What a Carve Up! (1961)

★ 6.9 1h 24m IMDb

Ernie's Uncle Gabriel has just died but to claim his inheritance he must spend the night in the ancestral family home with the rest of his rather eccentric relatives. Ernie's imagination has been affected by his constant immersion in cheap horror novels, but his wildest fears turn out to be justified when the guests begin to drop dead.

What a Carve Up!

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Cast

Sidney James
Sidney James as Sid Butler Died 1976 · Hillbrow, Johannesburg, Union of South Africa Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; May 8, 1913 – April 26, 1976) was a South African-born English-based actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and al...
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor as Ernie Broughton Died 1993 · Islington, London, England, UK Kenneth Connor MBE (6 June 1918 – 28 November 1993) was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films..
Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence as Everett Sloane Died 1995 · Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, UK Donald Henry Pleasence OBE (October 5, 1919 – February 2, 1995) was an English actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades. Often typecast as villaino...
Shirley Eaton
Shirley Eaton as Linda Dickson Age 89 · Edgeware, Middlesex, England, UK Shirley Eaton (born 12 January 1937) is an English actress. Eaton appeared regularly in British films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and achieved notability for her performance as Bond Girl Jill Mas...
Dennis Price
Dennis Price as Guy Broughton Died 1973 · Twyford, England Dennistoun Franklyn John Rose Price (23 June 1915 – 6 October 1973) was an English actor, best remembered for his role as Louis Mazzini in the classic Ealing Studios film Kind Hearts and Coronets (194...
Michael Gough
Michael Gough as Fisk - the Butler Died 2011 · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Francis Michael Gough (23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was an English character actor who made over 150 film and television appearances, known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958 and...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 8/10 Oct 06, 2019
Ring Madame Tussauds and ask if anyone is missing.

When Uncle Gabriel dies, all his relatives are summoned to an old country mansion in the middle of nowhere to hear the reading of his will. Once there, tho, somebody starts murdering them one by one and the remaining group must solve the mystery or expect not to see the night out.

What a Carve Up! is adapted from Frank King's novel The Ghoul and stars Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Donald Pleasence, Shirley Eaton, Dennis Price, Esma Cannon and Michael Gough. Basically this fine and amusing film is a sort of British version of genre pieces like Scared Stiff, The Cat And The Canary and The Ghostbreakers, or a spoof of its source material if you like. All the elements are in place, a bunch of eccentric and odd characters land at a ghostly mansion, greeted by a limping scary looking Butler {Gough}, and they then promptly spend the night trying to stay alive. Set to a backdrop of a thunderstorm, creaking floorboards, revolving secret doors and "what was that?", did the eyes just move on that painting? There's nothing new here of course in terms of creepy house formula, it is however a premise that never grows old if it is done right. Either seriously or as a comedy. Thankfully, What a Carve Up! does everything it possibly can to make it work as a creepy house mystery spoof. The gags are excellently written by Cooney & Hilton, which in turn are delivered with comic agility from the cast. Who rightly are having a blast with the material to hand. The "who done it?" reveal is a good one after the red herrings have been and gone, and a nice cameo at the finale feeds Sid James another in a long line of fine gags within the piece.

Finally getting a DVD release in late 2008, this film has now started to pick up newcomers and the revisit crowd alike. Which is real nice to see. Because as long as you are a fan of the creepy house comedy mystery then you shouldn't be disappointed in this one. 8/10
CinemaSerf 6/10 Dec 30, 2025
This is one of the few films that cast Kenneth Connor in a leading role, and by and large, he does an half decent job with this rather amusing, if derivative, comedy. When his uncle dies, he is invited to visit his stately pile to discuss an inheritance. He takes his mate, "Syd" (Sidney James) on his trip, but on arrival discovers that there are quite a few potential heirs to the fortune... It develops a little like a comedic "Ten Little Indians" (1965) - which also featured the imposing Shirley Eaton - only it has absolutely no menace at all, just a series of mildly comic slapstick scenarios, some secret passages and a distinctly dodgy chandelier. A good, reliable, cast of British comedy actors help out - Michael Gough is great as butler "Fisk", Dennis Price - as another would-be beneficiary (always to be found with a drink in his hand) and Donald Pleasence as the solicitor presiding over this rather dangerous process all contribute well to an amiable 90 minutes that is well steered by James and Connor. Keep eye out for a couple of scene-stealing appearances from Esma Cannon as "Aunt Emily".

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