Amicus studios are well known for producing a lot of the very best horror anthologies throughout the sixties and seventies; films like Vault of Horror, The House that Dripped Blood and Asylum are often well revered among horror fans, and rightly so; but this earlier effort doesn't live up to the studio's good name. I actually had really high hopes going into this one as I was initially attracted to the obscure title, and once I found out that the film is an omnibus made by Amicus; I was sold. More pleasing elements include the fact that the cast features names such as Jack Palance, Michael Ripper and, of course Peter Cushing made the film seem like more of a possible overlooked classic, and I was finally sold on the fact that it was directed by the experienced Freddie Francis, who directed a number of the best films that Hammer had to offer in the sixties. However, the stories on display here mostly lack tension and any real scares; and despite the fact that none of them are particularly brilliant, they also vary a lot in quality and the film just doesn't come together very well.
The wraparound story here revolves around a circus, the star attraction at which is a show in which the proprietor, a Dr. Diabolo, tells his customers that he can show them 'real horror'. Cue four tales in which a dummy at the show shows four people their fates. Omnibus films often don't start with the best tale, and so I was unfazed when the first story - which revolves around a man who wants his inheritance from uncle, but actually ends up inheriting his uncle's cat, didn't really deliver the goods. The next story is the strangest and least fitting of the four, and takes in Sci-Fi themes. It has something to do with Hollywood performers being preserved in order to achieve fame. Despite not being very good, it's slightly better than the first story. The third tale is the weakest and revolves around a piano; while the film saves the best until last, and we follow someone who discovers a collector of Poe's works, and his source... I really liked the style of this film, but the atmosphere isn't matched by any tension - and I have to admit that I was more than a little bored by the end. The conclusion to the wraparound doesn't offer much in the way of interest either - and I will say that if you're looking for an Amicus omnibus, this one isn't the best of them.
The wraparound story here revolves around a circus, the star attraction at which is a show in which the proprietor, a Dr. Diabolo, tells his customers that he can show them 'real horror'. Cue four tales in which a dummy at the show shows four people their fates. Omnibus films often don't start with the best tale, and so I was unfazed when the first story - which revolves around a man who wants his inheritance from uncle, but actually ends up inheriting his uncle's cat, didn't really deliver the goods. The next story is the strangest and least fitting of the four, and takes in Sci-Fi themes. It has something to do with Hollywood performers being preserved in order to achieve fame. Despite not being very good, it's slightly better than the first story. The third tale is the weakest and revolves around a piano; while the film saves the best until last, and we follow someone who discovers a collector of Poe's works, and his source... I really liked the style of this film, but the atmosphere isn't matched by any tension - and I have to admit that I was more than a little bored by the end. The conclusion to the wraparound doesn't offer much in the way of interest either - and I will say that if you're looking for an Amicus omnibus, this one isn't the best of them.