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U.K.
/ 1960
Directed by Sidney Hayers
Starring
Anton Diffring
Erika Remberg
Yvonne Monlaur
Color / 92 Minutes / Not Rated
Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC)
Anchor Bay Entertainment
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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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6
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6 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Rossiter!
That's the name on everyone's lips in this
movie, whether whispered in fear or decried in
condemnation. It's the moniker of a certain demented
plastic surgeon (Anton Diffring) who pursues his
experimental techniques at any cost... provided
that cost is borne by others.
Circus of Horrors
opens in England in 1947. The infamous Dr. Rossiter's
latest operation — the unauthorized facial reconstruction
of a wealthy, well-connected socialite — has gone
badly. This time he can't just walk away. Wanted
for gross medical malpractice, Rossiter makes
things worse by running down a police constable
with his car, then crashing the vehicle. Though
injured he manages to reach safe haven with his
partners in crime, surgical assistants Angela
(Jane Hylton) and Martin (Kenneth Griffith), enthralled
sycophants who are totally devoted to him. The
trio flees to France and disappears into the countryside.
Recovered from the car crash, the obsessed
Dr. Rossiter is chomping at the bit to resume
his medical research. But he needs to hide out
for awhile, buying time to develop a suitable
cover for his activities. Chance brings him and
his cohorts to the struggling, dilapidated circus
of M. Vanet (The Flesh
and the Fiends' Donald Pleasence). Vanet,
a drunk whose 9-year old daughter Nicole bears
terrible facial scars from an errant bomb during
the war, is flat broke and desperate. He can scarcely
believe his good fortune when Rossiter offers
to repair his daughter's face and run the circus
for him, promising to make it a profitable enterprise
within a year. But even in his cups Vanet can
smell something fishy; Rossiter is forced to confide
in him that, for unspecified reasons, he's in
trouble and needs to lie low. Seeing nothing to
lose and everything to gain, Vanet agrees to the
deal.
The shady doctor soon completes Nicole's reconstructive
surgery to her father's amazement and joy. In
drunken celebration Vanet goads Bosko the Dancing
Bear into sharing a jig with him, but in an accident
the animal steps on some broken glass and goes
berserk, attacking his owner. Vanet pleads for
Rossiter to save him but the doctor stands back
and watches the bear kill him. Now the circus
is his, free and clear. Rossiter hits upon a plan:
he'll build the circus into the most famed in
Europe while continuing his experiments. For subjects
he'll use wanted criminals, remolding their faces
and giving them new identities.
In return they will owe him absolute, unquestioning
loyalty, acknowledging him as master...
Circus Of Horrors
is a delightfully lurid melodrama, doubtless a
bit shocking in its time. Buxom, voluptuous Eurobabes
strut about in their undies and there's a bloody
(for 1960) knife "accident" in living color. Virtually
all the characters are selfish, amoral or worse;,
even an investigating detective seems more interested
in bedding various female circus performers than
uncovering Rossiter's misdeeds. Only Nicole —
who,
as the story flashes forward 10 years, is played
by Yvonne Monlaur (Brides
of Dracula) —
is
truly innocent, and she's the most boring character
in the story. Rossiter himself is cold and cruel,
an egotist and something of a sadist, who uses
people for his own ends and then discards them
when expedient. German-born actor Anton Diffring
(Vanessa,
Shatter) is absolutely
terrific in the role, perhaps the best of his
career —
too much of which was spent typecast as Nazi officers
in flicks like Where
Eagles Dare. Hylton and Griffith lend yeoman
support as Rossiter's besotted and craven cohorts,
while Pleasence characteristically makes the most
of his tiny role. Erika Remberg, as the scarred,
murderous prostitute whom Rossiter transforms
into a star circus act, really gets to chew the
scenery. (Just watch the Teutonic sparks fly when
she and Diffring get into an argument over which
act gets top billing.)
On the debit side there are some rather unconvincing
animal costumes on display — namely the "gorilla"
that attacks Rossiter late in the story; that's
certainly not a real bear that mauls Vanet.
And you'd better be enamored of both circus music
and kitschy lounge numbers. There's plenty of
the former (the movie is set under the big top,
after all) and the song "Look to a Star," which
accompanies Remberg's aerial act, is heard perhaps
half a dozen times. Aaargh! Happily, Diffring
keeps the show going with his dynamic portrayal
of the manic, loathsome villain.
Doc Rossiter is the kind of baddie you just
love to hate.
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Anchor
Bay Entertainment continues its nearly unbroken
record of first-rate DVDs. The widescreen (1.77:1)
video transfer of Circus of
Horrors looks wonderful, boasting astonishingly
vivid color with nary a blemish to be seen. The
Digital Mono audio track is crisp and clear save
for a minute-long stretch of bombastic circus music
that sounds decidedly warbled. (Dialog is not affected.)
This occurs about two thirds the way through the
picture; while distracting, it's a forgivable sin
considering the film is over 40 years old.
The disc does not feature an audio commentary
(perhaps all the major participants are dead — Diffring
passed away in 1989) but what extras it does offer
are quite satisfying. There's the sensationalistic
color theatrical trailer, plus three short black
and white American TV spots, two image galleries
(one of production stills, the other posters and
adverts), and an excellent text biography of Diffring.
As an added goodie "Look to a Star" plays in its
entirety, in stereo, over the Bonus Features menu.
12/31/01 |
| UPDATE
In September 2003, Anchor
Bay released a double feature "Drive-in"
DVD combining Circus
of Horrors with Theatre
of Death (1966) starring
Christopher Lee. It's a better deal than the stand-alone
edition reviewed here; you get a whole extra movie
for about two bucks more. (This disc went OOP in
2008.) |
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