Circus of Horrors (1960)
Overview
A plastic surgeon and his nurse join a bizarre circus to escape from the police. Here he befriends deformed women and transforms them for his "Temple of Beauty". However, when they threaten to leave, they meet with mysterious accidents.
Cast
Anton Diffring
Dr. Schuler
Erika Remberg
Elissa Caro
Yvonne Monlaur
Nicole Vanet
Donald Pleasence
Vanet
Jane Hylton
Angela
Kenneth Griffith
Martin
Conrad Phillips
Inspector Arthur Ames
Jack Gwillim
Supt. Andrews
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Wuchak
***Lurid, comic booky circus flick with myriad beautiful women, wild animals and devious murders***
A couple years after WW2 an English plastic surgeon (Anton Diffring) flees to France with his two cronies (Kenneth Griffith & Jane Hylton) and ends up going into the circus business. A dozen years later he has a successful traveling show that’s notorious as The Jinxed Circus, which draws the suspicions of an inspector (Conrad Phillips).
“Circus of Horrors” (1960) is like a thriller comic book version of “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952). It’s similar to “Circus of Fear,” aka “Psycho-Circus” (1966), which reportedly borrowed some of its circus footage, but this one’s more entertaining. While some of the animals featured are real (lions, horses and a bear) others are glaringly fake (a gorilla and a bear).
The story is decidedly comic booky, but the film’s luridly compelling entertainment and recommended for fans of circus flicks and Hammer-esque horror. On the female front it scores off the charts with Colette Wilde (Evelyn), Vanda Hudson (Magda), Yvonne Monlaur (Nicole), Erika Remberg (Elissa) and Yvonne Romain (Melina), all featured in alluring apparel.
Donald Pleasence (with hair) even shows up for a bit part.
The movie runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in the London area.
GRADE: B-/B
