Line #7 Film/Paranoiac


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paranoiac.jpg]]
2
3	''Paranoiac'' is a 1963 thriller from Film/{{Hammer\|Horror}} studios.
4
5	Tony Ashby (Alexander Davion), who has been thought to have killed himself years ago, returns to his home, much to the joy of his sister Eleanor (Janette Scott) and displeasure of his brother Simon (Creator/OliverReed). He is in fact [[DeadPersonImpersonation an impostor]] set by the son of Ashby family's lawyer to con them out of their money. However, the impostor starts developing feelings for Eleanor, and becomes entangled in the Ashby family's secrets.
6
7	Loosely inspired by the novel ''Literature/BratFarrar'', which is more of a CozyMystery; the film is a lot more [[GothicHorror gothic]].
8
9	[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Unrelated to]] the 2011 [[FreewareGames freeware]] horror game [[VideoGame/{{Paranoiac}} of the same name]]. Or to the tabletop game ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}''.
10
11	!!This film has the examples of:
12	* TheAlcoholic: Simon drinks heavily, and has problems with his allowances because of it.
13	* AntiHero: Fake Tony is a con-man who's pretending to be a wealthy family's dead brother to get their inheritance. But, he admits to the con to save Eleanor from trying to hurt herself and seems to genuinely like her, saving her life on more than one occasion.
14	* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Ashbys are pretty messed up.
15	* BrotherSisterIncest: One night, overcome by her love for him, Eleanor kisses Tony in a very un-sisterly manner. Recognizing how deep her feelings have become sends her into a [[HeroicBSOD mental tailspin]] that nearly drives her to suicide. This is what makes Tony reveal to her that he isn't the real deal, but an impostor.
16	* CainAndAbel: Simon tries to kill (fake) Tony and Eleanor by sabotaging their car to keep his hands on the inheritance. [[spoiler: It's later revealed he murdered the real Tony]].
17	* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: The Ashby siblings, their parents having died in a plane crash when they were young.
18	* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the novel it was loosely based on.
19	* DrivenToSuicide: Tony allegedly threw himself off a cliff when he was 15, leaving behind a suicide note, although [[NeverFoundTheBody his body was never recovered]]. [[spoiler: It turns out that Simon [[NeverSuicide actually murdered]] Tony, hid his body and staged it to look like suicide]]. Eleanor also comes close to killing herself due to harbouring incestous feelings for her brother, prompting Tony to reveal he's actually a con-man to dissuade her.
20	* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eleanor]] who manages to [[spoiler: escape her brother's clutches and possibly live a normal life with fake Tony]].
21	* HooksAndCrooks: Both instances of "choir boy" attacking someone involves a meathook.
22	* {{Jerkass}}: Simon. He's a greedy, self-centred [[TheHedonist hedonist]] who is trying to have his sister declared insane in order to gain the family inheritance for himself. He later ups his game to trying to kill her and the man claiming to be his brother Tony. He also [[spoiler: murders his lover for trying to leave him]] and is revealed to have [[spoiler: murdered the real Tony]].
23	* MadwomanInTheAttic: Invoked, as Simon ''thinks'' [[spoiler: he's keeping his brother locked up inside the chapel. What he hasn't realized is that Tony is [[MummiesAtTheDinnerTable long dead.]]]]
24	* NoNameGiven: Fake Tony's name is never given.
25	* PsychoticSmirk: Simon lets out one from time to time.
26	* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Tony (the real one) has been dead all along, murdered by his psychotic brother Simon for his inheritance. Aunt Harriet was apparently in on this too]].
27	* SameLanguageDub: Liliane Brousse was dubbed by Christine Finn.

Context Film / Paranoiac