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Dr Terror's House of Horrors (1965)

Dir: Freddie Francis

Taking advantage of the generous tax concessions to film makers in the UK at the time (when this tax break was removed, it became one of the biggest reasons for almost killing film production in the UK stone dead, as American film companies stopped producing/financing films in Britain) American Milton Subotsky set up 'Amicus' films as a British arm of fellow American Max J Rosenberg's (Cousin of Grindhouse/Nudie legend Doris Wishman of "Deadly Weapons" infamy) mini production empire.

"Dr Terror's House of Horrors" would be the first Horror film produced by 'Amicus' (the earlier "City of the Dead" with Christopher Lee was their first film as a team, but 'Amicus; itself did not yet exist) and would also be their first 'Anthology' film. The success of this would lead 'Amicus' to stick to the Horror genre and they soon became the leaders in the Anthology field.

The movie starts off with five strangers taking their places in a train carriage. They are then joined by an old, mysterious, cloak and hat wearing foreign gentleman who slowly passes his gaze over the passengers.
As the train pulls out of the station the old man seems to accidentally drop a deck of cards. They are fortune telling Tarot cards, and with the passengers interest craftily captured the man introduces himself as Dr Shreck (Peter Cushing sporting some very scary eyebrows) and offers to tell the men their fortunes, and as the cards are dealt the destiny of the men is revealed……..

Story#1: "Werewolf"
First up is Jim Dawson (Neil McCallum, "The Lost Continent") who plays an architect who is hired to design some alterations on the house his family used to own for the woman, Mrs Biddulph (Ursula Howells) that lives there who wants to modify the house to show off her late Husbands archaeological finds.
As he starts to look around the house, he finds a tomb behind a plaster wall in the cellar.
It is the200 year old tomb of Count Valdemar, a supposed Werewolf who accused Dawson's ancestors of stealing the house from him and has vowed to return and take revenge…….

The first tale is a moody and well shot (some excellent wide screen cinematography by Alan Hume) little tale that builds up a suitably sinister atmosphere, but forewarns of the faults that will run through the entire film. And that is a rushed, and rather non-event of a finale. "Werewolf" is actually the worst because it certainly had the opportunity to be an effective half-hour story, but the 15 minutes used here simply leaves many character and plot holes. All foreplay, no climax I'm afraid.

Story#2: "The Creeping Vine"
Next is Bill Rogers (Brit radio DJ at the time Alan Freeman, famous for his pop chart rundowns) who finds himself and his Wife and Daughter under threat from a strange creeping plant that seems to 'fight' back against being trimmed down.
Concerned (as you would be) he pops off to some kind of unexplained Ministry (no, not 'Silly Walks', but just as...er...silly) who seem to deal with strange plant activity.
The head of the Ministry is played by none other than Bernard Lee, he who was 'M' in the James Bond films…So it must be a tough anti-vegetation Department indeed!
Without a sign of skepticism, they decide that it could be an intelligent plant!
"A plant like that could take over the World"! declares a shocked Bernard Lee.
So as a man from the ministry is dispatched to the Rogers house (Jeremy Kemp) the Family dog gets 'vined' to death, and soon they are all at the mercy of the rapidly growing wicked weed…..

Top marks to all concerned for keeping a straight face during this, especially a very serious Bernard Lee who spouts out some bombastic lines about the fate of mankind if the plant can't be stopped with professional authority.
Freeman is rather vapid, but does okay and the plot trots along at a merry pace and the scenes of the vine wobbling through windows are at the very least fun.
The end is again rather hurried and a bit 'Oh, was that it then?' in it's twist outcome, but it's an enjoyable little tale.

Story#3: "Voodoo"
Up now is Biff Bailey (Roy Castle, from "Dr Who and the Daleks" and all round entertainer who would later become a very popular TV presenter) as a flippant and arrogant Jazz musician (Castle was a fine Jazz trumpet play, so that's what he plays here) whose band is given a gig in The West Indies (!).
While there he is warned by a local Black singer Sammy, who was originally from London (Kenny Lynch, who also wrote the songs he performs in the film and would later pop up regularly to annoy you on dodgy 70's/80's TV variety shows), not to mess with the high level of Voodoo activity and to show respect for the 'Dark Gods'.
Of course he doesn't and spies on a Voodoo ceremony that night, writing down the music he hears them play. He is however captured and warned not to use the 'sacred' music.
Again, he of course takes no notice and when back in England, with Sammy in tow, writes the music into a new tune for his band. And those Gods are not happy!

The weakest of the tales by far, this is not helped by Castle (as he has already done through most of his train scenes) mugging it up and spouting unfunny remarks.
His acting here is at best serviceable and at worst downright off putting.
Castle was (he famously died of lung cancer, despite never having smoked) a very talented man, his dancing and trumpet playing being of the highest quality, sadly though his acting was not.
The story is also bogged down with Kenny Lynch's singing interludes, and with such a short time span to tell the tale in they seem even more damaging.
Except for Lynch (though even he is all doom and gloom warnings) all the black characters are sinister and frightening. Be it's the fact that everyone where Biff stays in the West Indies being boogaloo Voodoo worshippers, or back in England where they loom suddenly into shot to scare Biff.
The Voodoo imagery has of course been a mainstay of Horror films, but there is an attitude towards the black characters that would not be allowed into a script nowadays. But at least Biff the white guy is made to be the villain of the piece.
This again has a rather abrupt ending, but worst of all, it has a completely worthless ending that is so lame you wonder what the point of the entire tale was.

Story#4: "Disembodied Hand"
The best of the tales has a delightfully pompous and arrogant Christopher Lee performance as Franklyn Marsh, a cruel art critic whose caustic, public remarks at the expense of painter Eric Landor (Michael Gough, Hammer's "Dracula") are turned around to his own humiliation when, during an exhibition of Landor's work where he has mocked all his paintings, he is fooled into waxing lyrical about the merits of a painting that Landor shows him, supposedly by a new artist. It is revealed that the 'new artist' is in fact a chimp!
From then on Marsh is plagued by Landor, who continues to rib him about the chimps painting at every public opportunity, resulting in a crazed Marsh running over Landor.
The artist loses his right hand and, unable to paint, shoots himself.
But Landor's vengeance creeps from the grave in the form of his amputated hand….

Gain, a slight tale, but here it is helped by the two lead performances. Lee is in top form as the spiteful critic, and is just as good as the scared victim of the hand's intimidation.
The opening sequence in the art gallery is a non-horror highlight, and despite a rather dodgy latex hand (you can see the joining seam down the side of it!) the scenes of the appendage pulling itself along are suitably macabre.
Anyone who has seen the early Oliver Stone film "The Hand" will see a lot of this tale in that movie, complete with the madness that overcomes the character as the devilish hand keeps on popping up.
This also has a satisfying finale and for the first time in the stories so far, we have a truly effective, and nicely cruel, twist.

Story#5: "Vampire"
A very young Donald Sutherland plays Dr Bob Carroll who has just moved his new Wife, Nicolle (Jennifer Jayne, "The Trollenberg Terror"), to America because he is to join the Practice of a Dr Blake (Max Adrian, "The Devils").
Little does Carroll know though (which means it must have been one hell of a short courtship!) that Nicolle is a Vampire.
The next day Carroll and Dr Blake see a young boy in their surgery who is suffering from blood-loss and sports two strange bites on his neck….

Following on from "Disembodied Hand" we have another solid, quality little tale, though not as good as the previous story, it still manages to entertain and supply a cheeky twist at the end that is far more effective than the endings to the first three tales.

Of course, I am giving nothing away in saying that at the end of all their fortunes, the final card dealt is 'Death', and Schreck (a fun turn by Cushing who just drips understated class) warns that there is only one way to avoid their foretold destinies.
But what is it? And how will it end!!???
In a very obvious way actually…So don't expect a big surprise, because you're not given one.

"Dr Terror's" has not dated well, and certainly what was scary and horrible then is, a few scenes and sequences aside, not so scary and certainly not so horrible now.
But the film does have a charm, and it's always a pleasure (if of varying degrees) to go back to the landmark days of 60's horror.
Francis's Direction rarely moves above workmanlike (but it very rarely did on anything) but he does a good enough job with the material on offer, and does supply some well staged scenes.
And of course Cushing and Lee are always worth a look, and here is no exception.
It's just a shame that 3 of the 5 tales (penned by Subotsky) are not up to the standard of the last two, and sport such anti-climatic finales.

The new, full 2.35:1 ratio for the first time on home video, print by 'Anchor Bay' is the best this has ever looked, and although not perfect certainly gives the film the respectful screening that it has been missing for so many years.
Part of the excellent 'Amicus Box Set' this DVD also gives us a rare chance to listen to Freddie Francis talk about the film and his time with 'Amicus'. Add a 2nd commentary track by horror Journalist Alan Bryce, and we at last have a fine presentation of a film that, although deeply flawed, is still an enjoyable watch.