So many early films of the "Old Dark House" variety are the kind where actors hit their marks, look at each other, and just talk, talk, talk endless pages of dialog and exposition. Not this one! The director knows how to tell the story with a camera, and the movie has a good shot count so there's none of those lock-down shots where two or more actors talk about the situation for an eternity. Quite the contrary: the movie has good pacing, and the actors keep a good rhythm to the delivery of their lines. Lilli Palmer is quite good and beguiling as the female lead, with good support from fellow players. The plot has enough twists to keep things interesting, while the lighting, camera moves, and blocking keep the visuals engaging. For a low budget thriller, it's really one of the better examples!
31 Reviews
The story is interesting but some energy would have helped this one quite a bit.
planktonrules1 June 2019
With a story as interesting as "The Door with Seven Locks", it's shocking that the resulting film is as dull as this British movie is. Too often, the film is cerebral when it should feature action and the lack of much incidental music doesn't help either. After all, this IS a murder mystery film...and you'd think it would be more exciting.
A woman receives a letter from a dying man in the hospital. She arrives and he tells her about seven keys and how they open a crypt that actually contains evidence of some beastly crime. He gives her one key...and then some hidden person kills the man. When the woman fetches a nurse, they return and the dead man is gone...and the nurse accuses the woman of being mentall ill. But she DOES have the letter....yet the nurse is a hostile jerk...which is odd.
The woman seeks out folks to help unravel the mystery. Soon after, a masked man breaks in and attacks the man helping her...yet the other woman supposedly helping prevents her from intervening. This part of the film never made sense. What follows is a strange meeting with a sicko that has a torture chamber in his mansion....and you can only assume he plans on using it! What's next? See the film.
The basic story is excellent. But too often the film is talky, low energy and dull....when it never should have been given the story. I think playing it out with more emotion and zip would have elevated this story significantly.
A woman receives a letter from a dying man in the hospital. She arrives and he tells her about seven keys and how they open a crypt that actually contains evidence of some beastly crime. He gives her one key...and then some hidden person kills the man. When the woman fetches a nurse, they return and the dead man is gone...and the nurse accuses the woman of being mentall ill. But she DOES have the letter....yet the nurse is a hostile jerk...which is odd.
The woman seeks out folks to help unravel the mystery. Soon after, a masked man breaks in and attacks the man helping her...yet the other woman supposedly helping prevents her from intervening. This part of the film never made sense. What follows is a strange meeting with a sicko that has a torture chamber in his mansion....and you can only assume he plans on using it! What's next? See the film.
The basic story is excellent. But too often the film is talky, low energy and dull....when it never should have been given the story. I think playing it out with more emotion and zip would have elevated this story significantly.
Don't Lock Up the Cows for This One... ;=8)
MooCowMo13 June 2000
"The Door with 7 Locks", aka "The Chamber of Horrors", is a mildly entertaining, quaint little English mystery from the early 40's. An eccentric old coot passes away, leaving his deformed son as heir to an estate, but locks up the family jewels in his tomb, cowplete with a door with 7 locks. Various family members/servants/gawkers try to embezzle the loot and get away with murder. Lovely snugglebunny Lilli Palmer, fresh from Canada, comes to make her claim on the loot, along with buddy Romilly Lunge from Scotland Yard. The evil Dr. Manetta, his pet monkey, and his mute Spanish servant almoost rule the day! Manetta has ancestors from the Spanish Inquisition(Nooooobody expects...), and he cowlects grisly little torture devices and poisoned chalices. This is a fun little flick, despite the cliches - Manetta dresses like Fu Manchu on downers, the plot twists are obvious, and the characters seldom rise above 2 dimentional. Still, the film is brisk, the cinematography excellent, and the setting and mood are cowvincing enough to forgive these udder oversights. Snuggly Lilli Palmer only worked in 6 decades-worth of moovie making, had her own tv show in the 50's, twice, and even married Rex Harrison. The MooCow says this dusty old flick deserves moore attention; find it and rent it soon! ;=8)
"She Plays Chopin Delightfully"
BaronBl00d21 November 2001
A wealthy man dies leaving a huge treasure in his personal tomb with seven interlocking doors and keys to be used to get into the tomb after a period of time after his death. Chamber of Horrors tells the story of avarice, murder, and intrigue that happens as a result of this tomb and treasure. This is a fun film with lots of suspense, classic hokey comedy, and some stellar character acting. The evil guy, named Dr. Manetta, needs one more key in order to get the treasure, and one Lili Palmer stands in his way as the real heiress to the fortune and possessor of the last key. Dr. Manetta dresses in capes, has a great aristocratic "foreign" accent, has a trained monkey perch on his shoulder and follow him on a leash, and collects horrific hardware, devices used for torture. He utters great one-liners left and right, saying to his henchmen about the shame in killing the young heiress,"She played Chopin delightfully." The actor playing this role in none other than Leslie Banks, General Zaroff from The Most Dangerous game. He is in just as fine form here and really breathes what life this film has in gale strength. Banks puts on an acting seminar as he waltzes through this role of sadism and wit. The other actors are all capable and seem to have some talent. The torture room is very impressive. A neat little, seldom seen film. Try it as a second feature after The Most Dangerous Game. Every time I watch Banks I wish he had done more films. He is just incredibly good at playing incredibly bad men!
State of the art 1928
HEFILM2 March 2018
Yes that's what I said this movie feels like a movie made 12 years before it was. Good and great movies always seem new and fresh poor ones always seem older and staler than they are.
The sound of the film Is thin with an even thinner occasional music score that sounds like someone forgot to turn the radio off in a room next door. The camera never moves and the actors rarely do either.
There is no mystery here for starters mostly talk. We know who the bad guys are all the time and what the keys are for and since none of it leads to any suspense set pieces....
There seems rarely any point to it and it's a very long short movie, if you know what I mean.
The few shootings and two fights are mostly done in a stagey fashion but would not be convincing on stage either. The one fight scene near the end is pretty good.
Actors Palmer and Banks don't have much to do the rest of the cast isn't terrible but aren't very memorable either. There is a lame sinister butler character, lamely executed. Banks doesn't get much screen time but the movie is at its best when he's on screen.
Yes there is a chamber of horrors but it has little to do with the story. It does lead to one pretty good scene with Banks being tortured--the best scene in the film thanks mostly to his acting.
Wallace movies can be loaded with outlandish jeopardy and suspense of horror elements--this one doesn't feel much like Wallace though as it lacks most of these elements. There is one locked room mystery scene but it's not followed up on.
Yes this is a low budget film which may forgive some of it's lack of flavor but the script is a talk fest and the direction dull and a film with a talky.
The film was released on blu ray, one assumes the best the film is ever going to look, and it looks flat and grainy with some sound drop outs and almost blown out whites.
Much of this may have more to do with crude post production to start with.
So what's left is you like actors Banks and Palmer and HAVE to see everything they are in you'll be satisfied to feel you've done your duty in sitting through this one, but you'll need some coffee or sugar to keep you going
The sound of the film Is thin with an even thinner occasional music score that sounds like someone forgot to turn the radio off in a room next door. The camera never moves and the actors rarely do either.
There is no mystery here for starters mostly talk. We know who the bad guys are all the time and what the keys are for and since none of it leads to any suspense set pieces....
There seems rarely any point to it and it's a very long short movie, if you know what I mean.
The few shootings and two fights are mostly done in a stagey fashion but would not be convincing on stage either. The one fight scene near the end is pretty good.
Actors Palmer and Banks don't have much to do the rest of the cast isn't terrible but aren't very memorable either. There is a lame sinister butler character, lamely executed. Banks doesn't get much screen time but the movie is at its best when he's on screen.
Yes there is a chamber of horrors but it has little to do with the story. It does lead to one pretty good scene with Banks being tortured--the best scene in the film thanks mostly to his acting.
Wallace movies can be loaded with outlandish jeopardy and suspense of horror elements--this one doesn't feel much like Wallace though as it lacks most of these elements. There is one locked room mystery scene but it's not followed up on.
Yes this is a low budget film which may forgive some of it's lack of flavor but the script is a talk fest and the direction dull and a film with a talky.
The film was released on blu ray, one assumes the best the film is ever going to look, and it looks flat and grainy with some sound drop outs and almost blown out whites.
Much of this may have more to do with crude post production to start with.
So what's left is you like actors Banks and Palmer and HAVE to see everything they are in you'll be satisfied to feel you've done your duty in sitting through this one, but you'll need some coffee or sugar to keep you going
The mystery of the Door with Seven Locks
chris_gaskin1235 December 2005
Chamber of Horrors is an entertaining British horror/mystery from 1940. I have the VCI edition of this on video which I had ordered from the US.
A series of murders at a creepy mansion are connected to the secret of a door which has seven keys to it and nobody has opened for a while. A young woman tries to solve this mystery and all is revealed towards the end when the door is opened... Includes a mute butler and a mad doctor who collects items used for torture. Also a thunderstorm.
Though not a lot of action in this movie, it is quite creepy and atmospheric at times.
The cast includes Leslie Banks (The Most Dangerous Game, The Tunnel) and Lilli Palmer.
Chamber of Horrors is worth a look if you get the chance. A good old mystery.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
A series of murders at a creepy mansion are connected to the secret of a door which has seven keys to it and nobody has opened for a while. A young woman tries to solve this mystery and all is revealed towards the end when the door is opened... Includes a mute butler and a mad doctor who collects items used for torture. Also a thunderstorm.
Though not a lot of action in this movie, it is quite creepy and atmospheric at times.
The cast includes Leslie Banks (The Most Dangerous Game, The Tunnel) and Lilli Palmer.
Chamber of Horrors is worth a look if you get the chance. A good old mystery.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
What You Would Expect
sddavis631 February 2008
The movie opens with a shot of an old mansion being surrounded by a lightning storm. Could anything be more unoriginal? Opening like that, you know that there isn't going to be much to write home about. All the standard stuff you would expect to find in this kind of a movie is here.
An old and wealthy man (Aubrey Mallalieu) dies, leaving his estate naturally enough to his son, but the inheritance is locked away in the old guy's tomb and seven keys are needed to open it. The man's servants, of course (including a butler, played by Robert Montgomery, who looks vaguely like something that would have fit in nicely with the Addams Family) are convinced that they deserve the inheritance far more than the boy, and they set out to get it.
Basically the story revolves around the search for the missing key, as a woman named June from Canada (Lilli Palmer) turns out to be the heir to the fortune after the son disappears and isn't heard from for several years. She's in a contest with Dr. Mannetta (Leslie Banks) - your typical evil doctor type complete with a monkey who rides around on his shoulders, and who is a collector of torture equipment. Anyway, I found it all rather silly and not really all that interesting, although a bit funny in places. I love the character of Dick Martin (Romilly Lunge) for example. As the movie starts he's handing in his resignation from Scotland Yard when June walks in to the office to report a murder. June's cute, and Martin uses the murder as an opportunity to get a girlfriend. Then, smitten with her as he is - and suspicious of Mannetta as he is - he nevertheless leaves June alone all night in the mansion with Mannetta. It doesn't make much sense, but in a way that fit with the rest of the movie. 3/10
An old and wealthy man (Aubrey Mallalieu) dies, leaving his estate naturally enough to his son, but the inheritance is locked away in the old guy's tomb and seven keys are needed to open it. The man's servants, of course (including a butler, played by Robert Montgomery, who looks vaguely like something that would have fit in nicely with the Addams Family) are convinced that they deserve the inheritance far more than the boy, and they set out to get it.
Basically the story revolves around the search for the missing key, as a woman named June from Canada (Lilli Palmer) turns out to be the heir to the fortune after the son disappears and isn't heard from for several years. She's in a contest with Dr. Mannetta (Leslie Banks) - your typical evil doctor type complete with a monkey who rides around on his shoulders, and who is a collector of torture equipment. Anyway, I found it all rather silly and not really all that interesting, although a bit funny in places. I love the character of Dick Martin (Romilly Lunge) for example. As the movie starts he's handing in his resignation from Scotland Yard when June walks in to the office to report a murder. June's cute, and Martin uses the murder as an opportunity to get a girlfriend. Then, smitten with her as he is - and suspicious of Mannetta as he is - he nevertheless leaves June alone all night in the mansion with Mannetta. It doesn't make much sense, but in a way that fit with the rest of the movie. 3/10
The door behind which real mystery lies...
Space_Mafune21 August 2003
This classic Edgar Wallace Murder Mystery/Conspiracy film is surprising fun. Leslie Banks, as the clever, devious, torture device collecting Dr. Mannetta (the owner of the chamber of horrors), frequently steals the scenes he's in even if his character is some what a cliche. The very lovely Lilli Palmer as Judy Lansdowne here plays the lady in distress. A woman in need of help and rescue as many others plot against her and try and steal her key to the "door with the seven locks", the seven keys to which when combined will open Lord Selford's tomb containing his family jewels. Banks as Mannetta, along with a creepy atmosphere, a good pace and an exciting climax make this better than you might expect.
Casting Leslie Banks As The Creepy Guy
boblipton30 April 2023
The Earl died, leaving a large estate, but the pricey jewels were buried with him in his vault, and that was locked with seven locks. The seven keys went to his lawyer. So distant relative Lilli Palmer is surprised when an elderly man gives her one of the keys and is promptly shot dead. This interests Scotland Yard in the person of women-hating Detective Inspector Richard Bird, and young and handsome Romilly Lunge. The lawyer explains that the income is mailed regularly to the heir, who has been abroad for years. They discover that all the keys are missing, so they go to the estate, where creepy foreign doctor Leslie Banks is in residence, treating the locals and collecting torture devices, as one does.
It's based on an Edgar Wallace novel, but basics of whodunnit soon become clear, so the audience can concentrate on Banks being scary, which he does very well, while the ladies are threatened and the 'tecs figure it out well after the audience is told. With Gina Malo and Cathleen Nesbitt.
It's based on an Edgar Wallace novel, but basics of whodunnit soon become clear, so the audience can concentrate on Banks being scary, which he does very well, while the ladies are threatened and the 'tecs figure it out well after the audience is told. With Gina Malo and Cathleen Nesbitt.
"I like my men weak and talkative"
hwg1957-102-26570421 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Based on the Edgar Wallace novel this is a confusing but endurable mystery story with some good scenes which pretty much ties up all the loose ends by the conclusion. Who had the keys and why baffled me for most of the running time though. The film is dominated by Leslie Banks as Dr. Mannetta (he collects instruments of torture!) and is best when he is onscreen. Lili Palmer is charming as the plucky heroine June Lansdowne and good support is given by Richard Bird as the seemingly dozy Scotland Yard man, Cathleen Nesbitt first seen as the scary nurse Ann Cody and David Horne as the avuncular solicitor Edward Havelock. Robert Montgomery as the untalking butler Craig is quite creepy. The little monkey is cute but is shamefully not given an acting credit but strangely Edgar Wallace is given a producer credit though he died eight years earlier. Now that is a mystery.
All the ingredients are included but the metaphorical flour to make the plot rise.
mark.waltz26 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a type of film where you need a scoreboard keep track of which character is involved in what scheme and related to who and what the purpose of their presence is. It's your typical dying relative discussing the will creates a mystery, but then it begins to twist in different ways and gets very convoluted. Like "Seven keys to Baldpate" (a much filmed creepy old Broadway play), it involves the mystery of seven keys, but these keys aren't individually owned entrances to a creepy old mansion but seven keys that are required to get into a dungeon like basement.
The desperation for someone to get these Keys leads to murder, and that creates some very creepy characterizations including a dour butler and his housekeeper wife, a mute valet who looks like he haunts houses professionally oh, and a mysterious character with a monkey played by Leslie Banks who is the top-billed lead and thus very important to the story.
The heroine is the young Lilli Palmer who is best known for her character parts as an older actress and her marriage to Rex Harrison. She's feisty yet vulnerable as she is given one of the keys, something that puts her life in jeopardy. Gina Malo is very funny as Palmer's best pal. There's also a detective who reminds me of NVM contract player Reginald Owen but is not. The film is highlighted by some genuinely spooky photographic shots around the dead man's mansion and on the mountainous roads heading up to his place, but there are many slow moments that leads this to a halt. A nice curiosity, it's memorable for its atmosphere but not really much as far as an original plot.
The desperation for someone to get these Keys leads to murder, and that creates some very creepy characterizations including a dour butler and his housekeeper wife, a mute valet who looks like he haunts houses professionally oh, and a mysterious character with a monkey played by Leslie Banks who is the top-billed lead and thus very important to the story.
The heroine is the young Lilli Palmer who is best known for her character parts as an older actress and her marriage to Rex Harrison. She's feisty yet vulnerable as she is given one of the keys, something that puts her life in jeopardy. Gina Malo is very funny as Palmer's best pal. There's also a detective who reminds me of NVM contract player Reginald Owen but is not. The film is highlighted by some genuinely spooky photographic shots around the dead man's mansion and on the mountainous roads heading up to his place, but there are many slow moments that leads this to a halt. A nice curiosity, it's memorable for its atmosphere but not really much as far as an original plot.
a delightfully clever, stylishly-shot and wittily-written mystery-thriller, shot through with touches of comedy
Grant H.2 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Chamber of Horrors is a delightfully clever, stylishly-shot and wittily-written mystery-thriller, shot through with touches of comedy, based on an Edgar Wallace novel from 1926 called The Door with Seven Locks (which I can't but think was at least influenced by Earl Derr Bigger's equally wonderful and oft-filmed 1913 novel Seven Keys to Baldpate). It's also a great variation on a classic theme of an heiress arriving at a mansion to find out about a legacy. In this it's reminiscent of the oft-filmed Cat and the Canary or the Jessie Matthews vehicle Candles at Nine.
Lilli Palmer is plucky yet vulnerable as June, the heroine from Québec, who spun a coin at age 15 to decide on a life of adventure versus one of domesticity – and adventure won. An actress named Gina Malo plays Glenda, her wisecracking, husband-hunting sidekick from Ontario who keeps the atmosphere lively with a rich stock of risqué remarks, such as this bit, delivered nude from a bathtub, when June shows her one of the keys to the door with seven locks that she has received in the mail: "There's nothing unusual about a guy sending you his latchkey. Did he say he wants you to come up and see his etchings? I'm an old etching viewer myself, and I know all the tricks. He'll be wearing George Raft pajamas, and the etchings will be in the bedroom."
The script for Chamber of Horrors is by a writer named John Argyle, so maybe he deserves credit for this delightful duo of June and Glenda. At any rate, it's quite reminiscent of another pairing he wrote a couple of years later in the Gothic mystery Terror House, a.k.a. The Night Has Eyes, with Joyce Howard and Tucker McGuire teamed as the beautiful heroine and her man-mad friend. Curiously, another thing Chamber of Horrors shares with Terror House is the presence of monkeys as pets: in Terror House villain Wilfrid Lawson carries around a pet capuchin named Cain (as a symbolic marker of his criminality); whereas in Chamber of Horrors evil physician Leslie Banks goes about with his pet monkey Beppo on his back, which could possibly be taken to indicate that the not-so-good doctor has been dipping into the drugs.
Banks plays a descendant of Spanish inquisitor Torquemada, collecting as a hobby authentic implements of torture which he displays in the titular chamber of horrors. Thus is Banks able to draw upon the vein of sadism he tapped so well way back when in The Most Dangerous Game. In Chamber of Horrors, he even sports as butler a hulking henchman who is a mute as a result of having lost his tongue due to "rebel atrocities," much like henchman Ivan in the earlier film.
It's interesting to remember that this movie was made in Britain in 1940 under the extreme exigencies of World War II. I was reminded of this by several scenes involving actress Lilli Palmer, who appeared to have great sorrowful pouches under her eyes, that came and went in a manner uncoordinated with the action on the screen and which makeup couldn't efface. What the cast and crew went through in order to tell stories that would provide entertainment and escapism to the war-stressed nation would make an interesting movie in its own right.
Lilli Palmer is plucky yet vulnerable as June, the heroine from Québec, who spun a coin at age 15 to decide on a life of adventure versus one of domesticity – and adventure won. An actress named Gina Malo plays Glenda, her wisecracking, husband-hunting sidekick from Ontario who keeps the atmosphere lively with a rich stock of risqué remarks, such as this bit, delivered nude from a bathtub, when June shows her one of the keys to the door with seven locks that she has received in the mail: "There's nothing unusual about a guy sending you his latchkey. Did he say he wants you to come up and see his etchings? I'm an old etching viewer myself, and I know all the tricks. He'll be wearing George Raft pajamas, and the etchings will be in the bedroom."
The script for Chamber of Horrors is by a writer named John Argyle, so maybe he deserves credit for this delightful duo of June and Glenda. At any rate, it's quite reminiscent of another pairing he wrote a couple of years later in the Gothic mystery Terror House, a.k.a. The Night Has Eyes, with Joyce Howard and Tucker McGuire teamed as the beautiful heroine and her man-mad friend. Curiously, another thing Chamber of Horrors shares with Terror House is the presence of monkeys as pets: in Terror House villain Wilfrid Lawson carries around a pet capuchin named Cain (as a symbolic marker of his criminality); whereas in Chamber of Horrors evil physician Leslie Banks goes about with his pet monkey Beppo on his back, which could possibly be taken to indicate that the not-so-good doctor has been dipping into the drugs.
Banks plays a descendant of Spanish inquisitor Torquemada, collecting as a hobby authentic implements of torture which he displays in the titular chamber of horrors. Thus is Banks able to draw upon the vein of sadism he tapped so well way back when in The Most Dangerous Game. In Chamber of Horrors, he even sports as butler a hulking henchman who is a mute as a result of having lost his tongue due to "rebel atrocities," much like henchman Ivan in the earlier film.
It's interesting to remember that this movie was made in Britain in 1940 under the extreme exigencies of World War II. I was reminded of this by several scenes involving actress Lilli Palmer, who appeared to have great sorrowful pouches under her eyes, that came and went in a manner uncoordinated with the action on the screen and which makeup couldn't efface. What the cast and crew went through in order to tell stories that would provide entertainment and escapism to the war-stressed nation would make an interesting movie in its own right.
Rather cheap but fairly entertaining all the same
callanvass3 January 2005
Rather cheap looking but fairly entertaining all the same and it's fairly well made, with a couple creepy moments, and it had some great atmosphere. The cast was pretty likable except for one character, and it's enjoyably cheesy. This was a lot better then i was expecting and i liked the 2 main leads, and they had some good chemistry together, plus the finale was quite exciting. The direction was pretty good for a very low budget movie. Norman Lee did a decent job here keeping the film at a pretty good pace, but there is not any special camera tricks, or anything stylish but he got the job done. There is no gore. The Acting was fairly good. Lilli Palmer does good here and was quite beautiful and had good chemistry with Romilly Lunge. Romilly Lunge was very good here he was amusing and handled himself well!. Gina Malo annoyed the crap out of me as Judy's best friend Shut up already!!!. Leslie Banks is decent here as the doctor and did a fairly good job. David Horne did what he had to do adequately. Richard Bird did well as the Inspector. Overall worth the watch **1/2 out of 5
Never Trust A Man With A Monkey...
azathothpwiggins10 August 2021
June Lansdowne (Lilli Palmer) receives a mysterious letter and a key. Upon investigation, June is told that the key is one of seven keys, meant for a door with seven locks. After a murder and a disappearance, June enlists the help of the police.
This is when an astonishing discovery is made, and June's adventure truly begins. Along the way she meets a group of suspicious characters, including Dr. Manetta (Leslie Banks), whose hobby is collecting instruments of torture for his "enhanced interrogation" room.
CHAMBER OF HORRORS is a well-constructed mystery / thriller. Banks is supremely, sublimely wicked in his role, complete with a cape and pet monkey! He sort of reprises his old Zaroff character from THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, infusing him with even more menace and insanity!
Ms. Palmer plays Lilli as someone with guts and brains. She's certainly not a pushover!
A classic movie for lovers of Edgar Wallace-inspired suspense...
This is when an astonishing discovery is made, and June's adventure truly begins. Along the way she meets a group of suspicious characters, including Dr. Manetta (Leslie Banks), whose hobby is collecting instruments of torture for his "enhanced interrogation" room.
CHAMBER OF HORRORS is a well-constructed mystery / thriller. Banks is supremely, sublimely wicked in his role, complete with a cape and pet monkey! He sort of reprises his old Zaroff character from THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, infusing him with even more menace and insanity!
Ms. Palmer plays Lilli as someone with guts and brains. She's certainly not a pushover!
A classic movie for lovers of Edgar Wallace-inspired suspense...
British mystery with a touch of humor.
mandagrammy11 June 2020
One of the things I like best about the old British mysteries is that they often throw in a touch of humor to lighten the mood. This film does that quite well, and combines it with an intriguing plot. Overall, a very enjoyable film with decent acting and a plot that appears to be easy to guess, but does come with a couple of surprises.
Lilli Palmer and Leslie Banks in Second-Rate Wallace!
JohnHowardReid8 July 2008
A muddled plot, directed in an extremely middling manner by Norman Lee, yet distinguished by the vibrant Lilli Palmer in the lead role. Mr Lunge's somewhat erratic hero seems as far at sea as the rest of us, but Leslie Banks has himself a grand old time as the villain. He receives some wonderful assistance too from his assistants, particularly Cathleen Nesbitt as a spooky maid of all work and Robert Montgomery as a vampire-visaged servant.
There are some occasions when Messrs Norman Lee, Ernest Palmer and Charles Gilbert manage to overcome an obviously limited budget to produce a few genuine thrills and atmospheric effects. All the same, they manage to work up very little suspense or even a passing interest in the plot. Pedestrian direction is the chief hindrance, but soporifically unfunny comic relief from Gina Malo, Richard Bird and even Mr Lunge himself doesn't help either. In short, this movie amounts to second-rate Edgar Wallace. If you're neither a Palmer or a Banks fan, give it a miss!
There are some occasions when Messrs Norman Lee, Ernest Palmer and Charles Gilbert manage to overcome an obviously limited budget to produce a few genuine thrills and atmospheric effects. All the same, they manage to work up very little suspense or even a passing interest in the plot. Pedestrian direction is the chief hindrance, but soporifically unfunny comic relief from Gina Malo, Richard Bird and even Mr Lunge himself doesn't help either. In short, this movie amounts to second-rate Edgar Wallace. If you're neither a Palmer or a Banks fan, give it a miss!
Better than the Average
artpf17 January 2014
A murder is found to be connected to a false heir and a secret underground torture chamber.
So many of these movies were made in the 30s and early 40s.
Prior to the Film noir of the next decade.
Some are better than others. This one is a bit above the average.
There's a funny scene with the girl in the bath and when she gets out, another woman wraps her in a plaid towel. When she pulls it around her you can see she' wearing bloomers.
The sets are opulent as was the case back then and there's lots of fun intrigue.
Give it a shot on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
So many of these movies were made in the 30s and early 40s.
Prior to the Film noir of the next decade.
Some are better than others. This one is a bit above the average.
There's a funny scene with the girl in the bath and when she gets out, another woman wraps her in a plaid towel. When she pulls it around her you can see she' wearing bloomers.
The sets are opulent as was the case back then and there's lots of fun intrigue.
Give it a shot on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Clever twists in "horror noir"
adrianovasconcelos30 April 2023
Norman Lee directs THE DOOR WITH SEVEN LOCKS aka CHAMBER OF HORRORS, and he does it with considerable adroitness, extracting excellent performances from all the main actors, including the very young Lilli Palmer, whose beauty I rate higher than her ability to act.
The screenplay by Lee and Gunn, off an Edgar Wallace novel, deserves plaudits for its twists that keep catching the spectator on the back foot. I found the cinematography nothing to write home about but, to be fair, the copy I watched left much to be desired - lots of scratches and poor sound in parts.
I would describe it as a hybrid horror/noir kind of a movie, something different from the usual... and I cannot overlook the fact that by 1940 England was being strafed by German bombers, so it cannot have been an easy project.
The screenplay by Lee and Gunn, off an Edgar Wallace novel, deserves plaudits for its twists that keep catching the spectator on the back foot. I found the cinematography nothing to write home about but, to be fair, the copy I watched left much to be desired - lots of scratches and poor sound in parts.
I would describe it as a hybrid horror/noir kind of a movie, something different from the usual... and I cannot overlook the fact that by 1940 England was being strafed by German bombers, so it cannot have been an easy project.
Seven Secrets
sol121812 June 2005
(Some Spoilers) A gorgeously young, and at the same time sweet and innocent looking, Lilli Pamler is June Lasdowne the damsel in distress in this overly complicated mystery. The movie is about seven keys that open the secret to what's been happening over the last ten years regarding the heir to he Selford fortune and who's really been getting it.
Before Lord Charles Selford died in 1928 he left his estate to his young and lame eleven year-old son John, Ross Landon, and had his guardian Silva, J.H Roberts, take care of all the arrangements. Now some ten years later Silva is in a state of mental degeneration and stuck in a nursing home. Desprate to get the secret out about John Silva writes a letter and, together with a mysterious key wrapped in it, throws it out the window addressed to June Lansdowne.
Increably the letter and key find their way to June when two boys find it and hand deliver it to her. June going to see Silva at the nursing home, about the letter he sent her, never gets the entire story from him as he's shot and killed, from behind a painting on the wall. June immediately goes to see the home attendant Ann Cody,Cathleen Nesbitt, about her patient's death only to find out that the place is closed down! Later when she and Mrs. Cody go to Silva's room find it empty.
Running to the police June gets police inspector Dick Martin, Romilly Lunge, to check on Silva's murder only to get the same answers when he goes to see Mrs. Cody;the placed has been closed for some time and there's no, or ever was any, Mr. Silva there as a patient. Martin slowly pieces together this strange and complicated plot concocted by Lord Selford's doctor Manetta, Leslie Banks, Silva Mrs. Cody and a number of other trusted Selford aids in order to steal his fortune. Doc. Manetta tried to make it look like Lord Selford's son John was receiving it in a monthly allowance over the last ten years. The question is just were is John Selford and is he still alive to collect his inheritance in the first place?
June turns out to be the second in line to Lord Selford's money and fortune and by her being alive she's a threat to those who have been embezzling it over the years. Now knowing that she was informed by Silva, to what's been going on, June has to be eliminated to keep the scam ongoing.
Like in all these type of films about a bunch of criminals getting together to pull off a crime they eventually turn on each other when the going starts to get too hot for them . In the end they all fall by the wayside. The most interesting of theses conspirators is the creepy and sophisticated Dr. Manetta who's, what you would call, the leader of the pack. Manetta who's also a distant relative of the infamous 15th century Grand Inquisitor Fray Thomas De Torqemada of the Spanish Inqusition and like they used to say about him back then, behind his back of course, "You can't talk him out ha anything" when ever he made up his mind.
Menatta took up his descendant's strange attraction to torture and torture devices and built and exact replica of a chamber of horror in his home. Having it out with police inspector Martin at the conclusion of the movie one of Manetta devices that he prized so highly was what ended up doing him in.
Before Lord Charles Selford died in 1928 he left his estate to his young and lame eleven year-old son John, Ross Landon, and had his guardian Silva, J.H Roberts, take care of all the arrangements. Now some ten years later Silva is in a state of mental degeneration and stuck in a nursing home. Desprate to get the secret out about John Silva writes a letter and, together with a mysterious key wrapped in it, throws it out the window addressed to June Lansdowne.
Increably the letter and key find their way to June when two boys find it and hand deliver it to her. June going to see Silva at the nursing home, about the letter he sent her, never gets the entire story from him as he's shot and killed, from behind a painting on the wall. June immediately goes to see the home attendant Ann Cody,Cathleen Nesbitt, about her patient's death only to find out that the place is closed down! Later when she and Mrs. Cody go to Silva's room find it empty.
Running to the police June gets police inspector Dick Martin, Romilly Lunge, to check on Silva's murder only to get the same answers when he goes to see Mrs. Cody;the placed has been closed for some time and there's no, or ever was any, Mr. Silva there as a patient. Martin slowly pieces together this strange and complicated plot concocted by Lord Selford's doctor Manetta, Leslie Banks, Silva Mrs. Cody and a number of other trusted Selford aids in order to steal his fortune. Doc. Manetta tried to make it look like Lord Selford's son John was receiving it in a monthly allowance over the last ten years. The question is just were is John Selford and is he still alive to collect his inheritance in the first place?
June turns out to be the second in line to Lord Selford's money and fortune and by her being alive she's a threat to those who have been embezzling it over the years. Now knowing that she was informed by Silva, to what's been going on, June has to be eliminated to keep the scam ongoing.
Like in all these type of films about a bunch of criminals getting together to pull off a crime they eventually turn on each other when the going starts to get too hot for them . In the end they all fall by the wayside. The most interesting of theses conspirators is the creepy and sophisticated Dr. Manetta who's, what you would call, the leader of the pack. Manetta who's also a distant relative of the infamous 15th century Grand Inquisitor Fray Thomas De Torqemada of the Spanish Inqusition and like they used to say about him back then, behind his back of course, "You can't talk him out ha anything" when ever he made up his mind.
Menatta took up his descendant's strange attraction to torture and torture devices and built and exact replica of a chamber of horror in his home. Having it out with police inspector Martin at the conclusion of the movie one of Manetta devices that he prized so highly was what ended up doing him in.
Highly Enjoyable Film
sbibb15 February 2004
This British made film is highly enjoyable. Excellent performances by the cast, spectacular sets, good script, all things about this film I found enjoyable.
Lilli Palmer was excellent in the role, she is also a joy to watch as she is breathtakingly beautiful. Leslie Banks is back in a role similar to his role in "Most Dangerous Game," a man who lives in a castle, and collects torture devices.
At 80 minutes in length this film really needs to be watched and enjoyed. Very clever.
Lilli Palmer was excellent in the role, she is also a joy to watch as she is breathtakingly beautiful. Leslie Banks is back in a role similar to his role in "Most Dangerous Game," a man who lives in a castle, and collects torture devices.
At 80 minutes in length this film really needs to be watched and enjoyed. Very clever.
Low Budget British Thriller!
bsmith55527 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The title, "Chamber of Horrors" is a bit misleading as it is more of a mystery than a horror film. It does have a bargain basement chamber of horrors with an Iron Maiden but is incidental to the plot. However, since there IS an Iron Maiden, you have to believe that someone is bound to be caught within its clutches at some point.
The film opens with Lord Selford (Aubrey Mallenlieu) on his deathbed describing his final wishes. He is to be entombed with the family jewels ad enclosed in a crypt sealed by a door with seven locks. His son is to inherit the estate. A distant cousin, June Lansdowne (Lili Palmer) will inherit the estate should evil befall the young Lord. Lawyer Edward Havelock (David Horne), the executor, is appointed keeper of the seven keys. Interested parties are Dr. Manetto (Leslie Banks) and servants Bevan and Ann Cody (Harry Hutchinson, Kathleen Nesbitt), the chauffeur Cawler (Philip Ray), Silva (J.H. Roberts) and the butler Craig (a sinister looking Robert Montgomery)(not THAT Robert Montgomery).
Silva, dying in a nursing home, sends a letter to June containing one of the keys and asking her to come and see him a.s.a.p. During their meeting, Silva is murdered by an unseen assailant. June goes to Scotland Yard for help. Recently resigned detective Dick Martin (Romilly Lunge) and Inspector Sneed (Richard Bird) take an interest. On returning to the nursing home they find that there is no trace of Silva's body or the "nurse" Ann Cody.
The scene then shifts to an old dark house in the country where Dr. Manetto has taken up residence. We know right away that he is up to no good. Martin and June visit Havelock with June's key only to find out that all seven keys in the lawyer's care have disappeared. Then Martin decides to investigate further. Dr. Manetto is revealed to be the leader of the group but with his own agenda. It turns out that behind the door with seven locks there may be secrets other than the priceless jewels. The door is opened and...............................
Lili Palmer was at the outset of a very long and prosperous. Kathleen Nesbitt too, went on to many years of success. Leslie Banks is probably best remembered for his role in "The Most Dangerous Game" (1932). He also appeared in some Alfred Hitchcock films in the 30s as well. Gina Milo is along for comedy relief as Glenda, June's room mate.
The story is based on an Edgar Wallace novel entitled "The Door with Seven Keys". It is never explains why there are seven keys since they were left in the keeping of one person. And. how did Silva know where to find June? Anyway, Edgar Wallace is given the producer's credit even though he had been dead since 1932.
The film opens with Lord Selford (Aubrey Mallenlieu) on his deathbed describing his final wishes. He is to be entombed with the family jewels ad enclosed in a crypt sealed by a door with seven locks. His son is to inherit the estate. A distant cousin, June Lansdowne (Lili Palmer) will inherit the estate should evil befall the young Lord. Lawyer Edward Havelock (David Horne), the executor, is appointed keeper of the seven keys. Interested parties are Dr. Manetto (Leslie Banks) and servants Bevan and Ann Cody (Harry Hutchinson, Kathleen Nesbitt), the chauffeur Cawler (Philip Ray), Silva (J.H. Roberts) and the butler Craig (a sinister looking Robert Montgomery)(not THAT Robert Montgomery).
Silva, dying in a nursing home, sends a letter to June containing one of the keys and asking her to come and see him a.s.a.p. During their meeting, Silva is murdered by an unseen assailant. June goes to Scotland Yard for help. Recently resigned detective Dick Martin (Romilly Lunge) and Inspector Sneed (Richard Bird) take an interest. On returning to the nursing home they find that there is no trace of Silva's body or the "nurse" Ann Cody.
The scene then shifts to an old dark house in the country where Dr. Manetto has taken up residence. We know right away that he is up to no good. Martin and June visit Havelock with June's key only to find out that all seven keys in the lawyer's care have disappeared. Then Martin decides to investigate further. Dr. Manetto is revealed to be the leader of the group but with his own agenda. It turns out that behind the door with seven locks there may be secrets other than the priceless jewels. The door is opened and...............................
Lili Palmer was at the outset of a very long and prosperous. Kathleen Nesbitt too, went on to many years of success. Leslie Banks is probably best remembered for his role in "The Most Dangerous Game" (1932). He also appeared in some Alfred Hitchcock films in the 30s as well. Gina Milo is along for comedy relief as Glenda, June's room mate.
The story is based on an Edgar Wallace novel entitled "The Door with Seven Keys". It is never explains why there are seven keys since they were left in the keeping of one person. And. how did Silva know where to find June? Anyway, Edgar Wallace is given the producer's credit even though he had been dead since 1932.
Solid adaptation
Leofwine_draca25 July 2022
CHAMBER OF HORRORS is a solid little adaptation of an Edgar Wallace novel - THE DOOR WITH SEVEN LOCKS - much filmed over the years. This one plays up the melodrama, with a huge air of mystery layered over the proceedings and plenty of twists along the way. Lilli Palmer makes for a beautiful lead while Leslie Banks brings some Tod Slaughter relish to his role as the sinister doctor. Well filmed, engaging, a classic example of the 'old dark house' genre.
Solid old dark house mystery
Wolfbrother19833 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
It's an old dark house tale crossed with a old style whudunnit. It's based on "The Door With Seven Locks" by Edgar Wallace. It's title in the UK was "The Door With Seven Locks". The alternate title was by Monogram Pictures for a U.S. release.
When a wealthy lord dies, his last wishes include locking his treasure behind a door with seven locks. Greed, plotting & murder develop in a pursuit for the keys and the truth behind the locked tomb.
Lilli Palmer played the leading lady. She looks marvelous in this film. The male co-lead is a detective type (and her love interest).
There is also an irritable cop, partially used for comic relief. The leading ladies friend is similarly used.
If you like old dark house type films, and old films in general, it's a solid watch.
When a wealthy lord dies, his last wishes include locking his treasure behind a door with seven locks. Greed, plotting & murder develop in a pursuit for the keys and the truth behind the locked tomb.
Lilli Palmer played the leading lady. She looks marvelous in this film. The male co-lead is a detective type (and her love interest).
There is also an irritable cop, partially used for comic relief. The leading ladies friend is similarly used.
If you like old dark house type films, and old films in general, it's a solid watch.
"I love frolicking in the tomb!"
clanciai1 May 2023
The story is by Edgar Wallace, the leading journalist of his time, and it is brilliantly written with a twinkling eye and tongue in cheek in exploiting a corrupt doctor's passion in the macabre - he is a collector of ancient torture instruments and has a whole cabinet of scenes from the inquisition, including an iron maiden who is not to be trifled with. Leslie Banks is the leading character here giving a magnificent performance as doctor Manetta of Spanish origin, and his Spanish accent is perfect. He leads the conspiracy against the Selford family and weaves a very intricate web of intrigue involving a number of persons, who ultimately are all hoisted by their own petard. Lilli Palmer is still in the beginning of her long career here, very young and fresh, the perfect innocence, stumbling into a jungle of insidious traps and intrigues, which all get messed up with each other. It's actually a black comedy of the same kind as "Arsenic and Old Lace", but the laughs are more frequent here, and the exaggerated dark mood is actually very light. Who ever would have suspected the most honest man in the business to be the actual manufacturer of the plot? There are many fakes here, but when doctor Manetta finally goes down you will have to admit he is doing it with flying colours.
Pass this one up.
Norm-3012 June 2000
This film is (VERY!) loosely based on the Edgar Wallace book, but the ONLY thing it has in common with it is the DOOR!
I am an avid reader/collector of Wallace, and (I had to admit it!), but I was totally bored by the whole business! The pacing is extremely slow, and the film goes on forever!
The only redeeming thing about it is the heroine, who is a "good-looker"! (btw, the mad doctor bears an uncanny resemblance to the mad hunter in the Fay Wray version of "The Most Dangerous Game).
Norm
I am an avid reader/collector of Wallace, and (I had to admit it!), but I was totally bored by the whole business! The pacing is extremely slow, and the film goes on forever!
The only redeeming thing about it is the heroine, who is a "good-looker"! (btw, the mad doctor bears an uncanny resemblance to the mad hunter in the Fay Wray version of "The Most Dangerous Game).
Norm
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