little attempt at character building. It comes across as a low budget b-movie and whoever told Karen Black she could sing and write songs was woefully misguided!