Circus of Horrors

I recall seeing this film as a child in 1960. My mother was quite angry at dad for taking us to a movie that was "definitely not for children". This is a grim story of a doctor fleeing some botched plastic surgeries. He takes over a backwoods circus and populates it with beautiful, yet disfigured female performers whom he restores to beauty and rescues from lives of prostitution and rejection. Of course, once the circus becomes successful, the ladies no longer feel like putting up with, or putting out for him, so he devises elaborate circus "accidents" to deal with their ingratitude.

The song "Look For A Star" permeates the movie at various times. At first, it's almost unnoticeable, a seemingly lame early sixties pop tune. However, as the movie progresses it takes on a sinister, disturbing aspect and circulates the brain long after it is over.

The film is well acted and truly suspenseful. A must for those who like their sex and violence done in a literate, intelligent manner.

This is a strange little horror gem from the early sixties about a mad plastic surgeon who must flee England because of some not very sound surgery practices. Once out of England, he(played by Anton Diffring with aplomb) and his two cohorts murder their way into owning a run-down circus whilst in France. From there on ten years pass as the doctor fixes the disfigured faces of thieves and prostitutes in return for their services in the circus. Well...I am not making this up but the doctor and his renegade circus performers then travel all over Europe and become a huge success. Problems start to happen though as the beautiful female star attractions want out of the circus...and the bed of Diffring...only to find their solace in bizarre deaths...circus-related of course. One female is killed in a knife-throwing accident while another falls while trapezing. This is a credulous scenario to be sure, but the film is quite fun. The acting is good: Diffring is marvelous as the mad physician plagued with his obsession for perfection in beauty, Donald Pleasance is quite good in a small role, and the female leads are quite stunning...visually of course. The music is rather hokey...very sixties, but atmosphere is otherwise rather well-staged. All in all I think I would prefer this over spending my time in a real circus...what a "real" horror. Enjoy.

Remember that this is a horror film of British origin, not American, and as such if you're looking for a typical film of the genre, this is not one of them. British horror films tend to give more attention to the psychological aspects of horror and short shrift to the physical aspects. If you realize this, you should really enjoy this one.

The story revolves around a German plastic surgeon who, in 1947, botches a job badly and has to leave England to escape the notoriety. Fortunately a horrible car accident and near brush with death makes almost everyone convinced of the doctor's death and makes his escape easy. In France he runs across a young girl who was scarred in the war. He repairs her face and in turn inherits the father's circus when the father is mauled by a dancing bear. And I'm not talking about the parts that are a hoot yet.

Now for the discrete charm and campiness of it all. The doctor decides that, along with a name change and a new face for himself, running a circus will be a great front for continuing his plastic surgery practice and experiments. He seems to have no trouble finding scarred female criminals - they practically fall into his lap - and once repairing them he not only has no trouble bedding them, all of the doctor's girls have a talent for walking the high-wire, eating fire, lion taming, etc. - talents that befit a circus. Not a clumsy or shy one or one who would rather be an accountant in the lot.

The doctor does resent it though whenever one wants to leave. Every time one of them announces a desire to leave or an engagement they die a horrible "accidental" death in the ring during what was supposed to be - and tragically is - their last performance. In spite of the bodies piling up, the authorities allow the circus to remain open, and stranger yet - the girls keep TELLING the doctor whenever they want to leave! As for me, after the third freak accident, I'd be packing my things in the middle of the night and disappearing if I had any desire to change careers.

However, without these confrontational and agile girls there would be no story, so it's an understandable plot device. Don't think I'm disrespecting this film - it is great entertainment, just not horror in the conventional sense. And that hammy yet hummable little tune "Reach for a Star" that gets played during every performance is pure 60's British cinema.

Trying to emulate the success of Hammer Films, Anglo-Amalgamated made a series of gruesome contemporary horror shockers around 1959/60 (others included "Peeping Tom" & "Horrors of the Black Museum").

This cheerfully lurid shocker exploits the mixed emotions we feel when watching circus performers - the idea of something going terribly wrong is horrible, yet exciting. But crude as the concept is, cast and crew play it for all it's got : Anton Diffring is excellent in the lead role and Sidney Hayers' direction is slick and effective.

The all-stops-out climax is great stuff and there's an effective final scene. The frequently-heard background song, "Reach For A Star", is corny but you won't be able to shake it out of your head!

I believe it was Frank "Basketcase" Henlotter who once named this as

his all time favorite film, solely based on the absurdity of the wildly

purple plot.

He's got a point, what with a wanted man hiding by becoming

ringmaster of "the jinx" circus, where the star attractions have a way

of getting knocked off. If you saw this, like me, years ago on a little black and white

T.V.(on UHF) the great, loaded, letterboxed DVD of this colorful film

will come as a real revelation. This is great, well acted, B movie fun a lot of people are yet to

discover. The thin, still with hair Donald Plesence had already been in

films for many years when he did his memorable small part in this. Check

it out!