Torture Garden (1967)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writers:

Robert Bloch (screenplay)
Robert Bloch (stories)

Release Date:

November 1967 (UK)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Do You Dare See What Dr. Diabolo Sees?

Plot:

A special sideshow torture exhibit has the power, according to the showman Dr. Diablo, to warn people of evil in their futures...

Plot Keywords:

Manuscript | Carnival | Cat | Actress | Hollywood

Cast

Jack Palance	...	Ronald Wyatt
Burgess Meredith	...	Dr. Diabolo
Beverly Adams	...	Carla Hayes
Peter Cushing	...	Lancelot Canning
Michael Bryant	...	Colin Williams
John Standing	...	Leo
Robert Hutton	...	Bruce Benton
John Phillips	...	Storm
Michael Ripper	...	Gordon Roberts
Bernard Kay	...	Dr. Heim
Catherine Finn	...	Nurse Parker
Maurice Denham	...	Uncle Roger
Ursula Howells	...	Miss Chambers
David Bauer	...	Charles
Niall MacGinnis	...	Doctor

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | Norway:16 (1968) | Sweden:15

Company:

Amicus Productions

Trivia:

Despite being present from opening and also top billed, Jack Palance does not speak until 75 minutes into the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: (At 09:40) Atropos, Dr. Diabolo's dummy of an ancient goddess, is clearly breathing in one shot.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Asylum (1972/I)

OK horror anthology

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.