Circus of Fear (1966)

Director:

John Llewellyn Moxey

Writers:

Harry Alan Towers (writer)
Edgar Wallace (novel)

Release Date:

May 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

The most horrifying syndicate of evil in history!

Plot:

A circus becomes the location for stolen loot and murder. |

Plot Keywords:

Circus | Murder | Reporter | Acrobat | Based On Novel

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Gregor
Leo Genn	...	Elliott
Anthony Newlands	...	Barberini
Heinz Drache	...	Carl
Eddi Arent	...	Eddie
Klaus Kinski	...	Manfred Hart
Margaret Lee	...	Gina
Suzy Kendall	...	Natasha
Cecil Parker	...	Sir John
Victor Maddern	...	Mason
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Mario
Lawrence James	...	Manley
Tom Bowman	...	Jackson
Skip Martin	...	Mr. Big
Nosher Powell	...	Red (as Fred Powell)
Gordon Petrie	...	Man
Henry B. Longhurst	...	Hotel porter
Dennis Blakely	...	Armoured van guard
George Fisher	...	Fourth man
Peter Brace	...	Speedboat man
Roy Scammell	...	Speedboat man
Geoff Silk	...	Security man
Keith Peacock	...	Security man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Carradine	...	Narrator (uncredited)
Alfred Vohrer	...	Edgar Wallace (voice: German version) (uncredited) (archive footage)

Directed by
John Llewellyn Moxey		(as John Moxey)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Harry Alan Towers		writer (as Peter Welbeck)
Edgar Wallace		novel "The Three Just Man"

Produced by
Harry Alan Towers	....	producer

Original Music by
Johnny Douglas

Cinematography by
Ernest Steward

Film Editing by
John Trumper

Art Direction by
Frank White

Makeup Department
Anne Box	....	hair stylist
Frank Turner	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Peter Manley	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Barrie Melrose	....	assistant director

Art Department
George Lack	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
John Brommage	....	sound
Ken Cameron	....	sound
John Colville	....	sound editor

Stunts
Jack Silk	....	stunt driver
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Karl Bayer	....	still photographer
Dudley Lovell	....	camera operator
John von Kotze	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
John Colville	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Eve Wilson	....	continuity (as Eve Willson)

Production Companies

• Circus Films
• Proudweeks

Distributors

• Warner-Pathé Distributors (1966) (UK) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sovereign Films (1967) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (1966) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cinema Club (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (1966) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Kabel 1 (????) (Germany) (TV)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Sat.1 (????) (Germany) (TV)
• Saturn Productions (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Stomp Visual (2005) (Australia) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Circus of Terror
Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreieck (West Germany)
Psycho-Circus (USA)
Scotland Yard auf heißer Spur (West Germany)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG (video rating) | West Germany:12 | UK:A (original rating)

Company:

Circus Films

Trivia:

Though shot in color, the film was released in Germany only in black and white. The main reason was the close relationship of Rialto Film, the Production Company of the German Edgar Wallace Series, and Constantin Film, this film's German distributor and co-producer. Rialto Film wanted to promote a production of their own as the "first Edgar Wallace Film in Color". This film was to be "Der Bucklige von Soho" (1966), released in Germany only a couple of months after "Circus of Fear". The Original Color Version of the film was released in Germany for the first time ever on DVD in 2006, though in edited form.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: About five minutes into the movie, when the police are chasing the van, the shadow of the camera is visible on the front of the van.

Neat whodunit

As almost everybody has already noted, "Circus of Fear" is not a horror movie, despite the title, the advertising and the presence of Christopher Lee (in a secondary role). It's a cross between a crime caper and a whodunit. And as soon as you get over your initial reservations, it turns out to be an engrossing film that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. The story is full of strange, shady, secretive and suspicious characters, but the revelation of the killer's identity still comes as a shock (to me at least - it blew my theory away!). Apart from the sometimes overemphatic music score, this 40-year-old movie still holds up today. And who wants to miss any opportunity of seeing Klaus Kinski playing....Klaus Kinski? This guy only needed a cigar, a few close-ups and two or three lines of dialogue to look creepy! (**1/2)