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Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors [1965]
![Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors [1965]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DVJSJZNNL._SL160_.jpg)
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Good creepy fun
Review date: 2008-09-10 Rating: 8 out of 10
This is old school English horror, with maximum emphasis on performances and atmosphere. The film is divided into several creepy tales regarding death and doom, and with a cast lead by Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee this is a quality flick. Recommended.
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Reviews
An uneven portmanteau of Horror.
Review date: 2007-12-28 Rating: 4 out of 10
This was the first of several compendium horror films from 'Amicus', a close rival to 'Hammer' and this was one of the most uneven. The things that worked against it, were the weakness of the some of the stories, like for instance, the devouring plant, and the miscasting of Roy Castle and Alan Freeman, who were out of their depth in a horror film (whovever came up with that idea). The severed hand story, with Christopher Lee was possibly the best in a film that bordered more on being silly than frightening. A pity, but it couldn't have been considered that bad, because, thankfully, it led to other compendiums from this studio. Otherwise, we would not have had 'Tales from the Crypt' and 'Asylum', both of which were superior to this film. In short, this one is for completists only.
Good ol'-fashioned horror
Review date: 2007-09-23 Rating: 10 out of 10
The cast of this film alone is utterly incredible. No film before or since has brought together Donald Sutherland, Peter Cushing, Alan Freeman (not 'arf, pop pickers!), Christopher Lee, Kenny Lynch and Roy Castle - it really is a record-breaker!
This was the first of many films from the Amicus studio (the only serious British rival to Hammer for a while) in which several shorter horror stories are held together by a connecting thread. The titles were often poor - here, for example, there is no actual House of Horrors, it's just what he calls his Tarot cards. Never mind the titles, though: what a fun film!
As always with such films, some of the individual stories are pretty ropy - Alan Freeman's sinister shrub being a case in point...though the Donald Sutherland vampire story and Christopher Lee as a snide art critic being menaced by a suicide's severed hand are worth a viewing on their own. As for Peter Cushing as Dr Terror himself, has there ever been a better, more dignified horror actor?
Good, if rather silly horror comic
Review date: 2007-08-10 Rating: 6 out of 10
This is an early compendium of (five) 'horror' stories from a sudio that went on to make its reputation with them. They are all deliciously silly tales, with more humour than horror, and the cast does its best not to take them too seriously. In the final tale, you can almost see a young Donald Sutherland sniggering at the ridiculous plot-this is a ludricrous tale that perhaps went in last just to fill the standard 90 minute movie time window. But then, really they were all pretty daft. The best without any question, is the fourth and the choice of actor starring in this one more or less confirms they thought this would be the best tale. It is masterfully contrived and stars Christopher Lee as an art critic, which I thought suited him very well. I'll say no more as this one is definitely worth watching from start to end. Amicus went on to make far superior horror anthologies that more or less followed this template, with Peter Cushing reprising his role as the host in more than one. As a starter pack, this is a good one to watch, but remember, when the two best ones are finally released on DVD in Britain, that in these they have really perfected their brand of imaginative horror story, so don't fear that they'll be as hilariously silly as the ones here:They won't be. Still, this was the one that started them off, and I for one am a happy owner.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Michael Gough
Peter Cushing
Christopher Lee
Ann Bell
Max Adrian
Creators:
Christopher Lee (Primary Contributor)
Peter Cushing (Primary Contributor)
Alan Hume (Cinematographer)
Thelma Connell (Editor)
Joe Vegoda (Producer)
Max Rosenberg (Producer)
Milton Subotsky (Producer)
Milton Subotsky (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Starz Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Starz Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060020700330
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-09-25
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 88 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1965
Language: English (Original Language)