Torture Garden

Amicus always managed to get great casts for their anthological films especially, and the fact that one or two decent American actors/actresses are present here merely, emphasises the point.

Burgess Meredith plays Dr. Diablo with marvellous relish in the linking story about a fairground charlatan who presides over "the sheers of fate" (held by an actress who can't keep still!).

Predictably, the stories are of variable quality and, like Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, some of the execution is stagey, mainly because the sets are so cheap-looking.

Story 1 about a dead witch who possesses a cat and causes a inheritor to rue his greediness is satisfactorily macabre and entertaining; Story 2 is more mysterious than horrific but the story about androids is, at least, relatively original; Story 3 is a distinctly silly episode about a piano "with a mind of it's own", who kills it's player's lover; Story 4, however, is the "piece de resistance" about the resurrection of Edgar Allan Poe (wonderful idea by Robert Bloch!). The performances in this story are also worthy of mention - Jack Palance almost puts Peter Cushing in the shade with his eccentric hamminess as a Poe fanatic, but both of them really do bring the best out of the script.

Overall, this compendium has it's faults but some of it's excellent acting and inventive script-writing push it to my second favourite Amicus film (behind The House That Dripped Blood).

Dr. Diablo (Burgess Meredith) runs a circus carnival sideshow called Torture Garden. In there he offers to tell four people their futures which we then see played out. Story 1 has a man (Michael Bryant) letting his uncle die to search for the money he thinks the old man has hidden. Instead he finds a lethal cat. Story 2 has starlet Carla Hayes (Beverly Adams) discovering why stars stay looking so young. Story 3 has a woman fall in love with a world famous pianist--until his piano gets jealous (don't ask). Story 4 has Jack Palance playing an Edgar Allan Poe fanatic who plans to rob a Poe collector (Peter Cushing) but finds more than he bargained for.

OK--story 1 and 4 are easily the best. Story 2 is pretty stupid and story 3 is just ridiculous--the good acting keeps it from completely falling apart. The acting, with the sole exception of Adams, is very good--Bryant is excellent and Meredith and Palance chew the scenery. Adams is a very beautiful woman--but no actress. Also, for some reason, story 1 has an excellent music score which is completely missing from the rest of the film. There's very little blood or violence here and the "twist" ending comes as no surprise. A real mixed bag here--this isn't as good as "The House That Dripped Blood" or "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" but worth a look for horror fans. Robert Bloch wrote all four stories too.

I'm a big fan of the horror anthology film in general. I'm an especially big fan of the ones made by Amicus. This is the second of their portmanteau films, following Dr. Terror's House of Horrors. This isn't their best but it's still entertaining. It's written by Robert Bloch and directed by Freddie Francis. There are four stories plus the linking/wraparound story.

The first story is "Enoch," about a no-account who causes the death of his uncle while trying to extort money from him. Later he discovers the bizarre source of his uncle's wealth: a telepathic cat named Balthazar with a peculiar appetite. A weird but unique tale. The next story, "Terror Over Hollywood," is the weakest. An ambitious (and unlikable) actress discovers the secret of how movie stars stay so youthful-looking. Lame. The third story is "Mr. Steinway," about a reporter who becomes involved with a concert pianist. Too bad his piano is the jealous type! A little silly but fun. Finally, there's "The Man Who Collected Poe," which is about two Edgar Allan Poe collectors (Jack Palance, Peter Cushing) and the extremes they go to for the sake of their obsession. This is my favorite story in the film.

The linking story has a sideshow showman named Dr. Diablo (Burgess Meredith) taking five people into a back room where they get to see their future. This leads into the other stories and finishes the movie with the expected twist about Diablo that, while amusing, will surely surprise no one. The best stories are the first and the last but the linking story is fun in its way, due to Burgess Meredith's performance. As I said, this isn't one of Amicus' better horror anthologies but it isn't bad either. The segments are interesting and feel fresh, not just rehashes of older stories. It's a good time-passer.

After seeing "The Torture Garden" I have now seen every Amicus anthology. The wrap around story is particularly interesting; especially since I am a big fan of circus sideshows/midway attractions. Anyways; Burgess Merideth plays the evil carnival barker; ushering in 5 un suspecting people; and telling them to look into the shears of a wax figure. In the shears each person see's a sin that will be committed in their future; giving them an opportunity to stop it.

The problem with Torture Garden is that it's like a bad sandwich; the meat is so awful; it makes you want to throw it away and eat the bread. The first story and the last story are very good; but the two in the middle are very stale and boring.

Overall; this is definetly worth buying; especially for a fan of classic horror and while the second and third stories are infact "Torture"; the first and last make up for it. The wrap around story is superb and the ending is quite surprising.

Rating: 7.7/10

Dr. Diablo, a carnival horrors man, shows five people a "special" entertainment in a private showing. Each person looks carefully at the scissors held by a mannequin of one of the Greek fates and soon sees a fate that may or may not come to pass. These visions serve as the basis of the movie as we are entertained to four story adaptations of Robert Bloch stories. The first man sees a story about greed and a witch's familiar. The second story deals with android-like beings in Hollywood, the third story with a malicious piano. The last story is based on Bloch's story "The Man Who Collected Poe" and is about one man's obsession with the master of the macabre. All four stories are brought to screen with care and style, thanks in part to the workman-like direction of Francis. Burgess Meredith is exceptionally good as the devious Dr. Diablo in the frame story. The last story is the best and is highlighted by fine performances by both Peter Cushing and Jack Palance. Look for Michael Ripper in the frame story as well.