A Is for Acid

A Is for Acid
Genre	True crime
Written by	Glenn Chandler
Directed by	Harry Bradbeer
Starring	Martin Clunes Keeley Hawes Richard Hope Celia Imrie
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Production
Running time	120 minutes
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	9 September 2002(2002-09-09)

A Is for Acidis a 2002 British television film based on the life of theserial killerJohn Haigh,known as the Acid Bath Murderer because he dissolved the bodies of six people insulphuric acid.Haigh, hanged in 1949 for his crimes, had wrongly believed that murder could not be proven without the presence of a body. StarringMartin Clunesin the lead role, the film was shot inScarborough,chosen because its appearance was believed to be similar to that of London when Haigh lived there during the 1940s, and alsoSaltaireto represent his early life. The film was produced byYorkshire Televisionfor theITVnetwork and aired on 9 September 2002. Directed byHarry Bradbeerand written byGlenn Chandler,A Is for Acidalso featured among its castKeeley Hawes,Richard HopeandCelia Imrie.

Plot

John George Haigh is raised in aYorkshirevillage by sheltering parents who fellowship with the strictPlymouth Brethren.His father teaches him that their family is different from others, being among "God's elect"; but as an adult John turns to petty crime. He marries Beatrice 'Betty' Hamer, who becomes pregnant with his child. While serving a prison sentence forfraud,Haigh reads about the termcorpus delicti,wrongly assuming it means murder cannot be proven without the presence of a body. He subsequently dreams up what he believes to be the perfect murder and experiments by dissolving mice in sulphuric acid. After learning that Betty gave birth to a daughter and moved away, Haigh travels toLondonupon his release, where he finds employment as an engineer.

After being fired from his job because of a relationship with his Boss 's daughter, Gillian Rogers, Haigh sets himself up as an inventor. He bumps into a former employer, Donald McSwan, who has a successful property business. Befriending McSwan and his elderly parents, William and Amy, Haigh offers to help them when Donald isconscriptedto fight in theSecond World War.Donald agrees to Haigh's suggestion that he run the business and take care of his parents while Donald hides out in Scotland for the duration of the war. Haigh then invites Donald to his workshop where he bludgeons his friend to death and places his body in a vat of acid to dissolve, then forges Donald's signature to take control of his affairs. He keeps up the pretense that Donald is on the run through the rest of the war, but as Britain celebratesVE Day,Haigh tells William and Amy that Donald has returned to London and is waiting for them at his workshop. He then kills them both after individually driving them there. With the McSwans' money, Haigh sets himself up at the Onslow Court Hotel inKensington.

Haigh's next victims are Archie and Rose Henderson, a doctor and his wife, whom he befriends after visiting a shop they have recently purchased. Dr. Henderson discloses to Haigh that he and Rose are quite wealthy, but their marriage is in difficulty. The couple embark on a make-or-break holiday which is interrupted by Haigh, who invites Archie to his workshop and kills him there. He later lures Rose to the same premises under the pretense that her husband is ill. Rose's brother Arnold Burton is suspicious when Haigh tells them the Hendersons had to leave the country because Archie performed anillegal abortion,and signed over their affairs to Haigh, someone they have only known for a few months. Finally, Haigh kills Olive Durand-Deacon, a fellow Onslow Court resident, when his funds begin to run low. Her friend, Constance Lane, becomes concerned about Olive's disappearance and persuades Haigh to accompany her to the police to report Olive missing.

Burton also goes to the police after seeing Haigh's picture in a newspaper article about the missing woman, prompting detectives to launch an investigation. Haigh confesses to killing Olive, saying he dissolved her in acid and therefore cannot be prosecuted for her murder, there being no body. He goes on to confess to the other five murders, and claims another three killings. AHome Officepathologist is called in to examine Haigh's workshop wheregallstonesand apelvic boneare recovered. After being convicted of murder, Haigh awaits adeath sentence.He is visited by Gillian Rogers, and asks her to visit his parents after he has beenhanged.The film ends with Gillian honouring that promise.

Cast

• Martin ClunesasJohn Haigh
• Keeley Hawesas Gillian Rogers
• Richard Hopeas Dr. Archie Henderson
• Celia Imrieas Rose Henderson
• Rowena Cooperas Olive Durand-Deacon
• John Flanagan as Arnold Burtin
• Terence Beesleyas Detective Sergeant Heslin
• Matyelok Gibbs as Constance Lane
• Geoff Holman as John Haigh Sr.
• Barbara Martenas Emily Haigh
• Sally Carmanas Betty Haigh (née Hamer)
• Neil McKinven as Donald McSwan
• Claire Nielsonas Amy McSwan
• Donald Douglasas William McSwan
• Christopher Ettridgeas Steven Rogers
• Christopher Town as John Haigh (as a boy)
• Charlotte Webb as Dead Woman's legs

Background

The Scarborough Newsreported in November 2001 Yorkshire Television was working on a production titledA Is for Acidthat would portray the life of the serial killer John George Haigh, and that Martin Clunes had been cast in the starring role. Scenes for the forthcoming production would be filmed in locations aroundScarborough,particularly the town's South Cliff area, which was believed to resemble Kensington as it had looked during the time Haigh lived there in the 1940s.The article also reported that Yorkshire Television had asked theScarborough Councilfor permission to close some roads and the town's Esplanade for filming purposes, but that permission had been refused, so residents were being asked to avoid the area on a voluntary basis.Additional scenes were filmed inWetherby,Saltaireand outsideHyde Park Picture House, Leeds.

TheManchester Evening Newscarried an interview with Clunes on 9 September 2002, the day the film was aired, in which the actor spoke about the role: "I've never been asked to play someone who actually existed before. Haigh was a real challenge. Although he was real he's almost forgotten and my generation didn't really know about him. My mum, on the other hand, can remember the case as a truly horrific event of the last century. When I told an older friend of mine who I was playing, he said he was often told as a child: 'You eat that up or John Haigh will get you.' He was the stock bogeyman of the day."

Reception

The film was heavily promoted by ITV before its first broadcast at 9:00pm on 9 September 2002, but attracted a relatively small audience for a peak time programme. Overnight figures suggested 6 million viewers had tuned in to watchA Is for Acid,a figure beaten by an episode ofWaking the Deadwhich appeared in the same time slot onBBC One.A review in theManchester Evening Newsthe day after the film was shown was generally favourable: "Clunes might seem an unlikely choice for this sinister and demanding role... but he acquitted tremendously in his portrayal of the beaming, oily trickster with a murderous heart... Clunes made the killer plausible, disarming and businesslike as he went about murdering for profit." However, the reviewer was critical of the film's lack of tension and its failure to analyse Haigh's psyche.

Location

The opening scene depicting Haigh's childhood was filmed inSaltaire,West Yorkshire.Later where John is shown courting Betty, theHyde Park Picture HouseinHyde Park,Leeds.The police station to which John takes Constance Lane to report her friend missing, was filmed atWetherbyCouncil Offices.

External links

• A Is for AcidatIMDb
• A Is for AcidAmazon DVD