Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), directed by Freddie Francis.
Since the framing story takes place in a railway car, what is Dr. Schreck's (Peter Cushing) "house of horrors"? He explains it is his deck of Tarot Cards, which reveals the fate of whoever's fortune is told, as well as the means of avoiding such fate. Which turns out to be the Death card for every passenger.
Our episodes:
Werewolf: What good comes from breaking into old walls in the ancestral mansion and opening the coffin you find there? Time to cast those silver bullets.
Creeping Vine: Never go on vacation. Malicious intelligent plants take over the garden while you are gone. Scientists Bernard Lee and Jeremy Kemp are of no help.
Voodoo: Only a dim-witted jazz musician would ignore all the warning signs and offend the gods of the West Indies.
Disembodied Hand: Snotty art critic Christopher Lee holds a grudge when humiliated by painter Michael Gough. That gate swings both ways -- sometimes the grudges come visiting.
Vampire: Doctor Donald Sutherland would be a happy newlywed if it were not for one teeny tiny issue with his bride who flies off at night.
The first in a series of horror anthologies from Amicus Productions, the thrills are pretty mild, like the US Night Gallery TV series a few years later. But it is fun if you like the genre and appreciate the familiar cast.
Written by Amicus producer Milton Subotsky, who was inspired by Dead of Night (1945) and began working on the stories soon after that film appeared.
The other films in the series:
From Beyond the Grave (1974)
Photographed by Alan Hume: Eye of the Needle (1981), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Lifeforce (1985), Octopussy (1983), Return of the Jedi (1983), Runaway Train (1985), A View to a Kill (1985).
Available on Blu-ray from Olive Films.
