The Fear Chamber (1972)

Directors:

Jack Hill
Juan Ibáñez

Writers:

Jack Hill (writer)
Luis Enrique Vergara (writer)

Release Date:

8 December 1972 (Mexico)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

In the name of science he created ... The Torture Zone

Plot:

A scientist notices strange frequencies coming from within the Earth. He and his assistants discover a living rock underneath a volcano...

Plot Keywords:

Sacrifice | Monster | Torture | Mad Scientist | Chamber

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	Dr. Carl Mandel
Julissa	...	Corinne Mandel
Carlos East	...	Mark
Isela Vega	...	Helga
Yerye Beirute	...	Roland
Eva Muller
Santanón	...	Dwarf
Pamela Rosas
Fuensanta
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sandra Chávez

Directed by
Jack Hill		(US scenes)
Juan Ibáñez		(Mexican scenes)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jack Hill		writer
Luis Enrique Vergara		writer

Produced by
Luis Enrique Vergara	....	producer

Original Music by
Enrico C. Cabiati

Cinematography by
Raúl Domínguez
Austin McKinney

Film Editing by
Felipe Marino

Art Direction by
José Méndez
Octavio Ocampo

Set Decoration by
Raúl Cárdenas

Makeup Department
Tony Ramirez	....	makeup artist

Production Management
José Luis Cerrada	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
José Luis González de León	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Heinrich Henkel	....	sound recordist
Víctor Rojo	....	dialogue recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Eduardo Rojo	....	camera operator

Other crew
Guillermo Olivera	....	production coordinator
Stim Segar	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Azteca Films
• Filmica Vergara S.A.

Distributors

• CMV Laservision (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia Pictures (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• Elite Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Koch Vision (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Retromedia Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Unicorn Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Ventura Distribution (????) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Cámara del terror, La (Mexico)
Chamber of Fear
The Torture Chamber (video title)
Torture Zone

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18

Filming Locations:

México D.F., Mexico

Company:

Azteca Films

Trivia:

The final film performance of master of horror Boris Karloff.

Big wheel of fun cheese

With its rep as one of Karloff's worst, I expected something drab and stilted (like CAULDRON OF BLOOD, '67) so was surprised to find this quite colorful, albeit in a tacky way. While it lacks subtlety (and often coherence), the film delivers sufficient sleaze to please prurient drive-in dwellers.

The haphazard script provides much to mock. Spellunking scientists discover and attempt to communicate with a tentacled, "intelligent" rock. That's all of the plot you need...it's raw gibberish. Amoral researchers stop just short of human sacrifice in their experiments, and place blind faith in primitive, printout-spitting computers. Rants from Roland, the diamond-obsessed comic relief, beg for MST3K skewering, and Karloff's scientific theories are the daffiest heard since mad docs roamed the Monogram lot.

Most commenters cluck about "Poor Boris." Granted, he isn't tossed one morsel of decent dialogue, but he just phones his part in. (The young leads, on the other hand, are quite likable, even though their characters are not.) Upon his passing, rummagers of Karloff's effects discovered that his check for this flick was uncashed...perhaps he expected it to bounce.