It's hard if not impossible to believe the studios tossing around names like Marlene Dietrich and Simone Signoret when casting the the role of Lisa Schindler, the down-on-her-luck cosmetics saleswoman who wanders into the lives of bon vivants Paul and Jennifer Montgomery (deliciously cast James Caan and Katherine Ross). Such were the days when true Hollywood icons were available to lend gravitas to what could be standard horror fare.
The thing is, "Games" is hardly standard. It's wickedly evil, perverse, and calculating --- playing you like a piano, much the way Ross and Caan's characters typically play their party guests. The film takes place almost entirely in a fantastic set-piece brownstone owned by the couple, filled with off-putting expressionistic artwork and baroque/Gothic decorations. It's obvious neither Paul nor Jennifer work for a living, and placing a sophisticated cypher like Signoret among them, who oozes both charm and menace with equal ease, is a superb set-up.
All three of these characters enjoy playing "games" and suffice it to say, things take a turn for the worse rather quickly when Signoret gifts Jen and Paul a pair of antique dueling revolvers.
Curtis Harrington's direction really ignites this film: he plays with a lot of transposition and editing tricks that really heighten the suspense and paranoia. The last third of the film contains many moments that are downright terrifying, especially given the way they're set up and performed.
And of course, the script measures up to it, leading you down various false alleys and never giving you much clue as to what's going to happen next. When it's over, you can't believe you didn't see it coming, but that's part of the fun of "Games." It weaves a spell over you much like that mystical crystal ball of Madame Schindler's.
The thing is, "Games" is hardly standard. It's wickedly evil, perverse, and calculating --- playing you like a piano, much the way Ross and Caan's characters typically play their party guests. The film takes place almost entirely in a fantastic set-piece brownstone owned by the couple, filled with off-putting expressionistic artwork and baroque/Gothic decorations. It's obvious neither Paul nor Jennifer work for a living, and placing a sophisticated cypher like Signoret among them, who oozes both charm and menace with equal ease, is a superb set-up.
All three of these characters enjoy playing "games" and suffice it to say, things take a turn for the worse rather quickly when Signoret gifts Jen and Paul a pair of antique dueling revolvers.
Curtis Harrington's direction really ignites this film: he plays with a lot of transposition and editing tricks that really heighten the suspense and paranoia. The last third of the film contains many moments that are downright terrifying, especially given the way they're set up and performed.
And of course, the script measures up to it, leading you down various false alleys and never giving you much clue as to what's going to happen next. When it's over, you can't believe you didn't see it coming, but that's part of the fun of "Games." It weaves a spell over you much like that mystical crystal ball of Madame Schindler's.