Dr Terror's House of Horrors
Country: UK
Year: 1965
Studio: Amicus
Director: Freddie Francis
Stars: Christopher Lee (Franklyn Marsh), Peter Cushing (Dr. Sandor Schreck), Isla Blair (Pretty Girl), Alan Freeman (Bill Rogers), Neil McCallum (Jim Dawson), Roy Castle (Biff Bailey), Donald Sutherland (Bob Carroll).
Dr Terror's House of Horrors
I must point out here that I'm an absolute sucker for portmanteau movies. I think it's my goldfish-like attention span is attracted to short stories. And this one has Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in it! And Roy Castle giving it some on his trumpet - cos it's highly unusual to have something with Roy Castle in it where he doesn't get his horn out!!
This Amicus number was first in their series of portmanteaus and the five separate stories are linked together by five strangers on a train having their future foretold through Tarot cards by the mysterious Dr Shreck (German for 'Terror' - hence the title). And it's good fun, as these films tend to be. The excellent cast (who also include Donald Sutherland looking incredibly youthful!) are all truly game - Roy Castle in particular provides some excellent, and weirdly appropriate, comic relief in an otherwise straight film. Apart from some ill-advised evil foliage in one of the segments (AAAAAARGH!!!!! I'm being tormented by a plastic branch!!!), generally it's a fun romp, mostly well acted (tho radio DJ Alan "Fluff" Freeman does look a little lost in his role at times), and with stories to fit most horror preferences (the stories involve lycanthropy, sci-fi plants, voodoo, a haunting of sorts, and vampires). And Peter Cushing sports some fab comedy eyebrows so you can't go wrong really!
Reviewer - @helen_of_horror
