Madhouse (1974 Film)
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''Madhouse'' is a 1974 British-American horror film directed by Jim Clark for
Amicus Productions Amicus Productions was a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England, active between 1962 and 1977. It was founded by American producers and screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg. Films Prior to establish ...
in association with
American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...
.Ed. Allan Bryce, ''Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood'', Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 118-125 It stars
Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...
,
Natasha Pyne Natasha Pyne (born 9 July 1946) is an English actress who starred in ''The Taming of the Shrew'' (1967 film), ''The Breaking of Bumbo'' (1970) and ''Father, Dear Father'' (1973). Early life Pyne was born in Crawley, Sussex on 9 July 1946. She ...
,
Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...
,
Robert Quarry Robert Walter Quarry (November 3, 1925 – February 20, 2009) was an American actor, known for several prominent horror film roles. Life and career Quarry was born in Santa Rosa, California, the son of Mable (née Shoemaker) and Paul Quarry ...
,
Adrienne Corri Adrienne Corri (born Adrienne Riccoboni; 13 November 1931 – 13 March 2016) was a Scottish actress. Early life She was born Adrienne Riccoboni in Glasgow in November 1931, the daughter of an English mother (Olive Smethurst) and an Italian f ...
, and Linda Hayden. The film was based on the 1969 novel ''Devilday'' by Angus Hall. The film's alternate title is ''The Revenge of Dr. Death''.


Plot

Paul Toombes is a successful horror actor whose trademark role is Dr. Death, a skull-faced killer. During a party in Hollywood showing off his fifth ''Dr. Death'' film, he announces his engagement to Ellen Mason, who gives him an engraved watch as an engagement gift. Later that evening, however, adult film producer Oliver Quayle reveals Ellen had worked for him previously, in adult films, and had also slept with him. Distraught at Toombes' angry reaction, Ellen returns to her room, where a masked man in dark garb, similar to Dr. Death's attire, approaches her with a knife. An apologetic Toombes comes in shortly after, only for her severed head to fall from her shoulders when he touches her. Though he is acquitted of the crime, Toombes' career is destroyed as he spends several years in a mental hospital, where even he is not sure whether he killed Ellen or not. Twelve years later, Toombes is called to London by his friend, screenwriter Herbert Flay, who has partnered with Quayle to produce a ''Dr. Death'' television series for the
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. While on the cruise ship en route to England, Toombes encounters a persistent young actress, who steals his watch and follows him through London and eventually to Flay's house. In the spider-infested basement, Toombes discovers Faye Carstairs, the former female lead in one of the ''Dr. Death'' movies and now Flay's wife, driven mad after being disfigured in a car accident. She treats the spiders as pets. Outside Flay's house, the young actress discovers the masked, caped figure walking the grounds; believing it to be Toombes, she approaches him, and is killed with a pitchfork. When her body is discovered, Scotland Yard suspects Toombes, as the killing resembles a scene from one of his films. Unimpressed to find that Quayle has given Dr. Death an "assistant" for the TV series, which he never had in the films, Toombes berates his female co-star on set for her performance; she is soon found hanged by her hair, another scene from a ''Dr. Death'' film. Scotland Yard questions him but finds no conclusive evidence. Toombes is harassed by the parents of the actress from the cruise ship, who have found the watch that was stolen from Toombes. They threaten to deliver the watch to the police unless he pays them a ransom. However, the masked man lures them into the house and impales them both with a
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. Faye discovers the bodies and is horrified. On the set, the series director is crushed by a descending bed canopy in a trap intended for Toombes. Later, Toombes is chased through the BBC studio by the masked man while on his way to an interview. Julia Wilson, Quayle's public relations chief, discovers a contract in Quayle's files, but is killed by the masked man; Toombes discovers her body in a replication of the death of Ellen, seated in front of her dressing table. A distraught Toombes carries Julia's body to the set, turns the camera on, and sets the place ablaze. Believing Toombes to have died in the fire, Flay signs a contract to take his place as Dr. Death. Later he watches the reel of film from Toombes' studio "death" in his home – only to see Toombes seemingly walk out of the screen, burned but alive. When Toombes demands to know why Flay wishes to destroy him, Flay rages that he had written the Dr. Death role for himself, but was passed over in favour of Toombes; he murdered Ellen to frame Toombes in the hopes of destroying his career but was still not given the role. He then reveals that the contract that Julia had discovered stipulated that if Toombes died, Flay would take over the role of Dr. Death by right. The two struggle into the basement, where Faye enters and stabs Flay in the back. He falls into a tank of spiders and they devour his flesh. Toombes applies makeup to his burn-scarred face, now looking similar to Flay, and sits down to dinner with Faye. Faye says she has made Paul his favourite meal—sour cream and " red herrings"—and they both laugh.


Cast

*
Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...
as Paul Toombes. *
Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...
as Herbert Flay *
Adrienne Corri Adrienne Corri (born Adrienne Riccoboni; 13 November 1931 – 13 March 2016) was a Scottish actress. Early life She was born Adrienne Riccoboni in Glasgow in November 1931, the daughter of an English mother (Olive Smethurst) and an Italian f ...
as Faye Carstairs Flay *
Robert Quarry Robert Walter Quarry (November 3, 1925 – February 20, 2009) was an American actor, known for several prominent horror film roles. Life and career Quarry was born in Santa Rosa, California, the son of Mable (née Shoemaker) and Paul Quarry ...
as Oliver Quayle *
Natasha Pyne Natasha Pyne (born 9 July 1946) is an English actress who starred in ''The Taming of the Shrew'' (1967 film), ''The Breaking of Bumbo'' (1970) and ''Father, Dear Father'' (1973). Early life Pyne was born in Crawley, Sussex on 9 July 1946. She ...
as Julia Wilson *
Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (born 28 March 1935) is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other talk shows and programmes both in the U ...
as T.V. Interviewer * Linda Hayden as Elizabeth Peters *
Barry Dennen Barry Dennen (February 22, 1938 – September 26, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and writer. He played Pontius Pilate on the original recording and later in the film of ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Life and career Dennen was born in Chicag ...
as Gerry Blount * Ellis Dale as Alfred Peters * Catherine Willmer as Louise Peters * John Garrie as Inspector Harper * Ian Thompson as Bradshaw *
Jenny Lee-Wright Jenny Lee-Wright (born 21 February 1947) is a British actress and dancer who later became a foley artist. At age 16, she left school to train with the Ballet Rambert. Within a year, she became part of a French cabaret group that traveled the wo ...
as Carol Clayton * Julie Crosthwait as Ellen Mason *
Peter Halliday Peter Halliday (2 June 1924 – 18 February 2012) was a Welsh actor. Early life The son of an auctioneer and estate agent, Halliday was brought up in Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, and attended Oswestry School in Shropshire. On leaving school h ...
as Psychiatrist The title credits mention "special participation" by Basil Rathbone and
Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...
, who had died in 1967 and 1969, respectively; the film included scenes in which they had appeared with Vincent Price from previous AIP films (Rathbone from '' Tales of Terror''
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Karloff from ''
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''
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. Other AIP films starring Price that had scenes played in the film include ''
The Haunted Palace ''The Haunted Palace'' is a 1963 horror film released by American International Pictures, starring Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Jr. and Debra Paget (in her final film), in a story about a village held in the grip of a dead necromancer. The film wa ...
'', ''
The Pit and the Pendulum "The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual ''The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843''. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of ...
'', ''
Scream and Scream Again ''Scream and Scream Again'' is a 1970 British science fiction conspiracy thriller film starring Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Alfred Marks, Michael Gothard, and Peter Cushing. It is based on the novel ''The Disorientated Man'' (1967) attribute ...
'', and '' House of Usher''.


Production

American International Pictures purchased the rights to Angus Hall's novel ''Devilday'' in 1970. Although
Robert Fuest Robert Fuest (30 September 1927 – 21 March 2012) was an English film director, screenwriter, and production designer who worked mostly in the horror, fantasy and suspense genres. Biography Born in London, Fuest served his national servi ...
was originally named as director, in 1973 Jim Clark was signed to direct and filming began at London's
Twickenham Studios Twickenham Studios (formerly known as Twickenham Film Studios) is a film studio in St Margarets, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, that is used by various motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Ralph ...
.


Release

The film opened in Los Angeles in December 1974.


Box office

The film performed considerably less well at the box office than other horror movies Price had made for AIP and Samuel Z. Arkoff considered it marked the end of the horror cycle.


Critical reception

Author and film critic
Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...
awarded the film 3/4 stars, calling it "Good, if somewhat unimaginative". '' Time Out'' gave the film a mostly positive review, noting its tendency to go over-the-top, but commended the film's interweaving of Price's character Toombes with the actor's actual film career, and "reasonably witty in its use of inter-penetrating fantasies born of the Dream Factory". Dennis Schwartz from ''Ozus' World Movie Reviews'' awarded the film a grade B−, calling it, "Cheesy but enjoyable". Not all reviews have been positive, ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...
'' awarded the film 1/5 stars, writing, "With its behind-the-scenes setting and focus on an aging star whose glory days are behind him, this could have been a wonderful elegy to the twilight of Price's long career. Unfortunately, the script and direction simply aren't up to the task, and the film becomes an inferior spin-off of '' Dr. Phibes'' series. Not even the interaction between Price and Cushing--two very different actors--manages to generate much interest, leaving the clips from Price's Corman-AIP films the best part of the movie." John Stanley also gives it a negative review:: "Sleazy spooker filmed in London...about a hammy actor (Vincent Price) suspected of committing gore murders during the filming of a TV series. The climax is so unbelievable and forced even horror fans will wonder what's happening. Made by the kind of mentality that thinks the sight of a spider is the height of horror. Eeeekkkkk!" John Stanley. ''Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again''Pacifica, CA: Creatures at Large Press, 1994 (4th revised ed), p. 236


References


External links

* * * * {{Amicus Productions 1974 films 1974 horror films British crime thriller films British horror films American horror thriller films American mystery films Amicus Productions films Films about actors Films based on British novels Films based on horror novels Films scored by Douglas Gamley Mariticide in fiction British serial killer films British slasher films British psychological horror films British exploitation films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films 1970s British films 1970s slasher films