Das schreckliche Geheimnis des Dr. Hichcock

This minor but interesting entry in the Italian Gothic/horror genre is a first in that no film had ever dealt before with the subject of necrophilia. Set in London in 1885, Robert Flemyng portrays Dr. Bernard Hichcock who kills off his first wife, digs her up for a little body worship, then marries the ever-ravishing Barbara Steele. Harriet White Medin is perfect as the spooky housekeeper with an ample supply of nasty secrets and protectress of the demented doctor. Flemyng, Steele & White Medin are quite a terror-ific trio and this flick is lots of fun. Beware of the truncated, rather mutilated American version known as THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK. The dictatorial director Riccardo Freda was responsible for making this film on a bet in just a few days but it doesn't show. HICHCOCK benefits from superb Technicolor and some nice locales and art direction. Even the castle mascot is a black cat named Jess-Belle. Required viewing for all fans of Barbara Steele as it is among her best Italian work. Freda was only equal or better with his work on I VAMPIRI and CALTIKI, IL MOSTRO IMMORTALE.

Many people, like me, will see The Terror of Dr Hitchcock purely for it's cult value. This is the best reason to see the film, as the value outside of it's cult status isn't exactly vast; but the film does offer other reasons that makes viewing worthwhile. First and foremost is the fact that it stars 'The Queen of Horror' Barbara Steele. Steele is an odd beauty, and her looks always ensure that she serves whatever film she's in well. She stars alongside Robert Flemyng, who takes the title role as Dr Hitchcock. Given that the film is supposed to be about him, I was surprised to find that most of the screen time focuses on Barbara Steele's character. This is either the result of Steele's status within the genre, or the fact that Flemyng's character is actually quite boring. This is the film's main problem. The themes on offer are intriguing and often make for great horror movies; but because the central character never really gets a chance to let his motives and desires shine through the performance; it's difficult to really connect with him or the film.

The story follows the aforementioned doctor. Dr Hitchcock is into necrophilia, and when his game that involves drugging his wife goes wrong and she winds up dead, Hitchcock is unable to let go and keeps her body in the cellar. He remarries and plans to use the blood of his new wife to bring back his old one. Like most Italian horror films from this period; the cinematography is awesome, and this is brought about by lavish sets and excellent use of lighting. A lot of the running time is spent on watching Steele run about the various rooms of the castle, and this would be quite boring if the film wasn't so beautiful to look at. The cinematography isn't enough to save the film, however, as a lot of what goes on does look suspiciously like padding for an otherwise thin plot. The film starts off slowly, and the pacing does pick up towards the end where the film is at it's most interesting. The Terror of Dr Hitchcock isn't a great film, or even a great genre film; but it's an interesting little flick that is best remembered for it's beautiful cinematography and the fact that it stars one of horror cinema's great actresses.

Gorgeously filmed, totally insane Gothic pastiche from Riccardo Freda holds its marvelously overwrought tone through to the fiery climax. At the center of it is Barbara Steele's Cynthia, the neurotic second wife of the eponymous Dr. Hichcock, who, from the second she arrives in her husband's creaky and apparently haunted mansion, is picturesquely threatened by the hostile maid, by a mysterious figure in white, purported to be the maid's sister, and by her own increasingly mad husband, who was already predisposed to pseudo-necrophilia, but who really starts to tip over the brink as he begins to believe his first wife has come back from the grave. It's all both lavish and ludicrous, and profits from Steele's incredible screen presence and the weight of its own images. Spectacular use of color, as well. Essential viewing.

I suppose how horrible you think Doctor Hitchcock is depends on your own view of necrophilia. I mean, sure, the first time we see him he's bashed the head of a gravedigger so he can have a quick go on a corpse's paps, but then he did show his kinder side by also being the Doctor who stitched up the poor guy's head at the hospital later. And it's not necrophilia is his wife is still alive, and only looks dead because of the drugs he pumps her full of, is it? It's a complicated issue.

This film also gives us a Double Scouse Lead Actor Line-up! (or D.S.L.A.L for short)! Not only do we have Birkenhead born Barbara Steele in the film, but playing Doctor Hitchcock is Liverpool born actor Roberyt Flemyng! Very little is known of this actor, except that he was an aristocratic-looking character actor, with a 60-year long theatrical career stretching back to 1931. The son of a Liverpool physician, he had a brief medical career, which he abandoned in preference to becoming a thespian. Rose to prominence as Keit Neilan in 'French Without Tears' in 1936. Thereafter, had leading roles on the London and Liverpool stages. Also appeared on Broadway and went on tour in 1952 opposite Katherine Cornell in 'The Constant Wife'. During World War II, he served with the Royal Army Medical Corps, reaching the rank of full colonel. He was awarded the MC (Military Cross) in 1941, mentioned in dispatches and was awarded the military OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1944 King's Honours List for his services to the Royal Army. On 21st March, 1995, he suffered a serious stroke and was for a time comatose. He eventually recovered consciousness, but was incapable of speech and was limited in his movements. He died as a patient in St. Thomas's Hospital in London in the early hours of May 22nd, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Barbara by the way is Dr Hitchcock's second wife, because Hitchcock accidentally killed his first wife with those drugs while trying to turn her into a fake-corpse. Hitchcock, after twelve years, has now returned to his creepy old mansion with Barabararararara, who immediately takes a dislike to meddlesome ratbag housemaid Harriet White. After some screaming is heard, an alarmed Barararararbara is told that's just Harriet's crazy sister and that she's getting shipped off to some loony bin the next day. If that's the case, however, who's running around laughing, being spooky, and making use of the mansion's standard-issue secret passageways? And why is that creepy cat still alive after twelve years?

Barbara Steele sure does a lot of fainting in this film! Someone leaves a skull in her bed = faint. She's out in the garden when a ghostly bridesmaid runs about = faint. She looks through a keyhole and sees someone preparing a noose = keels over. That last one doesn't work out too well for her either. Someone's up to something, and while all that's happening Dr Hitchcock is getting a hankering for some cold flesh, and constantly nearly keeps getting caught at the hospital morgue for this troubles (mainly by suspicious Silvano Tranquili, who has the hots for Barbara).

I'm going to level with you here and say that this film isn't exactly a white knuckle ride. It's pure undiluted Gothic horror that takes it's sweet time getting to conclusion, but just like his other film The Ghost, Riccardo Freda makes good use of colour and throws in loads of mood (and thunderstorms, don't forget thunderstorms). There's one particularly weird scene where Barbara hallucinates Hitchcock's face swelling up while red light fills the screen. That said, I do prefer the Ghost if I had to compare the two.

Actually what I have on VHS (recorded off the TV) is the full-length version of the film, released in the U.K. as THE TERROR OF DR. HICHCOCK (in the U.S. it was cut by 10 mins. and retitled).

From the little I have watched of 'Euro Horror', this is definitely one of the highlights; most critics place it at the top of Freda's canon and it's easy to see why. Visually the film is stunning (even if the print I have watched has seen better days) with any number of striking images that are not easily forgotten.

Still, the film's greatest coup, perhaps, is its unabashed (but not sensationalistic) treatment of necrophilia, a theme that was pretty much taboo at the time - and probably still is! (I urge you all to read Glenn M. Erickson's excellent and highly perceptive essay on the film on the 'Images Journal' website - incidentally, you will find a whole section here devoted to Italian horror films.) In this respect, THE TERROR OF DR. HICHCOCK would make a fine companion piece to Mario Bava's LA FRUSTA E IL CORPO/THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963), another unhinged (and extremely personal) Gothic masterwork!

The exemplary cast is headed by Barbara Steele and Robert Flemyng. Steele is pretty good in what she has to do (though never quite scaling the heights of LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO/THE MASK OF Satan [1960]) but is overshadowed by Flemyng as Dr. Bernard Hichcock (an inspired choice for a name!) who is utterly credible in all the various facets of manic lust his character has to go through. Indeed, this doctor would not have been amiss in a Poe story and, much as I love Vincent Price in the AIP/Corman adaptations, Flemyng here emerges a far more sinister figure - without ever resorting to camp!

Finally, I wonder how this film's follow-up LO SPETTRO/THE GHOST (1963), which I have never watched, compares with the original. Hopefully both films will one day be adequately represented on DVD, possibly released as a double-feature.