Save your money for something good and enjoyable

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Blistering performances.

I was vastly underwhelmed by "The Amazing Mr. Blunden," which I purchased for a hefty price after reading several positive reviews here. The film started off poorly and got progressively worse as the 95-minute ordeal dragged by. The script was shallow with characters we don't care about, special effects were amateurish, and even the editing was choppy (with many noticeable splices). Worst of all, the acting was painfully unconvincing, particularly by Diana Dors as Mrs. Wickens, the sadistic housekeeper. Exceptions would be Laurence Naismith, who was quite effective in the title role, and all four of the children, who were acceptable for their ages. The only reason I can see for purchasing this ill-conceived product is the sweet loveliness of teenager Lynne Frederick. She never fails to light up the screen.

Lionel Jeffries, while being a character actor in his primary years, proved himself a great director as well with films such as the delightful Railway Children and this gem. The Amazing Mr Blunden really is a very overlooked period ghost story, and while I know lots of people who love it, I honestly think it is one of Jeffries's more overlooked films. While charming in places, it offers all the right chills and thrills. The period detail is absolutely splendid, the house itself was majestic and the costumes were beautiful. The story may be a little strange in places, when I first saw this film I wasn't so sure about the ending, but it is well told and moves along briskly. The direction is tight, the editing is crisp, the script is intelligent and literate and the pace is assured. The music score was also great, beautiful yet eerie. The performances were spot on, while I was most impressed with all the children, the standouts were really in the adults. James Villiers is good as the uncle, while Laurence Naismith gives a ripe and charming performance in the title role. The best performance and probably the most memorable thing of the film was Dianna Dors as Mrs Wickens the Housekeeper, warts and all she is every child's worst nightmare, she terrified me when I was a kid and still gives me the shivers. In conclusion, wonderful overlooked film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This film is an old favourite of my girlfriend's. When we watched it together recently, I was watching it for the first time.The film concerns time-travel and it struck me that the ending of the film contravenes the Grandfather Paradox. This theorem states that I cannot go back in time and kill my grandfather because that would result in me never having been born. Or if I did, then surely I would cease to exist at the moment I killed him.SPOILERIn this film Jamie and Lucy go back in time to save three children from dying in a fire: Sarah, Tom and Sarah's younger brother, George.This they do, but then we learn that Sarah and Tom are Jamie and Lucy's great great grandparents. This cannot be true, as Jamie and Lucy cannot exist on the timeline established before they go back in time because their great great grandparents died in the fire!END OF SPOILERIt's a pedantic point and one that I only thought of after talking about the film afterwards. Still, it goes to show how intricate time-travel related stories are.

A very good family film; its only flaw is that it's a bit too long. The film takes place in England, in approximately 1916. A widow and her three children are left destitute on the husband's death. The mysterious Mr. Blunden shows up and offers the mother a caretaker's position at an old country mansion which was partially destroyed by a great fire decades ago. The family goes to live in a small cottage on the estate. The two oldest children, Lucy and Jamie, are drawn into the unsolved mystery that surrounds the old fire. They find out that the two heirs to the estate, a boy and girl, were killed in the fire, but it might have been murder and not an accident. The film takes a fanciful twist at this juncture, sending Lucy and Jamie back in time to save the two orphaned kids. Will they succeed? And what will it mean to their own lives if they do? What does Mr. Blunden have to do with all this and why does he need Lucy and Jamie's help? I can only say, rent the movie and find out. It has a nice late Victorian air to it, and is steeped in atmosphere. Older kids and adults will enjoy it; my entire family loves this movie.