Audience Member
Sure, this is a pre-slasher, slasher adjacent, pseudo-slasher, whatever. But it has killing, it has suspense and it has style. It also has a 16-year-old Jenny Agutter playing a sexually obsessed 14-year-old so it was pretty rough for conservative people in 1970 and probably still is 51 years later.
Director David Greene also made The People Next Door, Roots, The Shuttered Room and Madame Sin among others. Here he's leading Agutter through the trials of her teenage years, which include her crush on a twice her age stepbrother who just may be the serial killer at large in her community. Nonetheless, she remains devoted to him, literally throwing herself at him throughout the film, even starting to explain away why he feels the need to kill.
But is he the killer? And will she even see whoever is the murderer coming her way if it happens? Seldom discussed, I really dug this one. Growing up is difficult. Here's hoping Agutter's Wynne gets the chance.
The soundtrack — especially the Basil Kirchin and Lindsey Moore title track — is incredible, too.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
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Audience Member
This dramatic schoolgirl thriller may be a bit sappy on surface, but it's actually thought and tense throughout with an excellent performance from a young Jenny Aguter.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
09/09/21
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Audience Member
happened upon this in netflixs instant films, and even though it looks like an old, forgettable film, i was surprised by how much i got into it, jenny agutter is really good in the lead, and her internal struggle with having feelings for her adopted brother and missing her old home is well done, while the murder aspect is nothing new, its worth watching to see jennys personal story
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
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eric b
"I Start Counting" is surprisingly solid, considering its obscurity. Adapted from an Audrey Erskine Lindop novel, the film follows a virginal teen (Jenny Agutter) as she fights incestuous feelings for her adult stepbrother George (Bryan Marshall) while simultaneously suspecting him of murdering local girls. Agutter is so young that her beauty hasn't blossomed yet ("Walkabout" is still two years away) but shows ample talent as an actress. A couple of climactic plot developments are easily predicted and the soundtrack's sappy pop songs are a bit of a cringe, but this schoolgirl drama isn't bad at all.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
A creepy young Jenny Agutter suspects her adopted brother (who she also lusts after) of being the local serial killer dumping young women in the pond near their old home. Absolutely love the late 60s era (the hair! the fashion!) of British filmmaking, but the film mostly drags to its obvious conclusion. Still, it's probably essential viewing for nutters for Agutter. VF.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/10/23
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Audience Member
I waited 30 years to see this movie again (thanks HKD) â" ever since a late night showing on TV in about 1980. And amazingly itâ(TM)s pretty much as good as I remembered, thanks to its odd (and unsettling) blend of â~coming of ageâ(TM) drama and serial killer thriller, Greeneâ(TM)s unfussy and restrained direction, and an excellent use of its â~new townâ(TM) location. But more than anything, the film works because of the remarkable lead performance by Jenny Agutter, here at quite possibly her most Jenny Agutterest (lack of nudity not withstanding). The denouementâ(TM)s a bit hokey, and the late 60s soundtrack feels a little dated, but those quibbles aside, this is a forgotten little British gem and well worthy of a DVD or blu-ray re-release.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
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