Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)

Why so much hype?

Very disappointing...

Good concept, poorly executed.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Five passengers are in a cabin of the train to Bradley, when a sixth one asks whether he may join them in their cabin. He introduces himself as the tarot cards reader Dr. Schreck, a.k.a. Dr. Terror (Peter Cushing), who can tell the future of those who tap his cards deck three times. The first passenger to tap is the architect Jim Dawson (Neil McCallum), who is traveling to an island to renovate the house that belonged to his family that Mrs. Deirdre Biddulph (Ursula Howells) bought from him. He will learn that there is a werewolf in the house. Bill Rogers (Alan Freeman), who is traveling on vacation to meet his wife and daughter, taps the deck and learns that an intelligent creeper vine will threat their lives at his summer house. Then the musician Biff Bailey (Roy Castle) taps the deck and learns that he will bring a voodoo song from his tour in Caribe with creepy consequences. Then the snobbish and arrogant art critic Franklyn Marsh (Christopher Lee) learns that the artist Eric Landor (Michael Gough) will expose his arrogance and Franklyn will revenge with tragic consequences. Last, Dr. Bob Carroll (Donald Sutherland) taps the deck and learns that he will discover a secret about his fiancée Nicolle Carroll (Jennifer Jayne), who has just moved to a small town in New England to live with him, and his colleague Dr. Blake (Max Adrian). Further, they find their fate and who the mysterious fortune teller Dr. Terror is."Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" is a great anthology from Amicus Productions with five short stories. "Werewolf", "Creeping Vine", "Voodoo", "Disembodied Hand" and "Vampire" are great segments. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland are part of the cast and synonym of a great entertainment for fans of British horror films from the 60's. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "As Profecias do Dr. Terror" (The Prophecies of Dr. Terror")

The mysterious Dr. Schreck (superbly played with quiet menace by the magnificent Peter Cushing) relates five tales of terror to a quintet of men on board a train.First and just okay yarn, "Werewolf" -- A man resurrects a werewolf. Decent build-up with a fair pay-off. Second and most silly anecdote, "Creeping Vine" -- A house gets infected by a killer sentient vine. The inane premise makes this one impossible to take seriously. Third and oh-so-groovy vignette, "Voodoo" - Jazz musician Biff Bailey (a solid performance by Roy Castle) falls prey to a lethal voodoo curse after he steals a sacred song. Cool premise and swinging music make this baby a total gas. Fourth and most entertaining segment, "Disembodied Hand" -- Pompous snob art critic Franklyn Marsh (Christopher Lee in sterling supercilious form) finds himself being terrorized by the severed hand of painter Eric Landor (the always excellent Michael Gough) after he drives Landor to commit suicide. The relentless attacks by the disembodied hand are a hoot and Lee excels in his sublimely obnoxious portrayal of a hateful arrogant jerk. Last and very well done story, "Vampire" -- Newly married physician Bob Carroll (a very young and engaging Donald Sutherland) discovers that his bride Nicole (the fetching and enchanting Jennifer Jayne) is harboring a dark secret. Dandy eerie mood and a total corker of a surprise bummer ending.Director Freddie Francis maintains a steady pace throughout and adroitly crafts a tense spooky atmosphere in the wraparound segment. Milton Subotsky's crafty script delivers a few neat grim twists. Alan Hume's crisp widescreen cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. The shivery score by Elisabeth Lutyens hits the spine-tingling spot. An immensely enjoyable omnibus outing.

Despite how I summed up this movie in the summary line above, I feel I need to point out that I didn't hate this movie. I have a fondness for spooky tales with a twist at the end, from EC comics to horror anthology movies. All the same, I thought this was a lesser example of the genre. It may be because I have seen so many examples of this genre that what were once fresh twists have become both overused, familiar, and predictable. In this particular horror anthology movie, I was able to predict the outcome of two of the stories, the "Disembodied Hand" story as well as the wraparound part of the movie linking all of the stories. The other stories aren't as predictable, but a big problem with two of them ("Creeping Vine" and "Voodoo") is that they feel unfinished, leaving the viewer hanging in the air. As for the remaining two stories ("Werewolf" and "Vampire"), the former has a so-so twist at the end, while the latter is the only story of the six that has a genuinely surprising ending. While that story is the only one that really works, the movie does have some pleasures sprinkled throughout. It is, of course, a treat to see Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and while the movie is predictable for the most part, director Freddie Francis keeps things moving swiftly so there are no dull spots. As I said, this isn't a terrible movie, but I would suggest you wait to see it until you are in a forgiving mood.

Freddie Francis directed this five-part horror anthology framed by five strangers in a train car being read their futures by a mysterious fortune teller(played by Peter Cushing) via Tarot cards. Stories are: 'Werewolf' - Architect discovers a werewolf curse on a job. 'Creeping Vine' - Plants seem to have come to life with murder in mind. 'Voodoo' - A musician steals forbidden music to his regret. 'Disembodied Hand' - An art critic is pursued by the artist he killed. 'Vampire' - A young doctor discovers his new wife is a vampire. Costars Christopher Lee, Roy Castle, Donald Sutherland, Michael Gough, among others. Framing device of the train car is more effective than the five tales themselves. Marginal film does have an effective ending.