A Is for Acid (2002)
Dramatisation of the true story of the notorious 'acid bath murderer' John Haigh, who murdered women and disposed of their bodies in vats of acid in the 1940s. He was only caught when the gallstones of one of his victims failed to dissolve in the acid and were detected by the pathologist who examined the residue from the acid bath.
Watch Trailer
Free Trial Channels
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Highly Overrated But Still Good
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
The acting in this movie is really good.
This is a TV dramatization of the life of Acid Bath Murderer, John George Haigh. Starring Martin Clunes and Keeley Hawkes in headline roles. I came across the film on terrestrial free-view and really enjoyed it. Far from his "Men Behaving Badly" days Martin Clunes plays a role with vast emotional ranges in a beautifully recreated 1940's. Occasionally out right charming he is able to turn on a creepy and sadistic persona with ease. I don't normal like his acting but he seemed ideal for this role. Despite the films grizzly content matter it comes of as beautifully created piece of work, authentic to it's era with attention to detail. There is a maybe a heavier touch of violence compared to other TV dramatizations, but that goes with the territory when you base a film on one of the UK's biggest serial killers. Definitely worth a watch.
Martin Clunes plays with relish the real life Acid Bath murderer, John George Haigh in made for television film.Haigh was a fraudster who came from a strict religious upbringing. He turned to murder supposedly on the premise that if they cannot find a body you cannot be charged for murder. Something he was wrong about.Presumably his motive was money because as an inventor and gamble he was not much cop. He did well with fast cars, women and being charming. He was also handy with an acid bath where he would dump the murdered corpses which in time would dissolve.The film looks very nice but its ultimately shallow like a lot of ITV drama films that rely on its star and the production design rather than depth in its screenplay.We know very little why he killed. Was it an addiction? Haigh also killed several strangers a crime he confessed to after his arrest.A decent enough drama but it amounts to being just average.
I have just seen a repeat of this TV film and was very impressed. I had the opportunity of doing some gardening work for the Sgt Inspector Heslin (Ret'd) before he died, when he lived in Torbay. As one of the detectives who interviews Haigh and discovered his gun, he showed me photographs which very much resembled the film set of Haigh's workhouse. I also specialized someone in the RAF when, as a medic, I saw just what Sulphuric acid can do. Now I am a prolific author and wish I had taken more notes about this case. Heslin and I enjoyed good conversation and he was very proud to have been one of the main detectives to interview Haigh.Peter Carroll
My only problem with this movie is Martin Clunes. He acts it well, but is so often shown on TV as an extremely affable and likable character that it's almost impossible to believe him as a serial killer. Be it in fiction ("Men Behaving Badly") or documentary (about both dogs and horses) he always comes over as a jolly nice chap (which I'm sure he is). Casting him as a cold-blooded serial killer just doesn't work – it worked when Leone cast the blue-eyed angel Henry Fonda as a psychopath in "Once upon a Time in America", but casting Clunes as a serial killer is a step too far.Having said that this is nonetheless a gem of a movie. Set design is pure '40s and the use of 1940s music is extremely well done. Hence my 8/10 rating.