Crimes au musée des horreurs

Michael Gough plays a mystery writer who arranges to bump off several dames to increase his popularity (and sales of his latest book about murder). One blonde (with ample cleavage) gets binoculared to death, while her red-headed roommate (with ampler cleavage) looks on in horror. Then Gough's "ho" tells him where to get off, and she is done in by Gough's assistant, using a hand-held guillotine - you know, the kind you can buy on QVC. By using a pair of ice tongs, Gough offs an old crone who runs an antique store. Well, the list goes on, but you get the idea.

Gough, as usual, is hammy over the top, but not nearly as crazy as he is in "Konga." He is delicious to watch as he needles Scotland Yard, and vents his spleen at his assistant (Graham Curnow). June Cunningham, as Gough's chick, has the smallest waist coupled with the largest hips I've seen in some time. She also treats the audience to about a 50-second dance in a bar. By the time she is done, every guy watching will figure out his sexual orientation.

Part time crime novelist, Edmond Bancroft (Michael Gough) uses a unique method to research his latest book. He secures implements of death, then hypnotizes a rube (Graham Curnow) to use these weapons to commit actual murders.

HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM opens with the most wickedly ingenious of these setups, that will force the viewer to think twice before ever using a pair of binoculars again! Scotland Yard is baffled as usual, even while Bancroft almost begs to be arrested.

Gough is his normal, exquisitely histrionic self, at times hitting near the "Tod Slaughter level" of mania. An entertaining romp for all involved...

Gough plays an arrogant journalist / author obsessed with a serial killer employing spectacular weapons to despatch his victims.

Wildly over played by Gough in best scenery chewing form and with a rather daft ending, this though makes for fun grande guignol late night telly.

'Horrors Of The Black Museum' is a dated but still entertaining Brit chiller that will most appeal to fans of William Castle's gimmick filled movies from the same era ('The House On Haunted Hill', 'The Tingler', '13 Ghosts', 'Homicidal',etc.) The late Michael Gough plays Edmund Bancroft, an eccentric writer and amateur crime expert, who irritates local police baffled at a spate of brutal and sensationalistic crimes, apparently without motive. Bancroft actually knows a lot more than the police suspect, and his meek protege Rick (Graham Curnow) is also involved, but not in the most straightforward way. The movie was originally released in "Hypnovision" but the reason to watch it today is Gough's larger than life performance, and the inventive killing methods, which include the much talked about binoculars-with-needles-in-the-eyepieces. Not a great movie by any means, but an amusing one.

It was only after looking at the director of "Fiend without a face" that I realised that 'Fiend' and "Horrors of the Black Museum" were directed by the same person. Both movies are very good British horror movies (though it's a pity that it's so difficult to find 'Fiend' and it doesn't look like the BBC will show it again - maybe this prayer will work). Because it's so hard to find 'Fiend", I chose to review 'Horrors' because you should get the chance to watch a Crabtree movie. Apart from the plot of "Horrors of the Black Museum" (which I won't go into here - if you're interested, you can always read the plot summary) the movie has a special feature (Hypnovista) which probably is one of the reasons why it's still around now. Hypnovista was a gimmick like the ones William Castle liked to use (think of the color scene and the moving theatre seats in 'The Tingler' or the Fright Break which paused 'Homicidal'), but certainly not the only reason to see the movie (unless, of course you are totally into hypnotised people). I agree that some of the stunts could have been better (I never believed the skeleton), but the movie was made in 1959. Indeed, they don't make them like they used to do... "Horrors of the Black Museum" is one of the movies which make you add "...unfortunately". (the same goes for 'Fiend')