Another in the long line of Amicus anthologies. The connection between these stories is a mysterious house which gives the owners whatever their personality deserves, which basically means that it's an excuse to use the same set over and over again. Certainly the wrap around story sometimes makes these films – who can forget the classic train journey in DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS? – but not so here. Little thought or imagination seems to have gone into it and you get the feeling that the title was conceived before the story.
The first segment features the reliable Denholm Elliott as a writer who conjures up a strangler from his imagination. He's horrified when the strangler apparently becomes real. This story has a few shocks but is pretty formulaic and is singularly lacking in atmosphere, creepiness, or any form of terror. There's an interesting double twist at the climax but apart from that, this is nothing to get excited about.
The second story is probably the best, and has Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland in it. Cushing is the lonely man who visits a wax horror show, where he sees a figure which reminds him of a girl he once loved. When his old friend visits town he too sees the figure and becomes obsessed with it. The story is atmospheric in the wax museum scenes and has a typically gruesome climax, and of course Cushing's acting lifts it above the norm. Ackland is also good value for money. I think this is the scariest of the lot when it comes down to it.
The third story has Christopher Lee as a father of a young girl with "problems". A live-in nanny arrives and soon finds out what the problems are - the eerie taint of witchcraft is lurking in this one. Lee is good as his usual pompous, unlikeable self, but apart from him this story is nothing out of the ordinary. There's some fun to be had from trying to guess the resolution and the climax is suitably repulsive.
The final story benefits from having Jon Pertwee in it, and Ingrid Pitt appears to add some glamour too. Pertwee is the arrogant actor who buys a mysterious cape for his new vampire role. However, the cape belonged to a real vampire and is affecting the owner in strange ways, such as turning him invisible in mirrors when he wears it. There's a twist ending as usual and an interesting film-within-a-film premise in this comic instalment. It's dated pretty badly and Pitt's lack of talent is more than evident, but Pertwee's spirited performance makes up for it.
The wrap-around story, about the policeman investigating the deaths, is quite dull, apart from the ending which has some action in it. Altogether this is a very average anthology. It never gets boring to watch as none of the stories last more than 20 minutes. There's an interesting cast too, however it somewhat lacks from being mainly confined to a single set for much of the stories. It's worth having as it showcases the talent from the era, and, of course, it's a '70s British horror film so it gets a recommendation from me. And just look at the cast! Not brilliant, but eminently watchable for nostalgic fans of old fashioned horror.
The first segment features the reliable Denholm Elliott as a writer who conjures up a strangler from his imagination. He's horrified when the strangler apparently becomes real. This story has a few shocks but is pretty formulaic and is singularly lacking in atmosphere, creepiness, or any form of terror. There's an interesting double twist at the climax but apart from that, this is nothing to get excited about.
The second story is probably the best, and has Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland in it. Cushing is the lonely man who visits a wax horror show, where he sees a figure which reminds him of a girl he once loved. When his old friend visits town he too sees the figure and becomes obsessed with it. The story is atmospheric in the wax museum scenes and has a typically gruesome climax, and of course Cushing's acting lifts it above the norm. Ackland is also good value for money. I think this is the scariest of the lot when it comes down to it.
The third story has Christopher Lee as a father of a young girl with "problems". A live-in nanny arrives and soon finds out what the problems are - the eerie taint of witchcraft is lurking in this one. Lee is good as his usual pompous, unlikeable self, but apart from him this story is nothing out of the ordinary. There's some fun to be had from trying to guess the resolution and the climax is suitably repulsive.
The final story benefits from having Jon Pertwee in it, and Ingrid Pitt appears to add some glamour too. Pertwee is the arrogant actor who buys a mysterious cape for his new vampire role. However, the cape belonged to a real vampire and is affecting the owner in strange ways, such as turning him invisible in mirrors when he wears it. There's a twist ending as usual and an interesting film-within-a-film premise in this comic instalment. It's dated pretty badly and Pitt's lack of talent is more than evident, but Pertwee's spirited performance makes up for it.
The wrap-around story, about the policeman investigating the deaths, is quite dull, apart from the ending which has some action in it. Altogether this is a very average anthology. It never gets boring to watch as none of the stories last more than 20 minutes. There's an interesting cast too, however it somewhat lacks from being mainly confined to a single set for much of the stories. It's worth having as it showcases the talent from the era, and, of course, it's a '70s British horror film so it gets a recommendation from me. And just look at the cast! Not brilliant, but eminently watchable for nostalgic fans of old fashioned horror.