Torture Garden

Plot synopsis:
Five people visit a fairground sideshow run by showman Dr. Diabolo (Burgess Meredith). Having shown them a handful of haunted house-style attractions, he promises them a genuinely scary experience if they will pay extra. Their curiosity gets the better of them, and the small crowd follows him behind a curtain, where they each view their fate through the shears of an effigy of the female deity Atropos (Clytie Jessop).
In Enoch, a greedy playboy (Michael Bryant) takes advantage of his dying uncle (Maurice Denham), and falls under the spell of a man-eating cat.
In Terror Over Hollywood, a Hollywood starlet (Beverly Adams) discovers her co-stars are androids.
In Mr. Steinway, a possessed grand piano by the name of Euterpe becomes jealous of its owner (John Standing)'s new lover (Barbara Ewing) and takes revenge.
In The Man Who Collected Poe, a Poe collector (Jack Palance) murders another collector (Peter Cushing) over a collectable he refuses to show him, only to find it is Edgar Allan Poe himself (Hedger Wallace).
In an epilogue, the fifth patron (Michael Ripper) goes berserk and uses the shears of Atropos to "kill" Dr. Diabolo in front of the others, causing them to panic and flee. It is then shown that he is working for Diabolo, and the whole thing was faked. As they congratulate each other for their acting, Palance's character also commends their performance, revealing he had not run off like the others. He shares a brief exchange with Diabolo and lights a cigarette for him, then leaves. Diabolo puts the shears back into the hand of Atropos, and breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience, revealing himself to actually be the Devil as the movie ends.

Tags: cruelty, murder, haunting

Review:
Amicus always managed to get great casts for their anthological films especially, and the fact that one or two decent American actors/actresses are present here merely, emphasises the point.Burgess Meredith plays Dr. Diablo with marvellous relish in the linking story about a fairground charlatan who presides over "the sheers of fate" (held by an actress who can't keep still!).Predictably, the stories are of variable quality and, like Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, some of the execution is stagey, mainly because the sets are so cheap-looking.Story 1 about a dead witch who possesses a cat and causes a inheritor to rue his greediness is satisfactorily macabre and entertaining; Story 2 is more mysterious than horrific but the story about androids is, at least, relatively original; Story 3 is a distinctly silly episode about a piano "with a mind of it's own", who kills it's player's lover; Story 4, however, is the "piece de resistance" about the resurrection of Edgar Allan Poe (wonderful idea by Robert Bloch!).
The performances in this story are also worthy of mention - Jack Palance almost puts Peter Cushing in the shade with his eccentric hamminess as a Poe fanatic, but both of them really do bring the best out of the script.Overall, this compendium has it's faults but some of it's excellent acting and inventive script-writing push it to my second favourite Amicus film (behind The House That Dripped Blood)..
A very good anthology of tales, written by Robert Bloch and directed by Freddie FRancis, for Amicus, an icon of this kind of movie.
The tales are uneven, sure, but they are all at least good, till the perfect final one, the Man who collected Poe, with Jack Palance and Peter Cushing, a great idea, and a marvelous tale to watch.
And while the acting in Torture Garden is very varied, Palance, Cushing and Meredith are incredibly strong and are more than enough to make one stick with the film.Overall, entertaining and above-decent but uneven, with one outstanding segment, one great segment and two misfires, along with a compelling story linking them together.
The cat story was a bit weak, whereas the Hollywood tale was pretty good and "Man Who Collected Poe" was probably the best, if for no other reason than it featured a Poe-themed house.Interestingly, we have a being named "malfeasor" (literally "wrongdoer"), which seems to clearly be the inspiration behind the villain in "Witchboard"..
The third story, seen through the eyes of Dorothy (Barbara Ewing), tells of her doomed romance with concert pianist Leo (John Standing), and how their relationship comes under threat when Leo's piano becomes jealous with murderous rage.Torture Garden saves the best story for last, and features two screen heavyweights in Jack Palance and Peter Cushing.
It's worth seeing for Palance and Cushing trying to out-ham each other in what is the only truly engrossing story of the bunch, and Burgess Meredith has fun in what is essentially a re-hash of his Penguin character from the Adam West Batman television series.
It's divided into four segments, and segments two and three aren't quite as punchy, and more amusing than anything; segment one, which is rather leisurely paced, would have been better off as the third in the movie.The ever wonderful Burgess Meredith is a sort of host for the proceedings, playing a sideshow personality named Dr. Diabolo, who takes various customers into his "torture garden" and places them in front of an exhibit that can foretell their futures, and see the darkness buried within each of them."Enoch" stars Michael Bryant as Colin, a man in need of money who thinks he'll get it from his dying uncle (Maurice Denham).
This leads to a real hoot of a revelation, which gives this episode its element of "horror"."Mr. Steinway" is definitely something different: the only story this viewer has seen that can claim to be a love triangle between a journalist, Dorothy (Barbara Ewing), a star pianist, Leo (John Standing), and Leo's piano.
Amicus studios are well known for producing a lot of the very best horror anthologies throughout the sixties and seventies; films like Vault of Horror, The House that Dripped Blood and Asylum are often well revered among horror fans, and rightly so; but this earlier effort doesn't live up to the studio's good name.
More pleasing elements include the fact that the cast features names such as Jack Palance, Michael Ripper and, of course Peter Cushing made the film seem like more of a possible overlooked classic, and I was finally sold on the fact that it was directed by the experienced Freddie Francis, who directed a number of the best films that Hammer had to offer in the sixties.
Omnibus films often don't start with the best tale, and so I was unfazed when the first story - which revolves around a man who wants his inheritance from uncle, but actually ends up inheriting his uncle's cat, didn't really deliver the goods.
After "Dr Terror's House of Horrors", "Torture Garden" of 1967 was the second Horror anthology produced by Amicus, but, besides the very lame "Monster Club" (1980) which was barely saved by the great Vincent Price, it is also the least recommendable one.
This is not to say that "Torture Garden" is a bad film though - on the contrary, it is vastly entertaining if one is looking for cheesy spooky fun, it just isn't scary, and I would recommend all the other Amicus anthologies I've seen (except for "Monster Club") over this one."Torture Garden" begins in an amusement park, where Dr. Diablo (Burgess Meredith) performs a macabre show.
It is merely the fourth story, Jack Palance's segment which also stars icon Peter Cushing, which saves the film.The first story takes place in an old mansion, where a man who is keen on his uncle's wealth encounters a sinister cat.
The last and best segment should be interesting to all Horror fans as it is a great little tale about the writings of the almighty Edgar Allen Poe, starring Jack Palance, and the great Peter Cushing, both of whom play fanatic Poe-collectors...The last segment is creepy and great and would easily deserve a rating of 8 out of 10, but, overall, one good segment does not quite make up for three cheesy and amusing, but mediocre ones.
"Torture Garden" is entertaining enough for fans of Horror omnibuses, but I'd recommend most other Amicus anthologies (especially the excellent "House That Dripped Blood") over this one.
And when I was little, I've seen, many times, so much I liked it, another movie made by Freddie Francis, "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors," with the same Peter Cushing in the cast.
Freddie Francis directed this four-part horror anthology told by carnival sideshow barker Dr. Diablo(played by Burgess Meredith) to his eager patrons wanting to know about their futures.
Cushing is also good in this story, but he's playing straight man to Palance so he doesn't have a whole lot to do other than be foreboding and "Cushingly." The Poe segment was really on the level of the AIP Poe anthologies, and would have fit right in.Mention should also be made of Burgess Meredith as "Dr. Diablo," who gleefully exudes evil and chews the scenery while wearing a top-hat and smoking from a long cigarette-holder (not unlike the Penguin character he was playing at the same time on the Batman TV series).
Niall MacGinnis also puts in an appearance here as Denham's doctor; ambitious Hollywood starlet Adams maliciously takes the place of a friend at an important date that brings her in contact with ageless star Robert Hutton and, being inquisitive of how he has managed to remain at the top for so long, she not only comes to know his diabolical secret but pays for her inquisitiveness with a similarly 'immortal' fate; the third (and weakest) segment involves Barbara Ewing as a journalist who, falling in love with her subject (renowned pianist John Standing) completely distracts him from his musical duties – thus incurring the wrath of his all-too-animated piano that goes by the name of Euterpe!; the final story brings obsessive Edgar Allan Poe enthusiast Jack Palance face to face with the world's No. 1 collector (Cushing) of memorabilia pertaining to the tortured American author and, landing unannounced at the latter's doorstep, gets him drunk intending to go down into the cellar and pillage its precious content.
With its great cast (which includes Jack Palance, Burgess Meredith and Peter Cushing), a script by Robert 'Psycho' Bloch, and direction from Freddie Francis, one would expect this horror anthology from Amicus to be something really special.
Unfortunately, the film completely fails to capitalise on the talent involved, and ends up as one of the company's lesser efforts.Meredith plays the owner of a carnival sideshow, who promises to reveal to a handful of customers brief glimpses of their future, warning, however, that what they discover may not be to their liking.Customer number one is the sponging work-shy nephew of a rich old man who discovers the terrible secret behind his uncle's wealth.
The final tale has Palance as a fanatical admirer of Edgar Allen Poe who turns to murder when he is introduced to a kindred spirit, Lancelot Canning (Peter Cushing), who owns the ultimate Poe collection.A silly finalé wraps up proceedings by revealing that Meredith's character is none other than the devil himself (which really comes as no surprise, given that his stage name is Dr. Diablo!).Torture Garden is a rather unimpressive collection of macabre tales that, at best, will just about hold the attention of fans of the genre, but is most likely to illicit laughter (the jealous killer piano certainly had me giggling) or just bore.Amicus would attempt the horror anthology format several times later during their existence with varying degrees of success, the best of the bunch being 1972's Tales from the Crypt which saw Cushing as a vengeful zombie and Joan Collins being attacked by an escaped lunatic dressed as Santa Claus..
And that's rather unfortunate since this one boasts portmanteau specialist Freddie Francis at the helm, Robert (PSYCHO) Bloch in charge of adapting his own short stories and such big names as Burgess Meredith, Jack Palance and Peter Cushing rounding out the cast.
At a carnival, feisty Dr. Diablo (Meredith) shows off his "Torture Garden" horror exhibit to paying customers and as a special treat allows five patrons to come into a back room to have their futures predicted by a statue of the goddess Atropos (Clytie Jessup - seemingly having a difficult time staying still!), who holds "the shears of fate." We then get four terror tales, two that are decent (though really nothing spectacular) and two that are rather weak.In "Enoch," greedy Colin Williams (Michael Bryant) discovers he's the sole heir of his terminally ill Uncle Roger's (Maurice Denham) estate.
Tale #3 (the silliest of the bunch) is called "Mr. Steinway" and finds Dorothy Endicott (Barbara Ewing) falling in love with pianist Leo (John Standing), only to discover his prized piano is haunted by the spirit of his domineering late mother.The final segment - "The Man Who Collected Poe" - will probably provide the most interest to horror fans.
But soon he takes off some of the excessive clothing to reveal a more sinister looking Dr. Diabolo.It's pretty good horror anthology.Segment 1 "Enoch" A greedy man that is taking advantage of his uncle is faced with a man-eating cat.Segment 2 "Terror Over Hollywood" A woman finds her co-workers are androids.Segment 3 "Mr. Steinway" A possessed piano named Euterpe is jealous over it's owners new lovers.Segment 4 "The Man Who Collected Poe" A man that collects Poe murders another collector of Poe over an unseen Poe collectible.
So, it's a mixed bag of horror delights.Best of the stories involves JACK PALANCE as a man intently interested in the works of Edgar Allan Poe who is determined to solve the riddle behind PETER CUSHING's Poe possessions.
This tale is masterfully performed and is clearly the most interesting section of the movie, providing a suitable climax for the anthology hosted by BURGESS MEREDITH as Dr. Diabolo.It has a "Tales from the Crypt" kind of feeling with two of the stories bordering on the absurd (the jealous piano, the super ambitious diva), but is book-ended by two of the strongest pieces which make the whole thing worth watching.Nice seeing ex-Warner Bros.
Nevertheless, it's a hugely enjoyable horror film with Burgess Meredith, Peter Cushing and especially Jack Palance giving excellent performances..
TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965), THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1970), ASYLUM (1972), TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972, which is my all-time favorite anthology), THE VAULT OF HORROR (1973, second best of the bunch), FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1973), and TORTURE GARDEN (1967).TORTURE GARDEN features Burgess Meredith, Jack Palance, and Peter Cushing.The film begins at a carnival side-show, which is Dr. Diabolo's Torture Garden.
I love anthologies; both for the hits and the misses my general feeling is that about half of the stories work; and, the others not so well.The first story features a man very much in debt; but, a fair bit of luck comes his way after his uncle dies, with a little help, nonetheless.
Most are British, including the ubiquitous Peter Cushing, but Burgess Meredith stars as Diablo (it's actually the best horror I've seen in him) and one of the patrons is played by Jack Palance (not someone you'd readily associate with horror films).Secondly, only the final story and the linking story (thanks to Meredith's camp performance) really succeed.
However when she tries to separate him form his Grand Piano named Utopie the 'Goddess of music' it becomes jealous of Dorothy...Finally it's Ronald Wyatt (Jack Palance) in The Man Who Collected Poe...Ronald Wyatt visits fanatical Edgar Allan Poe collector Lancelot Canning (Peter Cushing) who when drunk shows Wyatt his collection of unpublished Poe. But the date 1966 on the paper makes Wyatt suspicious who ends up making a shocking discovery...Then we're back to the funfair as the fifth person Gordon Roberts (Micheal Ripper) provides one last twist of his own, or does he...?Directed by Freddie Francis I thought Torture Garden is easily the weakest of the Amicus horror anthologies out of Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1964), The House that Dripped Blood (1970), Tales From the Crypt (1972), Asylum (1972), From Beyond the Grave (1973) & The Vault of Horror (1973) all of which are far superior to Torture Garden.
Fourth and best story, "The Man Who Collected Poe" - Jack Palance simply shines as die-hard Edgar Allen Poe fan Ronald Wyatt, who discovers after killing haughty rival Poe aficionado Lancelot Canning (an outstanding portrayal by the always impeccable Peter Cushing) that Poe's resurrected spirit resides in the basement of Canning's house.
All they have to do is stand before a waxwork of Atropos - The Goddess Of Destiny ( Clytie Jessop ) - and all will be revealed.Colin Williams ( the excellent Michael Bryant ) murders his rich uncle Roger ( Maurice Denham ) and is then plagued by a strange cat called Balthazar which keeps ordering him to kill.Sexy aspiring starlet Carla Hayes ( Beverly Adams ) uncovers the existence of a secret Hollywood elite - movie stars who have preserved their good looks by being turned into robots by Dr.Heim ( Bernard Kay ).
Rather than kill her to keep her quiet, Heim gives her the same treatment.Dorothy Endicott ( Barbara Ewing ) becomes secretary to a world-famous pianist ( John Standing ), only to fall in love with him, incurring the wrath of his deceased mother who has been reincarnated - if you can believe this - as a piano.Ronald Wyatt ( Jack Palance ) is an avid book collector, in particular the works of Edgar Allan Poe. He visits fellow collector - Launcelot Canning ( Peter Cushing ) at his Maryland home, and finds a veritable shrine to the late author ( I bet Canning has copies of the Roger Corman/Vincent Price A.I.P. movies stashed away somewhere ).
And good old Penguin himself ( Burgess Meredith ) is always watchable.'Atropos' appears in all four stories - keep an eye out for her.Bloch wrote two more movies in similar vein for Amicus - 'The House That Dripped Blood' ( 1970 ) and 'Asylum' ( 1971 )..
It had been preceded by "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" and would soon be followed by "The House That Dripped Blood," "Asylum," "Tales From the Crypt," "Vault of Horror" and "From Beyond the Grave." Here, a carnival attraction, the eponymous Torture Garden, is run by the leering, taunting Dr. Diabolo, played with Penguin-like juiciness by Burgess Meredith.
The best elements of the film are Burgess Meredith's musings on the nature of time and the final segment with Palance and Cushing as obsessive Poe collectors.
And just who is the sinister Dr Diablo?The second Amicus portmanteau horror film and it is easily one of the best featuring a very good Robert Bloch script (the author of Psycho) who skilfully adapted four of his own short stories for the screen.
Not quite as successful as "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors", Amicus's previous anthological outing, "Torture Garden" nonetheless boasts its share of chills in four stories penned by Robert Bloch and enacted by a first-rate cast.
(The twist here is that they're all rather nasty people to begin with, and what Meredith shows them are the consequences of the bad decisions they will soon be making.) The big finish, 'The Man Who Collected Poe', is assigned to Jack Palance and Peter Cushing, but the best tale is the least traditional of the four: 'Terror Over Hollywood' remains startlingly relevant today, examining as it does the ugly soullessness of celebrity.
Torture Garden is a four piece anthology film based off Robert Bloch stories.
It's pretty goofy and much weaker than the previous wonderful vignettes.The next story features two big-name actors--Jack Palance and Peter Cushing (famous for his many horror film appearances).