Le caveau de la terreur

Fairly good entry in the Amicus anthology cycle, even if none of the stories are particularly remarkable (or original). The premise is also quite simple: five men meet inside an elevator which takes them, irrespective of the floor to which they were destined, to the basement of the building where a table has been set up for them; they gather around and, to while away the time until they're rescued, each recounts a recurring dream.

The cast is fine, as usual: Daniel Massey goes in search of his missing sister (real-life sibling Anna), eventually locating her at a remote village – where, as it turns out, all the locals (including the woman) are vampires!; this may be the most popular episode but also, perhaps, the most disposable (despite the amusingly outrageous fate awaiting Massey at the end) – considering that Amicus had already dealt with the subject of vampires in at least two previous horror compendiums, DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965) and THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1971). Terry-Thomas is an ageing wealthy man who decides it's high time for him to marry, but ends up literally driving commoner wife Glynis Johns crazy with his obsessive fastidiousness! Curt Jurgens is a magician on holiday in India with wife Dawn Addams: to show off, he exposes a local exponent plying his trade at the market square; humiliated, the latter plots an elaborate and terrible revenge – with the aid of his young daughter – by intriguing Jurgens with a new trick involving a magic rope.

In the fourth episode, Michael Craig plans to collect his own life insurance (with the help of pal Edward Judd) by faking his own death – the latter, however, has no intention of sticking to his part of the bargain (though he's ultimately not allowed to reap the rewards of his fraud and betrayal). Craig eventually wakes up from a deep sleep in his coffin – terrorizing a couple of intended body-snatchers into the bargain, but himself runs into the wrong end of the graveyard custodian's shovel! This is the shortest episode and, frankly, I was expecting its ironic punchline to be more grisly and drastic! The last segment is the longest and best, if still offering nothing we haven't seen before: a painter (Tom Baker) living a bohemian existence on a tropical island discovers that promoters of the business (including Denholm Elliott as an influential art dealer) had downplayed his talent in order to acquire his stuff cheaply, and then made a pot for themselves by selling it again at the proper value. He turns to a voodoo priest for revenge, who gives him the power to destroy the subject of his paintings – naturally, he draws portraits (from memory and apparently in no time at all!) of his three enemies and has his way with them; what he doesn't know is that, while he's away from the studio, something is about to happen to his self-portrait...

The final revelation is typical of Amicus; while the handling is somewhat pedestrian yet reasonably efficient and the general tone unassuming, this kind of fare has endured by always putting the accent on fun (with the added bonus of star gazing). Incidentally, like its predecessor TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972), this drew inspiration from the popular EC Comics; as a matter of fact, the film itself was known in some quarters as TALES FROM THE CRYPT, PART II. Having mentioned the latter film, both of these have just been released as a 2-Disc Set DVD by Fox; unfortunately, the print used for THE VAULT OF HORROR (while presented in its OAR, unlike the DivX copy I watched) is reportedly the milder PG-rated edit. There are only a few shots missing but, apart from being awkwardly replaced by still-frames, they actually constitute a couple of delightful reveals and one instance of hardly-shocking gore! Considering the fact that I also own TALES FROM THE CRYPT on DivX and that the DVDs contain no significant extras, I'm content with these versions.

"Vault of Horror" (1973) is one of seven horror anthology pictures released by Hammer rival Amicus over an eight-year period. It had been preceded by "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors," "Torture Garden," "The House That Dripped Blood," "Asylum" and "Tales From the Crypt," and would soon be followed by "From Beyond the Grave." As in its immediate predecessor, the vignettes here were all inspired by tales that had appeared in the fondly remembered EC Comics of the 1950s. "Vault" wastes little time with its obligatory framing story, as five men, strangers to one another, are shanghaied via elevator to a luxuriously appointed subbasement chamber and, over drinks, discourse on their respective nightmares. In "Midnight Mess," a brother (Daniel Massey) kills his sister (real-life sister Anna Massey) over an inheritance but must later face the neighborhood's very unusual nighttime denizens. In "The Neat Job," a compulsive neatnik (Terry-Thomas) subjects his new wife (Glynis Johns, 50 here and still adorable in this, one of her last theatrical films) to more aggravation than Felix Unger ever dished out to Oscar...until poor Glynis can't take it anymore, that is. In "This Trick'll Kill You," a husband-and-wife team of magicians (Curt Jurgens and Dawn Addams) steals a magic rope in India, only to have things go terribly wrong afterwards. In "Bargain In Death," two men (Michael Craig and Edward Judd) attempt an insurance scam involving a faked death and premature burial, leading to quite a messy situation indeed. And in "Drawn and Quartered" (great title, that!), future Dr. Who portrayer Tom Baker plays an artist living in Haiti who uses voodoo to take vengeance on his enemies. All five of these stories are compact, occasionally humorous but nonetheless quite grisly affairs, more than competently directed by Amicus veteran Roy Ward Baker. The film's conclusion will surprise only the most naive viewers, but remains wholly satisfying. In all, a pleasing quintet of shudders. Oh...this is the only film of the seven mentioned above that does NOT feature the talents of the great Peter Cushing. But since he did appear in "The Creeping Flesh," "The Satanic Rites of Dracula," "And Now the Screaming Starts" AND "From Beyond the Grave" that same year, I suppose all can be forgiven! "All the things that make life worth leaving," the trailer for "Vault" proclaimed in '73. Indeed, indeed....

The Vault of Horror (1973) was another Amicus adaptation of the stories that were originally published in comic book form during the fifties. These stories came from the minds of publishing guru Bill Gaines and his staff of brilliant artists and story tellers. E.C. during the fifties was a hugely successful independent comic book company. But due to concerned parents and the crack down on comic book publishers by conservative politicians "who were protecting the children" created the Comic Book decency code that moralized all future comic books.

These brilliant stories first appeared in the VAULT OF HORROR series. Unlike the first film, the main character narrator is missing, other than that, it's the same omnibus style of film making. Odd stories with even mondo bizarro endings. Five tales that'll make you crave for more! Stars Terry-Thomas, Denholm Elliot and Glynis Johns. Watch out for the European cut. It has more blood and gore than the tamed U.S. release.

Highly recommended.

It's no surprise to horror fans that HBO's Tales From the Crypt was a huge success -- the UK's Amicus Productions was cranking out 4- and 5-story anthologies in the late 60's and early 70's. Utilizing veteran actors and cameramen who knew how to beautifully combine camp and horror, Vault of Horror was one of the best.

But you'd probably never know it, if you live in the US. Every version ever available on tape or on TV is cut, badly enough to almost totally destroy any payoff. A "Tale from the Crypt" is more dependent than most on a shocking ending; chop out the deliciously gory ending, or water it down, and you've got a big build-up to nothing. I first saw VOH in its hacked-up, PG version, and thought it pretty limp. It's so unfair: the last-minute hacks of a studio butcher (!) can render any carefully created piece of work into tepid mush, making the filmmakers appear incompetent.

Where can you find the uncut version in the US? Legally, nowhere. You'll need a friend in the UK who can lend you a copy, or possibly a Japanese import. This movie begs for release on DVD.

**UPDATE** The uncut version is finally available on DVD from Vipco (Britain). It won't play on most U.S. players, but may be played with some PC software such as WinDVD.

A great anthology film in the Amicus tradition. Five men find themselves going down an elevator into a huge room(looking like a giant boardroom) where they seem to be expected. Each one has a fear that continually seems to plague him and they relate their fears to each other. The opening lacks the production values and Sir Ralph Richardson of its predecessor Tales From the Crypt as the crypt-keeper sorely, but the stories are all well-done with finesse from cast, crew, and the very able direction of an underappreciated Roy Ward Baker. The first story is about vampires in a small English town, and it is a very tasty vignette. The second story, starring Glynis Johns and Terry-Thomas(both funny beyond belief), is the comedic relief of the film about a man who is too neat who needs to have that point hammered into his head by his wife. For him it is definitely a jarring experience. The third story is about a magician and his wife that kill to acquire a magic trick. Curt Jurgens is very good as the evil magician. A good story. The fourth story is easily the weakest about a man buried alive for insurance. Lastly, the most literate of the stories concerns Dr. Who's Tom Baker seeking revenge on those that have profited on his artwork behind his back. He gets revenge through voodoo. All in all a great deal of fun. As previously stated, be sure to get the uncut version.