CIRCUS OF HORRORS (1960)

 LOOK FOR A STAR!

It was many a-many a-years ago that I first saw Anglo Amalgamated's stab at a Hammer Horror CIRCUS OF HORRORS.  I think it was probably at least 25 years ago.  I liked it but didn't love it.  I haven't seen it since then but I thought I'd revisit it (mainly because Terry Frost mentioned it in a recent video).  A wacky plastic surgeon named Rossiter gets himself in trouble with some unsanctioned operatin', crashes through a police road block and tumbles off a cliff in a burning car.  With the help of his two sidekicks Angela (who is sweet on him) and her brother Martin, they fix up Rossiter's scarred face and he assumes the new identity of Dr. Schuler:  a plastic surgeon. 

Local circus owner Vanet has a young daughter Nicole whose face is scarred from World War 2.  Schuler fixes her face and Vanet gratefully signs his failing circus over to Schuler; with the proviso that Vanet will still actually run it.  In a drunken, celebratory stupor Vanet dancing with a dancing bear, drops a bottle of booze which smashes and the bear steps on the broken glass.  Not happy with that, the bear mauls Vanet to death and Schuler takes possession of the circus.  Ten years later, the circus is thriving.  Unfortunately, beautiful women working in the circus have a tendency to die under bizarre and mysterious circumstances. Nicole, now grown up, is training to take the place of the circus' star bareback horse rider who is adamant about leaving the circus to marry a rich guy.  Schuler isn't happy with losing his star performer and, with the help of Martin, 'arranges' for her to meet a gruesome death while strapped to a spinning wheel as a knife thrower hurls blades at her.  Schuler is a dog and beds most of the pretty women in the circus and then, when he tires of them or they threaten to leave, he 'arranges' for the ladies to end up dead as well.   Meanwhile, all through the film we get . . . . that song.  THAT song!  The most persistant earworm in the history of horror movies:  "Look For A Star" by Garry Mills.  Holy crow, it will NEVER leave your brain.

This little Anglo Amalgamated film is doing it's level best to duplicate Hammer Horror; down to the casting of Hammer actors Anton Diffring (THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH), Yvonne Monlaur (BRIDES OF DRACULA) and Yvonne Romain (CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF).  As it goes, the film as directed by Sidney Hayers is rather a slow burn but never drags; it's much more entertaining than my first viewing years ago.  The gorgeous colour cnematography by maestro Douglas Slocombe is really show off in the new blu ray I got of the film.  And, as also mentioned,

there are so many beautiful women in the film as to please anyone interested in that, too.  Donald Pleasence is marvelous in this early, brief role as the failed circus owner.  The appearance of oddball actor Kenneth Griffith is always welcome too!  Yvonne Monlaur is adequate as the grown up Nicole; I don't think she was ever a magnificent actress, though her role here isn't very excitingly written.  I had the pleasure to meet her, however, at the first Monster Mania convention back in 2002.  The 'other' Yvonne -- Romain -- is better in her role as Melina later in the film; it's a much meatier, flinty role as compared to Monlaur's rather bland, goody-two-shoes role. I put this movie on and my father came into the living room and said "I SAW THAT MOVIE!".  Back in 1960 when he was 10 years old, he caught this movie at the Arlo, he said, and it 'bothered' him.  Probably all the nice, pretty women getting gruesomely offed was what he didn't like.  So, while CIRCUS OF HORRORS is fully entertaining with several gruesome murders, it isn't a thrill a minute.  Those of you with no attention spans (I'm lookin' at YOU, Cheeks) might find it rather a hard slog.  But all in all, a pretty good cod-Hammer horror film.