The horror anthology can be traced back as far as German expressionist
cinema, with early classics like Richard Oswald’s Eerie Tales (1919) and
Paul Leni’s Waxworks (1924), but for many viewers it begins with the
Ealing Studios’ production of Dead of Night (1945).
This portmanteau of
macabre tales made a profound impression on many people, including a
young Milton Subotsky. Born in New York in 1921, Subotsky was a film
buff from an early age and began producing in the 1950s. He had a
particular passion for horror, fantasy and sci-fi and would partner with
fellow New Yorker Max J. Rosenberg to form Amicus Productions. Amicus
would initially focus on rock and roll pictures, but in 1964 they
decided to switch gears and offer up some health competition to
England’s reigning “horror factory,” Hammer Film Productions. Subotsky
explicitly referenced Dead of Night when he set about to write the
studio’s first “official” horror film (bearing in mind, they had produced the well-regarded City of the Dead
under the banner of Vulcan Productions), ultimately released as Dr.
Terror’s House of Horrors.
The film would follow a basic formula which Subotsky would repeat again
and again: a group of characters are united in a claustrophobic setting,
where they have their fortunes told to them by a mysterious character.
In this instance, the mysterious “seer” is Dr. Schreck, played by Peter
Cushing. Hidden behind bushy eyebrows and a stubbly beard, Cushing is
seedier than usual and he plays the role with a nicely understated sense
of menace and foreboding. Cushing would become the company’s mascot of
sorts and his loyalty to Subotsky would lead him to accept appearances
in some films that he might otherwise have done well to have taken a
pass on.
The first of the characters to have their fortunes told is Scottish
architect Neil McCallum. In McCallum’s story, he goes to his ancestral
home, which is now owned by grand dame Usrula Howells. There’s a family
curse afoot involving a werewolf and the “surprise” reveal of the
creature’s identity shouldn’t come as a surprise to a five year old.
The story may be slim and predictable, but director Freddie Francis and
cinematographer Alan Hume give it style and atmosphere to burn. Of all
the segments, it’s the only one that really captures an atmosphere of
dread and as such, it’s a good intro that sets the tone for what is to
follow.
The second segment deals with family man Alan Freeman (a popular DJ in
his day, making a rare acting appearance) who returns from vacation to
discover that a strange vine is slowly enveloping his house. Enlisting
the aid of scientists Bernard Lee and Jeremy Kemp, Freeman attempts to
destroy the pesky plant, but it would appear to have ideas of its own…
Freeman does a credible job and Lee and Kemp do their best to keep a
straight face delivering some ridiculous dialogue, but the bargain
basement special effects don’t do it any favors.
The next segment involves musician Roy Castle, who steals a tune used in
a voodoo ceremony and may or may not live to regret it… This is easily
the weakest of the film’s stories and is shamelessly ripped off from an
episode of the Boris Karloff TV series Thriller, which featured John
Ireland in a not-dissimilar role as a musician who runs afoul of a
vengeful voodoo god after incorporating a similar tune into one of his
night club routines. Even without the air of plagiarism, the segment is
a mess: Castle’s incessant mugging is a constant irritant and the
attempts at humor are feeble at best. On the plus side, the segment has
some terrific jazz music by the great Tubby Hayes. Indeed, director
Francis had hoped to have Hayes score the entire film, but the
musician’s problems with cocaine dependency made him unreliable, so
Francis asked for the services of the distinguished Elisabeth Lutyens
instead.
Up next, Christopher Lee plays a pompous art critic who drives artist
Michael Gough to suicide. Gough’s hand (which had been severed in an
accident engineered by Lee) returns to exact vengeance. The special
effects work is awkward, admittedly, but this segment succeeds due to
the heartfelt performances of Lee and Gough. Lee is at his imperious
best as the ultra-bitchy critic whose acerbic words destroy the lives of
others, while Gough is genuinely touching and restrained as the
sympathetic victim.
The final segment involves newly married doctor Donald Sutherland, who
discovers that his wife (Jennifer Jayne, looking lovely but sporting a
dicey French accent) is actually a vampire. The segment has some nice
touches, but it’s slowly paced and the payoff is much too predictable.
Sutherland impresses in one of his earliest screen roles, while Max
Adrian quietly steals his scenes with one of his less florid and
theatrical performances, as Sutherland’s medic colleague.
The film draws to a close as the train carting the characters pulls into
the station. Dr. Schreck disappears into thin air and the characters
decide to laugh off what they’ve been shown … but it will be Dr. Schreck
who has the last laugh.
Amicus would go on to produce some better anthologies than this one,
notably The House That Dripped Blood and From Beyond the Grave, but Dr.
Terror’s House of Horrors remains one of their seminal works. It’s a
fun film on its own terms and it shows Freddie Francis working at the
top of his game as a director. Francis’ frustration with being typecast
as a horror director (he was no fan of the genre and was very open
about this) would later result in some truly hackneyed work, but at this
stage in the game he was still doing his best to shore up weak
screenplays with plenty of visual fireworks. Subotsky’s screenplay is
derivative and unimaginative, but the anthology format proves to be
beneficial in that once one weak story is out of the way, there’s always
the chance for something better in the next segment.
In the case of Dr. Terror, the good fortunately outweighs the bad. The
Werewolf and Crawling Hand segments remain highlights in the Amicus canon and the Vampire story is by no means disposable, either.
The fine performances, eerie music score by Lutyens, stylish direction
by Francis and expert widescreen color photography from Hume all add up
to make this a film worth seeing again and again.
Review: Troy Howarth
Gallery: Marcus Brooks
