Chamber of Horrors (1966)

Write the first paragraph of your page here.

plot
Write the first section of your page here

Chamber of Horrors is a 1966 American horror film directed by Hy Averback and starring Patrick O'Neal, Cesare Danova, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Wayne Rogers and Laura Devon. The screenplay is by Stephen Kandel, from a story by Kandel and Ray Russell.

The film was released to theatres but was originally shot as a television movie and a pilot film for a proposed series called House of Wax.

275 165 34

Horror Movie A Day

Chamber Of Horrors (1966)

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

GENRE: REVENGE, SERIAL KILLER SOURCE: DVD (OWN COLLECTION)

Despite starring in The Manitou, Tony Curtis’ strangest horror association is actually his random, unbilled cameo in Chamber Of Horrors, in which his character is summoned to a gathering of some sort, he makes an odd joke about having a full house (he’s playing poker), and then is never seen or spoken of again. To say its extraneous is being too generous – I rewound it twice because my brain couldn’t process just what in the hell it was doing in the movie. I even toyed with the idea that it WASN’T Curtis at all but some other actor who might appear later, but no.

As I later learned, the real reason for his appearance was part of the attempt to turn this movie, which originated as a would-be pilot for a TV show about a House of Wax (not THE House of Wax), into something more suitable for theaters when it was (quite incorrectly) deemed too intense for television. So they added some cameos and also a William Castle-esque gimmick called the Fear Flasher, which would alert you when something really terrifying was supposed to happen. That they tell you right at the start that it’s only going to be used four times in the 100 minute film is a pretty clear indicator that the bulk of this thing is a snooze.

It doesn’t help that every aspect of its plot was done better before or since. As with House of Wax, you have the lengthy prologue in which the villain is thought killed, only to resurface some time later with a revenge plan. The "expert in some field helps the police solve a crime" story can be a lot of fun, but here it just feels like a lazy way to get a few more actors involved and pad the runtime, since I'm not sure how the cops can be so slow to put together the pieces (murder victims are all tied to the incarceration of a killer who escaped and was never found? Gee, who could it be?). And his creative killings might have inspired Dr Phibes or Theatre of Blood, but those movies also gave us a lot more to chew on and a faster pace to boot. I love the revenge driven killer plot as much as the next guy, but when he is only seeking to get back at three guys, that leaves a lot of movie to fill.

Plus I was unsure who we were supposed to be rooting for. Patrick O’Neal as the killer is somewhat in the Price tradition (albeit not nearly as delightful; he’s got more of a no-nonsense, Jason Robards-y presence), and we spend a lot of time with him as he sets his plan in motion – as a villain, he becomes highly un-threatening after a while. However the good guys simply aren’t as interesting, and it becomes deadly dull to watch them try to solve this mystery that doesn’t exist for us audience members – we know who the killer is and what the connections are, so watching a couple of older dudes try to figure it out is not what I call top notch entertainment.

One thing I did like was that he had different weapons for each kill. As with Shocker, the first act is all about the killer’s initial capture, before they get to the part of the movie anyone remembers. So 35 minutes into the movie, he escapes capture by cutting off his chained hand, and gets fitted with a metal “stump” that allows him to attach different devices to it – the standard hook, a claw, a knife, etc. Being 1966 the killings aren’t particularly gruesome (one has a very awkward attempt at a match cut, from his swinging hook to the waving baton of a conductor), but at least there’s a fun sort of “what will he use next?” angle to make up for the film’s lack of actual suspense or tension until the final showdown in the wax museum (which features a particularly wonderful denouement for the villain).

There’s also a bit of humor that helps some, mostly of the dry wit variety. I particularly liked when O’Neal is talking to a girl who he plans to use as his “assistant” and asks her what she does. After she gives a vague explanation of her work as a dancer and such, he gets to the point: “You’re a tramp.” Heh. I also liked the goofy final shot, which I guess was left over from the original “This will be a TV series” design, as our amateur sleuths/wax museum owners find another body. Off to the next theoretical case!

And while it was a bit intrusive, I love that Warner included the cheesy Fear Flasher (which pauses the action and flashes the screen red) on this DVD, with no option of shutting it off or anything. There’s some sort of charm in putting a very theatrical gimmick on a DVD after 40 years of horror movies will have left even the most casual fan completely numb to this movie’s attempts at terror – even without the warning, the scares would barely even register. It’d be like flashing the “put on your 3D glasses now!” icon on a 2D presentation of a movie or something. But apparently for years it was unavailable on home formats, so it’s cool that they went back to the original theatrical version for the DVD. Nice transfer too, softening the blow of the fact that they didn't include the trailer (nor could I embed the only one I found on Youtube, hence this random home video that came up instead).

What say you?

Where to watch

Amazon US Rent  Buy  Disc

iTunes US Rent  Buy

Google Play Movies US Rent  Buy

Vudu US Rent  Buy

Show more

Go Pro to customize this list

All services…

JustWatch

Remove Ads ×

Chamber of Horrors 1966 Directed by Hy Averback

Synopsis

A one-handed madman (he lost the hand while escaping a hanging) uses various detachable devices as murder weapons to gain revenge on those he believes have wronged him.

Cast

Crew

Details

Genre

Cast

Patrick O'Neal Cesare Danova Wilfrid Hyde-White Laura Devon Wayne Rogers Suzy Parker Jeanette Nolan Barbro Hedström William Conrad Tony Curtis Annazette Chase Inger Stratton José René Ruiz

80 mins  More details at IMDb TMDb

Sign in to log, rate or review

Share

Ratings

2.9

★

1 half-★ rating (1%)

7 ★ ratings (4%)

5 ★½ ratings (3%)

21 ★★ ratings (12%)

39 ★★½ ratings (23%)

57 ★★★ ratings (33%)

27 ★★★½ ratings (16%)

13 ★★★★ ratings (8%)

3 ★★★★★ ratings (2%)

★★★★★

Popular reviews More Marna Larsen

Review by Marna Larsen ★★★ 2

Well, that was weird! Yet also weirdly boring. Out of all the 60s horror partially taking place in a wax museum. Though at least someone throws a flaming wig at someone and I hope someday I too will die impaled on the sword that a wax effigy of me is brandishing.

You know, I think...I could probably never see a Victorian era ball in a 60's horror movie ever, ever again.

The movie actually ends with a completely unsolved murder and the epilogue that the woman of loose morals paid for allowing a man to deceive her by serving two years in prison while her sort of love interest moves on to sleep with lots of other women.

Also! In… more

32 likes

maskull

Review by maskull ★★★½

Daily Horror Scavenger Hunt 10 – April 2019 Day 25. On this glorious day in 1953, the movie House of Wax was released into theatres (and into our hearts). Watch any horror flick that features a house of wax.

I would seriously love a series of movies featuring these characters, solving crimes/mysteries and immortalizing their exploits in wax. I think everyone had a great chemistry with each other and there was an excellent bad guy who really needed a mustache to twirl with his finger...but then he had a hook for a hand so that's pretty damn awesome too. Now for the negatives. The actual story didn't blow me away. Not a lot happens, and if it wasn't for the fun vibe created by the characters, I think this could've been a pretty boring movie. I would've loved to see them try again with a more interesting story line but maybe bring back the villain or something?

18 likes

Ira Brooker

Review by Ira Brooker ★★★½ 5

The proprietors of a Baltimore wax museum team up with local law enforcement in an effort to stop a wealthy, one-handed serial killer using an array of arm-mounted weapons to take vengeance on the people responsible for his botched execution. Any movie that opens with an ice-cold Patrick O'Neal forcing a priest to marry him to a corpse at gunpoint is OK in my book.

This one doesn't seem to have the best reputation, but I thought it was rather a gas. It's a clever, colorful, cheekily macabre spot of fun, with O'Neal owning the show as a smug, sadistic rich prick who's accustomed to doing whatever he wants to whomever he wants without repercussions. O'Neal is so good that… more

12 likes

Recent reviews More James Grimmer

Review by James Grimmer ★★★½

I wonder if a madman's likeness would be on display in a wax museum. It's an idea that is entertained as Jason Cravette goes about satisfying his bloodlust, so the question that comes to mind is what is more alarming: Jason's actions towards his victims or his immortalized form which attracts plenty of patrons. The former is kind of ruined by the Fear Flasher gimmick because there is very little that you'll find shocking when it occurs. It isn't overused, but having a shot which focuses on Jason's hand when he cuts it off, for instance, would've sold the gimmick. However, it serves purpose despite its intrusiveness. I just wish it wasn't treated as a way of covering up the… more

1 like

bottleservice23

Review by bottleservice23 ★★★½

Solid entry in the house of wax horror sub genre. More of a crime thriller than a true horror flick. There’s a little drag in the middle, but this is very enjoyable. Tame by today’s standards.

MrCarlin

Review by MrCarlin ★★★

Set up like an American Hammer, the film is a strange choice to implement Castle like SHOCK WARNINGS. Tale is about a killer who gets his hand lopped off, and the detectives chasing after him.

Also...the scenes that follow the warnings are mostly quick fade outs...

Plot
Danova and Hyde-White are proprietors of a wax museum in Baltimore who are also amateur sleuths. They are drawn into the investigation of Jason Cravette (O'Neal), an insane murderer who kills a woman and then "marries" her. They help the police capture him, but he escapes and vows vengeance on all who "betrayed" him.

The film used the gimmicks of the Fear Flasher (the screen flashing red for several seconds) and the Horror Horn (an audible alert) to alert viewers to grisly moments. The film was originally intended to serve as a pilot for the proposed series House of Wax, but was released theatrically because it was considered too intense for television at the time. The gimmicks were added (along with a few star cameos like Tony Curtis, Suzy Parker, and Marie Windsor) to increase the running time. There are plot similarities between this and Dark Intruder, which was released the previous year.

The film is narrated by William Conrad.

Video Release
Chamber of Horrors was released on DVD by Warner Home Video in September, 2008 with a co-feature, The Brides of Fu Manchu.

Cast

 * Patrick O'Neal: Jason Cravette/Jason Caroll
 * Cesare Danova: Anthony Draco
 * Wilfrid Hyde-White: Harold Blount
 * Laura Devon: Marie Champlain
 * Patrice Wymore: Vivian
 * Suzy Parker: Barbara Dixon
 * José René Ruiz Martínez (credited as Tun Tun): Senor Pepe De Reyes
 * Philip Bourneuf: Insp. Matthew Strudwick
 * Jeanette Nolan: Mrs. Ewing Perryman
 * Marie Windsor: Madame Corona
 * Wayne Rogers: Police Sgt. Jim Albertson
 * Vinton Hayworth: Judge Walter Randolph
 * Richard O'Brien: Dr. Romulus Cobb
 * Inger Stratton: Gloria
 * Berry Kroeger: Chun Sing

Section heading
Write the second section of your page here.