No one goes to the circus anymore. Outdated, antiquated, and cruel, it houses and mistreats animals for our amusement; I’d sure like to see the people running it tortured instead of the animals. Speaking of which, Circus of Horrors (1960) does just that; the circus is an ideal setting for shadowed deaths and “unforeseen” accidents, and this film provides plenty while still retaining a solid focus on its characters.
Released by American International stateside in August, with a slight earlier date (late June) by Anglo-Amalgamated on its home turf of the UK, Circus of Horrors was well received by some critics, who praised its sturdy direction, potent atmosphere, and strong performances. Audiences dug it too, especially in the states, where it double billed with The Angry Red Planet and did quite well. Even if it hadn’t performed, it’s still a fast-paced thrill ride through the grimy and tattered tents of the big top.
Released by American International stateside in August, with a slight earlier date (late June) by Anglo-Amalgamated on its home turf of the UK, Circus of Horrors was well received by some critics, who praised its sturdy direction, potent atmosphere, and strong performances. Audiences dug it too, especially in the states, where it double billed with The Angry Red Planet and did quite well. Even if it hadn’t performed, it’s still a fast-paced thrill ride through the grimy and tattered tents of the big top.
- 10/3/2020
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Four out of five psychologists agree that something rotten is alive and well between the sawdust and the high wire in the delirious Circus of Horrors. Lame big-top horror pix are common enough, but this fiendishly entertaining delight would inspire the voyeur-sadist in MisterRogers. Anton Diffring is the steely-eyed medical maniac with a mission to populate an insane circus exclusively with cosmetically-enhanced prostitutes and criminals. And I won’t turn that into a White House joke.
Circus of Horrors
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1960 / Color / 1:78 anamorphic 16:9 / 88/92m. / Phantom of the Circus / Street Date September 10, 2019 / 29.95
Starring: Anton Diffring, Jane Hylton, Kenneth Griffith, Erika Remberg, Conrad Phillips, Yvonne Monlaur, Donald Pleasence, Colette Wilde, Vanda Hudson, Yvonne Romain, John Merivale, Carla Challoner.
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Film Editor: Reginald Mills
Makeup: Trevor Crole-Rees
Art Direction: Jack Shampan
Original Music: Muir Mathieson, Franz Reizenstein
Written by George Baxt
Produced by Leslie Parkyn, Julian Wintle
Directed...
Circus of Horrors
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1960 / Color / 1:78 anamorphic 16:9 / 88/92m. / Phantom of the Circus / Street Date September 10, 2019 / 29.95
Starring: Anton Diffring, Jane Hylton, Kenneth Griffith, Erika Remberg, Conrad Phillips, Yvonne Monlaur, Donald Pleasence, Colette Wilde, Vanda Hudson, Yvonne Romain, John Merivale, Carla Challoner.
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Film Editor: Reginald Mills
Makeup: Trevor Crole-Rees
Art Direction: Jack Shampan
Original Music: Muir Mathieson, Franz Reizenstein
Written by George Baxt
Produced by Leslie Parkyn, Julian Wintle
Directed...
- 9/14/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This week’s horror and sci-fi home media releases feature a stellar array of new and old. Scream Factory is showing some love to a trio of classic titles—Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb, Circus of Horrors and Scars of Dracula—and for those who may have missed it in theaters a few months back, Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die is shambling its way home on various formats. We’re also getting several modern classics released in 4K this Tuesday—Daybreakers and Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy, and for all you Supernatural fans out there, season 14 arrives on both Blu-ray & DVD, just in time for the final season.
Other Blu-ray & DVD releases for September 10th include Nekrotronic, John Wick: Chapter 3, Paranormal Activity 6-Movie Collection, and Hex.
Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb
A British expedition in Egypt discovers the ancient sealed tomb of the evil Queen Tera.
Other Blu-ray & DVD releases for September 10th include Nekrotronic, John Wick: Chapter 3, Paranormal Activity 6-Movie Collection, and Hex.
Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb
A British expedition in Egypt discovers the ancient sealed tomb of the evil Queen Tera.
- 9/10/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Scream Factory continues to heat up the summer for horror fans with another round of new Blu-ray announcements, including 1981's Fear No Evil (coming to Blu-ray on September 24th) and 1960's Circus of Horrors (slated for a September 10th Blu-ray release).
Fear No Evil Blu-ray: "Devilish behavior knows no bounds in 1981’s Fear No Evil. Directed by Frank Laloggia and sporting a killer punk and new wave soundtrack, this cult film fav finally see’s it Blu-ray debut in North America. Expected release date is planned for Sept 24th.
God has appointed three archangels to fight against Lucifer, who has assumed human features. Archangel Raphael, in the guise of Father Damon, kills Lucifer and ends his life in jail. But his sister, Archangel Mikhail, knows that one day the devil will reappear. Eighteen years later, Lucifer returns, now in the form of Andrew, a brilliant but shy schoolboy who becomes...
Fear No Evil Blu-ray: "Devilish behavior knows no bounds in 1981’s Fear No Evil. Directed by Frank Laloggia and sporting a killer punk and new wave soundtrack, this cult film fav finally see’s it Blu-ray debut in North America. Expected release date is planned for Sept 24th.
God has appointed three archangels to fight against Lucifer, who has assumed human features. Archangel Raphael, in the guise of Father Damon, kills Lucifer and ends his life in jail. But his sister, Archangel Mikhail, knows that one day the devil will reappear. Eighteen years later, Lucifer returns, now in the form of Andrew, a brilliant but shy schoolboy who becomes...
- 6/5/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Just words. Words prophesied in the dark of a movie theater. Words meant to ward off evil spirits, to protect against malicious spells, to keep Beelzebub himself from shedding wickedness on those who would feast on the silver screen fascinations about to be conjured in the theater. And through the utter blackness, within the darkness, the final words of the baritone narrator harken to the viewer to “enjoy” the film they are about to see.
It’s an effective way to start a horror film, and in 1962 I’m sure it had the same chilling effect as it did in the midnight hour of my recent viewing. Night of the Eagle, alternatively known in the United States as Burn, Witch, Burn, is a fascinating suburban nightmare that brings horror into the home. Gone are the darkened castles of Universal’s canon and missing are the European estates familiar from the...
It’s an effective way to start a horror film, and in 1962 I’m sure it had the same chilling effect as it did in the midnight hour of my recent viewing. Night of the Eagle, alternatively known in the United States as Burn, Witch, Burn, is a fascinating suburban nightmare that brings horror into the home. Gone are the darkened castles of Universal’s canon and missing are the European estates familiar from the...
- 10/25/2018
- by Monte Yazzie
- DailyDead
The frights of Horror Hotel are back in an improved presentation in this 2018 Limited Edition. Set in New England but filmed in Old England, this creepy shocker is a favorite not just for the presence of Christopher Lee, but also the wonderfully mortiferous Patricia Jessel and the cadaverous Valentine Dyall.
The City of the Dead
Remastered Limited Edition Blu-ray
Vci
1960 / B&W /1:66 widescreen / 78 min. / Horror Hotel / Street Date March 27, 2018 / 12.89
Starring: Venetia Stevenson, Patricia Jessel, Christopher Lee, Betta St. John, Valentine Dyall, Dennis Lotis, Tom Naylor, Ann Beach, Norman Macowan.
Cinematography: Desmond Dickinson
Production Designer: John Blezard
Film Editor: John Pomeroy
Original Music: Douglas Gamley, Kenneth V. Jones
Written by George Baxt from a story by Milton Subotsky
Produced by Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky, Donald Taylor
Directed by John Moxey
Vci has released an improved Blu-ray of The City of the Dead, hereby designated their Remastered 2018 Limited Edition. Having been...
The City of the Dead
Remastered Limited Edition Blu-ray
Vci
1960 / B&W /1:66 widescreen / 78 min. / Horror Hotel / Street Date March 27, 2018 / 12.89
Starring: Venetia Stevenson, Patricia Jessel, Christopher Lee, Betta St. John, Valentine Dyall, Dennis Lotis, Tom Naylor, Ann Beach, Norman Macowan.
Cinematography: Desmond Dickinson
Production Designer: John Blezard
Film Editor: John Pomeroy
Original Music: Douglas Gamley, Kenneth V. Jones
Written by George Baxt from a story by Milton Subotsky
Produced by Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky, Donald Taylor
Directed by John Moxey
Vci has released an improved Blu-ray of The City of the Dead, hereby designated their Remastered 2018 Limited Edition. Having been...
- 5/15/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The month of March is closing out with a busy week of home entertainment releases, with two of the highlights this week being Scream Factory's stunning Steelbook editions for Assault on Precinct 13 and Prince of Darkness. Scream Factory is also keeping busy with their Collector’s Edition release of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and their Blu-ray release of IFC Midnight's I Remember You.
David Cronenberg’s Scanners is also making its way into the Criterion Collection this week, and The City of the Dead is the recipient of another limited edition release as well. Other notable titles coming home on March 27th include The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special, The Outer Limits Season 1, Hell’s Kitty, Star Time, The Executioners, Mercy Christmas, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Assault on Precinct 13 Limited Edition Steelbook (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Isolated inside a soon-to-be-closed L.A. police station,...
David Cronenberg’s Scanners is also making its way into the Criterion Collection this week, and The City of the Dead is the recipient of another limited edition release as well. Other notable titles coming home on March 27th include The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special, The Outer Limits Season 1, Hell’s Kitty, Star Time, The Executioners, Mercy Christmas, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Assault on Precinct 13 Limited Edition Steelbook (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Isolated inside a soon-to-be-closed L.A. police station,...
- 3/27/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
This horror almost-classic has Christopher Lee and great atmosphere. Keep a sharp lookout for All Them Witches: they're not easy to spot... if you're as unobservant as Venetia Stevenson's sexy grad student. Were she studying sharks, this girl would wrap herself in fresh meat and jump into the middle of a mess of 'em. The City of the Dead Blu-ray Vci 1960 / B&W /1:78 widescreen / 78 min. / Horror Hotel / Street Date March 29, 2016 / 24.99 Starring Patricia Jessel, Dennis Lotis, Christopher Lee, Tom Naylor, Betta St. John, Venetia Stevenson, Valentine Dyall, Ann Beach, Norman Macowan. Cinematography Desmond Dickinson Production Designer John Blezard Film Editor John Pomeroy Original Music Douglas Gamley, Kenneth V. Jones Written by George Baxt from a story by Milton Subotsky Produced by Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky, Donald Taylor Directed by John Moxey
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Interest has been high for Vci's new The City of the Dead, a movie...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Interest has been high for Vci's new The City of the Dead, a movie...
- 4/9/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
March’s home entertainment releases are ending on a quiet note, as we’ve only six titles arriving on Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday. Scream Factory has their Cherry Falls and Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Dunwich Horror double feature Blus for you guys to look forward to, and Vinegar Syndrome is keeping quite busy themselves with three different releases: Frightmare, Pigs, and their Revenge of the Virgins / Teenage Zombies double feature. Last but certainly not least, the Christopher Lee cult classic The City of the Dead is also getting the HD treatment on March 29th as well.
Cherry Falls (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
A fiendish take on the teen thriller genre, where there’s a method to a killer’s madness, and only one naughty way to insure you’re not the next victim in the town of Cherry Falls. Dark secrets, darker motivations, and the blackest...
Cherry Falls (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
A fiendish take on the teen thriller genre, where there’s a method to a killer’s madness, and only one naughty way to insure you’re not the next victim in the town of Cherry Falls. Dark secrets, darker motivations, and the blackest...
- 3/28/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Stars: Jill Haworth, Bryant Haliday, Dennis Price, George Coulouris, Anna Palk, William Lucas, Anthony Valentine, Jack Watson, Derek Fowlds, Derek Fowlds, Gary Hamilton, Candace Glendenning, Dennis Price, Robin Askwith, Seretta Wilson | Written by Jim O’Connolly, George Baxt | Directed by Jim O’Connolly
Set in deserted lighthouse on fog-shrouded Snape Island, the terror of the Tower of Evil begins when a nude, crazed woman slaughters a sailor who visits the island. When she is taken back to civilization, she is found to possess an ancient relic; and so the authorities mount an expedition to solve a mysterious series of psycho-sexual murders…
I distinctly remember the very first time I saw Tower of Evil, it was on British TV – around the same time as the classic BBC 2 Horror double bills, so around 1993-95 – and, as someone who equated British horror with the likes of Amicus and Hammer, seeing the gloriously...
Set in deserted lighthouse on fog-shrouded Snape Island, the terror of the Tower of Evil begins when a nude, crazed woman slaughters a sailor who visits the island. When she is taken back to civilization, she is found to possess an ancient relic; and so the authorities mount an expedition to solve a mysterious series of psycho-sexual murders…
I distinctly remember the very first time I saw Tower of Evil, it was on British TV – around the same time as the classic BBC 2 Horror double bills, so around 1993-95 – and, as someone who equated British horror with the likes of Amicus and Hammer, seeing the gloriously...
- 11/27/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
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