Horrors of the Black Museum

Michael Gough plays a mystery writer who arranges to bump off several dames to increase his popularity (and sales of his latest book about murder). One blonde (with ample cleavage) gets binoculared to death, while her red-headed roommate (with ampler cleavage) looks on in horror. Then Gough's "ho" tells him where to get off, and she is done in by Gough's assistant, using a hand-held guillotine - you know, the kind you can buy on QVC. By using a pair of ice tongs, Gough offs an old crone who runs an antique store. Well, the list goes on, but you get the idea.

Gough, as usual, is hammy over the top, but not nearly as crazy as he is in "Konga." He is delicious to watch as he needles Scotland Yard, and vents his spleen at his assistant (Graham Curnow). June Cunningham, as Gough's chick, has the smallest waist coupled with the largest hips I've seen in some time. She also treats the audience to about a 50-second dance in a bar. By the time she is done, every guy watching will figure out his sexual orientation.

'Horrors Of The Black Museum' is a dated but still entertaining Brit chiller that will most appeal to fans of William Castle's gimmick filled movies from the same era ('The House On Haunted Hill', 'The Tingler', '13 Ghosts', 'Homicidal',etc.) The late Michael Gough plays Edmund Bancroft, an eccentric writer and amateur crime expert, who irritates local police baffled at a spate of brutal and sensationalistic crimes, apparently without motive. Bancroft actually knows a lot more than the police suspect, and his meek protege Rick (Graham Curnow) is also involved, but not in the most straightforward way. The movie was originally released in "Hypnovision" but the reason to watch it today is Gough's larger than life performance, and the inventive killing methods, which include the much talked about binoculars-with-needles-in-the-eyepieces. Not a great movie by any means, but an amusing one.

The Horrors of the Black Museum is a diabolical film. I was not more than eleven or twelve when I saw it. Dropped at the curb to enjoy Quarter Saturday at the Movies.It left me so traumatized that I was sitting in the lobby when my mother came, uncharacteristically silent. I had spent most of the time after the "binocular" murder, trembling alone with the thought, " What grown-up dreamed this stuff up for a child to watch? What are grown-ups really like?" I knew some of them didn't care what they exposed kids to to make a quarter! I remember trudging to the lobby as if in a fugue state, afraid to turn my back on that abomination.

I know there are folks who love this genre, and as long as they are grown-ups, they can do the backstroke in ketchup blood and wallow in sadism. Free country. But this movie gave me nightmares into adulthood. It's probably still lurking in my psyche today. It is why I know that children must be sheltered from material adults can handle.

I guess it was effectively gruesome and twisted for the fans of the genre.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Arthur Crabtree; Produced by Jack Greenwood; Executive Producer: Herman Cohen, for Merton Park Studios (UK), released in America by American-International Pictures. Screenplay by Cohen and Aben Kandel; Photography by Desmond Dickinson; Edited by Geoffrey Muller; Music by Gerard Schurmann; Production Manager: Jim O'Connolly. Starring: Michael Gough, June Cunningham, Shirley Anne Field, Geoffrey Keen, Beatrice Varley and Austin Trevor.

"Psycho" forerunner about a mystery writer who tries out his bizarre crimes in real life. Notable for its endless parade of exploitative, well-built lovelies, and its gruesome but non-graphic mayhem.

I caught an interesting horror flick on TV the other night called "Horrors of the Black Museum" (1959) and all I could ask was WHERE IS VINCENT PRICE? Why? Starting with first things first, let's examine the opening of the movie. A gimmick called "Hypnovista" is employed. Hynovista? Yes, Hypnovista. Before the film starts, a "psychologist" with a specialty of Hypnotism appears. He leads the audience through numerous hypnotic suggestions. Starting out by demonstrating just how contagious a yawn can be, he goes on to "Hypnotize" the audience with the power of suggestion that they are feeling cold ( blue tinted screen / sound of an icy storm) and feeling hot (orange tinted screen / sound of flames). Guess what? It works! OK, well kinda. Ok It doesn't! Presto chango, he announces you are hypnotized and will experience the movie as though you are actually there! Gee, why does this remind me of a William Castle film gimmick? (William Castle is the same guy who devised those amazing movie house gimmicks for Vincent Price films "House on Haunted Hill" and "The Tingler").

Ok kiddies, hang on, that's not all! Now let's consider "The Phibes Factor" NOTE: The Abominable Doc doesn't make the movie scene till 1971. The plot of this movie has a demented crime writer hypnotizing an assistant and sending him out to kill people with torturous and bizarre methods, just to prove he can. Death by binoculars with spikes NOTE: This particular device was inspired by an actual device that exists in a Scotland Yard Museum, Ice tongs through the neck, guillotine, knife in the heart whilst in the tunnel of love, electrocution ray and last but not least, death via vat of acid. What kind of a hill did you say that house was on?

Finally, let us examine the mad crime writer's hobby. Can you guess what it might be? He just happens to be the curator of a very private museum of wax figures, the figures of famous murderers!

Not to discount Michael Gough as mad writer, Edmond Bancroft. Gough, who has appeared in numerous horror films, such as: "Horror of Dracula (1958), The Phantom of the Opera (1962), Black Zoo (1963), Berserk (1967), Horror Hospital (1972) and in a series of mad-scientist roles, Konga (1961), The Skull (1965), and They Came From Beyond Space (1967) and many more, does a marvelous job in the role. But there is no denying it would have been wonderful fun to see Vincent Price as the mad Edmond Bancroft. Upon viewing this film, it becomes obvious why he was so wonderful in roles with similar themes like "House of Wax", "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" and "House on Haunted Hill". Woulda, coulda, shoulda considered, "Horrors of the Black Museum" is a wonderful film. It should NOT be missed by any fan of this type film.