Film Snail

6.4

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors

NR·1965·98m

Horror

Summary

Five strangers board a train and are joined by a mysterious fortune teller who offers to read their Tarot cards. Five separate stories unfold: An architect returns to his ancestoral home to find a werewolf out for revenge; a doctor discovers his new wife is a vampire; a huge plant takes over a house; a musician gets involved with voodoo; an art critic is pursued by a disembodied hand.

Cast

Peter Cushing

Dr. Sandor Schreck aka "Dr. Terror"

Christopher Lee

Franklyn Marsh

Roy Castle

Biff Bailey

Alan Freeman

Bill Rogers

Donald Sutherland

Bob Carroll

Neil McCallum

Jim Dawson

Bernard Lee

Hopkins (segment 2 "Creeping Vine")

Peter Madden

Caleb (segment 1 "Werewolf")

Ursula Howells

Mrs. Deirdre Biddulph (segment 1 "Werewolf")

Katy Wild

Valda (segment 1 "Werewolf")

Edward Underdown

Tod (segment 1 "Werewolf")

Ann Bell

Ann Rogers (segment "Creeping Vine")

Jeremy Kemp

Jerry Drake (segment 2 "Creeping Vine")

Phoebe Nicholls

Carol Rogers (segment 2 "Creeping Vine")

Kenny Lynch

Sammy Coin (segment 3 "Voodoo")

Harold Lang

Roy Shine (segment 3 "Voodoo")

Christopher Carlos

Vrim (segment 3 "Voodoo")

Max Adrian

Dr. Blake (segment 5 "Vampire")

Jennifer Jayne

Nicolle (segment 5 "Vampire")

Michael Gough

Eric Landor (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Isla Blair

Pretty Girl (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Frank Barry

Dambala (segment 3 "Voodoo")

Judy Cornwell

Nurse (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Frank Forsyth

Toastmaster (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Caron Gardner

Joo Joo Club Patron (segment 3 "Voodoo")

Kenneth Kove

Third Male Friend (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Thomas Baptiste

Dambala (Segment 3 "Voodoo")

Al Mulock

Detective (segment 5 "Vampire")

Walter Sparrow

Second Ambulance Man (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Hedger Wallace

Surgeon (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Brian Hankins

George (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Faith Kent

Lady in Art Gallery (segment 4 "Disembodied Hand")

Laurie Leigh

Nurse (segment 5 "Vampire")

Irene Richmond

Mrs Ellis (segment 5 "Vampire")

Valerie St. Clair

Cigarette Girl (segment 3 "Voodoo")

Crew

Director

Freddie Francis

Screenplay

Milton Subotsky

Reviews

John Chard

September 25, 2014

Five characters in search of a station.

Five strangers on board a train and are joined by the mysterious Dr Shreck, he's a fortune teller and offers to read their Tarot cards.

Five men, five stories, Werewolf, The Creeping Vine, Voodoo, Disembodied Hand & Vampire. Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors is one of those films that had a big impact on me as a child. When it was shown on British TV, the next day in the play ground would be kids talking about it, well those kids (un)lucky enough to have parents who would let them watch it that is! I finally got to see it one night in the 70s when my parents were out, I can even remember the time and channel it was shown on, in fact I can still remember now the feeling of dread that took over me as Christopher Lee is pursued by a severed hand, checking under my bed before turning the lights off.

Now that's the beauty of horror films isn't it? Sure enough this Amicus compendium looks a trifle clunky now, but really we shouldn't be judging it by a new age standard, we should be judging it by the 1965 time frame and embracing the totally creepy vibe that infiltrates this particular railway carriage. The Werewolf and Disembodied Hand segments are great pieces of horror, while the others make up for in style what they lack in genuine horror. Peter Cushing, Alan Freeman, Roy Castle, Donald Sutherland, Kenny Lynch, Bernard Lee and of course the irrepressible Christopher Lee, I thank you all for leaving an indelible mark on me as a youth, it's a mark that I proudly wear to this everlasting day! 8/10