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Madhouse (1974)

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23 comments in total

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A nice nod to Price's early career, 14 September 2006

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

The general consensus surrounding this film seems to be that it's a disappointment; and while I admit that Madhouse could have been a lot better considering the cast and ideas involved, in general; I'm very happy with the film. Every Vincent Price film that I haven't seen (not many left) is an automatic target for me, and this one also features a performance from the great Peter Cushing, which is a bonus. The central plot isn't all that original, but it still stands as a nice tribute to Vincent Price's career, and the way that director Jim Clark uses clips from classic Vincent Price movies such as Tales of Terror, House of Usher and The Pit and the Pendulum is good and reminds us of what a huge asset to cinema Vincent Price has been. The plot sees Price playing hammy horror movie actor Paul Toombes, famous for the role of 'Doctor Death'. When his wife is killed, Toombes vows never to play Doctor Death again; but on the advice of his friend and Doctor Death writer some years later, he reprises the role - and the murders continue.

The main problem with this movie is simply that it's not always interesting enough. Jim Clark seems content to rely on Price's star power; which is often just about sufficient to see the film through, although sometimes it could have done with something else. Peter Cushing's role isn't too much more than a cameo appearance - but it is nice to see these two great actors on screen together. As you might expect, Vincent Price slots into his self-replicating role nicely, and he seems to enjoy playing it. The story doesn't have much depth, however, and while the murder sequences are interesting and see things such as a woman being skewered with a rake and someone being crushed by an automated special effect bed. The script doesn't give much allowance for red herrings and through the one or two that there are; you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to spot which one it is. The film attempts a double twist ending, and while it plays out nicely; both are highly predictable and derivative of other movies that have carried off the same twists to better effect. But even so, you can always count on Price movies for entertainment; and this is entertaining despite its shortfalls.

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13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Okay old-fashioned horror film., 20 August 2004

Author: HumanoidOfFlesh from Chyby,Poland

Following the grisly murder of his fiancee,Hollywood film star Paul Toombes(Vincent Price)withdraws into his own world.Some time later,he is persuaded by an old actor-friend(Peter Cushing)to revive his famous horror role as Doctor Death.Life soon becomes a living nightmare for Toombes when friends and colleagues are brutally murdered one by one."Madhouse" is a rather cheaply made horror film that manages to create only a little bit of suspense.The story,which is based on the novel 'Devilday' by Angus Hall is also not very intriguing.Director Jim Clark uses clips from old Roger Corman horror films featuring Vincent Price as reenactments of the murders.Still the film is slightly entertaining and it's nice to see two horror veterans Vincent Price and Peter Cushing together.Check it out.7 out of 10.

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
As if written during a lunch hour, 2 September 2000
Author: Wizard-8 from Victoria, BC

There is the seed of a good campy horror movie here, and there are some genuinely humorous bits here and there. But the storyline is a mess, as if the writer was trying to cram in every element found in previously popular Price movies. At the end (which in itself contains a lot of unanswered questions), there were a lot of unexplained/unresolved stuff and characters left over. I have to wonder if there was some frantic rewriting or last minute editing during the production. There is some value of seeing both Price and Cushing here, though you should know that Cushing doesn't appear that much. I suspect that he was just hired for a few days of shooting, because from the looks of the movie, they didn't have a high budget.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
It was quite mad!, 14 September 2002
Author: The Yeti from Mt Everest

This was made around the same time as 'Vault of horror' and it shows. Vincent Price is an ageing movie star who is asked to reprise his role as a killer a few years after his wife-to-be was decapitated by a killer nobody caught. The movie within a movie is just footage obtained from Prices earlier horror flicks like 'Pit and the pendulum' and 'The house of Usher'. The movie itself has good performances from Price and Peter Cushing and the music is great! The music sets an atmosphere for good horror especially in a part where a girl is looking for Vincent Price in Peter Cushings garden. The part where Vincent Price is interviewed by Michael Parkinson adds some class to the movie and also some terror as the killer is stalking someone in the studio! Overall, the movie has a good atmosphere helped by Douglas Gamleys music and decent acting. The movie is tense with the old dark house style 'looking downstairs with a candle' and some good deaths. The only problems are with the story as this just looks like a tribute to Prices earlier movies than something original and the 70's rock music in one of the death scenes. It gives the movies age away and isn't as timeless as Prices earlier movies. If your a Price and Cushing fan you will like it but for a normal person, its a scary but dim treat. 5 and a half out of 10.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Madhouse A-OK, 25 April 2006

Author: JediKnightMaul from Chicago

I thought this "diamond in the rough" was masterfully done. Vincent Price is his old self as the true the master of macabre. It is easy to see that this movie contains many characteristics found heavily in the modern day, surprise ending, slasher flick. With many exciting and suspenseful chase scenes, a wicked masked murderer, quick slashing deaths, and an emotionally disturbed main character, "Madhouse" reminds me of a sick mixture of "Scream" and Hitchcock's classic, "Psycho." In addition, the scenes and camera shots beautifully convey the mood and emotion of the awkward story line. Although obviously low budget, it baffles me that "Madhouse" isn't more recognized on the ongoing list of cult classics. Not the best movie in the world, but certainly worth checking out.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Didn't live up to its potential (spoilers), 10 October 2003
Author: bgrubb (bgrubb@zianet.com) from Las Cruces, NM

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This movie answers the question 'How can you have Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, and Robert Quarry star in a film and yet have a substandard to average picture?'

The premise of a horror star (Paul Toombes-Price) who had a nervous breakdown years ago as a result of his new wife being murdered in a manner used by the character he played (Dr. Death) and brought out of retirement by his fellow actor (Herbert Flay- Cushing) only to find the man who revealed that his wife had been fooling around that night (Quayle-Quarry) is the producer of the new Dr. Death series was a good one.

(minor spoilers past this point)

That said it is obvious the scriptwriter and director were both lazy. The pace of the picture moves along with all the urgency of a turtle out for a walk. Worse yet when you find out who the killer really was there are murder scenes that make no sense as there appears to have been no way for the killer to know that these people were a threat to his plans. The cops are portrayed in a manner that implies they must have gotten their badges out of cereal boxes because their efforts to keep an eye on their main suspect is pathetic (like letting him out of their sight while he is in front of a live audience). Then there is the padding of the film with clips from several Price films as being from "Dr. Death" pictures even though the characters in those films (Pit and the Pendulum, Fall of House of Usher) look *nothing* like Dr. Death; not to mention that that the way they are shown they might have as well been edited in a cuisinart. Then to top it off in a picture that has had zilch in supernatural element suddenly shifts gears and throws one in the last 5 minutes.

Quarry appears so infrequently that he might as well been billed as a cameo, Cushing gets a little more screen time but not much more than Quarry, so it falls on Price to try and save this train wreck of a picture. He manages to keeping the movie from becoming totally pathetic but he even cannot overcome the total ineptitude of the scriptwriter or director. Good for Price fans but little else to recommend it.

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
I give it a 6 only for the stars, 18 November 2002

Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Vincent Price plays Paul Toombes (sigh) who plays a character called Dr. Death in a series of horror movies written by a friend (Peter Cushing). His fiancée is murdered and he has a nervous breakdown. Years later, he's (supposedly) recovered and starts redoing Dr. Death...and a bunch of murders start up.

The teaming of two horror greats (Price & Cushing) and a semi-great (Robert Quarry) is a great idea. Sadly it doesn't work. Since it's an AIP pic it was made cheaply--and it shows. It's dully directed and it has an obvious, boring plot and a totally stupid twist at the end. Also I've never seen such boring murders in my life (it looks like a few of them were cut down to get a PG). And there's WAY too much footage from Price's earlier horror films.

Still, it's great to see Cushing, Price and Quarry all together. They give everything they have to the script. Price is great (as always); Quarry is amusing as a slimy producer; Cushing is criminally underused. There's also a very funny joke in a costume party segment--Quarry (who played Count Yorga, Vampire twice) and Cushing (always fighting vampires in Hammer films) come dressed as vampires!

So, it's almost worth seeing for those three. Almost.

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
BETTER THAN GIVEN CREDIT FOR BY OTHER IMDB CRITICS., 24 June 2001

Author: atmosphere21 from marlow, ok

I saw this movie for the first time about a year ago and thought it was genuinely pretty creepy. I am from the Scream generation and believe it or not, saw comparisons between this movie and Scream. It made me feel the same way. It was horror with a little bit of mystery. I am hoping for a dvd release of the film. If you haven't seen the movie, give it a try. You might be surprised.

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9 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
The Waste...the Incredible Waste!, 22 December 2001

Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC

No bones about it. This film is not very good. It has so few moments of inspiration that I really have little to say in its favor. Let's tackle what is wrong with the film first. The story is threadbare and in many ways very illogical and incomprehensible. The ending makes little sense even though its billed as a "twist" ending. Paul Toombes, the co-creator of Dr. Death, was suspected of beheading his wife to be in Hollywood many years ago. He is brought to London by the other co-creator, writer Henry Flay, at least a dozen years later. Years of self-guilt, self-denial, and psychological analysis. So far so good. People begin to die again of course, but the three main suspects from many years ago are back. Vincent Price as Toombes, Peter Cushing as Flay, and Robert Quarry as a producer are all in London and all involved in a return to televisionshow of the retired Dr. Death. Toombes looks very guilty as we constantly see a pair of hands without a face put gloves on indicating someone is about to die. Little mystery here. It can only be one of three people, and the way the film is shot you know that it is unlikely Toombes did it...especially as one of the murders takes place while he is being interviewed. Now our suspects are down to two...and it is so incredibly easy to figure out the identity of the killer that I would go so far as to say there is NO mystery in this film. Any how, the story climaxes with an unrealistic and unexplained plot element that must have been scavenged from the throw-away red herring pile of Agatha Christie as something she would not even have the temerity to use and expect people to believe. I found myself after viewing th film filled with a great deal of disappointment that such huge talents were wasted. this was a co-production from Amicus and AIP. I think AIP just let the producer and director use a lot of Price's work from the old Corman-Poe movies. There are clips from The Raven, Tales of Terror, The Pit and the Pendulum(in black and white no less as it's advertised as one of Toombe's early works), and several others.The fact that the clips were used demonstrates the budget used in the film and the apparent lack of creativity and originality used in the film. Was there anything good? Yes, the pairing of Price and Cushing in ANY film is always worth a look. Price is excellent in some scenes, particularly those dealing with the business of the horror business. Cushing has little screen time but is effective for the most part. Quarry, though given little to do, is also a bonus. The real acting talent goes to Adrienne Corri as a woman whose body has been burned and has a penchant for spiders. Her character is totally unrealistic, but Corri really does a great job with what she is given. Themake-up of the Dr. Death character is fantastic. I think more could have been done with that. The biggest problem for me is not what the end product was but what it could have been. Vincent Price and Peter Cushing has shared so little screen time together that this movie could have been their penultimatepairing..for some it may be as I cannot think of but only one other film where they share any considerable screen time...House of the Long Shadows. For my money that is a far better film than this(and I am not particularly crazy about that film either)and at least gives the two actors time to thrust and parry against each other. In this film they have little to do. Such a shame!

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Madhouse is for Laughter., 15 September 2007

Author: wesconnorsehny from United States

Vincent Price (as Paul Toombes) is at it again! He's a old time horror movie star on the comeback trail; his attempt is, however, being thwarted by a series of horrific murders. Naturally, Mr. Price (aka "Dr. Death") is a prime suspect. Along for the movie ride are Peter Cushing (as writer Herbert Flay) and Robert Quarry (as producer Oliver Quayle).

Another interesting, but failed, follow-up to Price's successful "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" (1971) ********. The promising team-up of horror maestros Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, with Robert Quarry, in a "Madhouse" is decidedly anti-climatic -- in fact, the stars are not at all well-served. The film is cheap; and, the story inferior and predictable. Some of the scenes are laughable instead of horrifying -- the bed crushing apparatus looks very tacky when it comes down the second time, for example. Don't expect much from this "Madhouse".

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