{"id":22130,"date":"2012-01-23T13:38:47","date_gmt":"2012-01-23T20:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=22130"},"modified":"2021-01-24T23:30:47","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T06:30:47","slug":"circus-of-horrors-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=22130","title":{"rendered":"Circus of Horrors (1960)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;A thief and a prostitute: the perfect candidate for the Schuler Circus.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Poster-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Poster-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Poster.jpg 491w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter botching a job on a society woman (Colette Wilde), a plastic surgeon (Anton Diffring) goes on the lam, taking over a circus owned by a Frenchman (Donald Pleasence) with a scarred daughter (Carla Challoner), and populating it with facially disfigured, troubled women whose beauty he restores. When his protegees choose to leave, however, he jealously kills them one by one, and soon a detective (Conrad Phillips) is on his trail.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carnivals and Circuses<\/li>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Disfigured Faces<\/li>\n<li>Donald Pleasence Films<\/li>\n<li>Fugitives<\/li>\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<li>Mad Doctors and Scientists<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAccording to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/557526\/circus-of-horrors#articles-reviews?articleId=253086\">TCM&#8217;s article<\/a>, &#8220;During a twelve month period between April 1959 and April 1960 British filmmakers tested the boundaries of the horror film with a much stronger emphasis on sex and violence in three features often referred to as the &#8216;Sadian Trilogy&#8217; &#8212; <em>Horrors of the Black Museum<\/em>, <em>Circus of Horrors<\/em> and <em>Peeping Tom<\/em>.&#8221; Of these, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=46227\"><em>Peeping Tom<\/em> (1960)<\/a> is the most highly regarded, but <em>Circus of Horrors<\/em> &#8212; while not &#8220;must-see&#8221; for anyone other than fans of the genre &#8212; remains a well-mounted, effectively lurid tale in its own right. Despite possessing a host of egregious flaws in narrative logic, it&#8217;s guaranteed to hold your interest, thanks in part to colorful cinematography (by DP Douglas Slocombe), solid direction (by Sidney Hayers, best known for 1962&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=22913\"><em>Burn, Witch, Burn!<\/em><\/a>), and several fine performances (including a small, early one by Donald Pleasence, who &#8212; like all others killed or maimed in this film &#8212; meets a most <em>unpleasant<\/em> death). <\/p>\n<p>German-born Diffring is nicely cast as the troubled lead of the film, who is clearly a &#8220;baddie&#8221; but not <em>entirely<\/em> evil; from the film&#8217;s opening sequence &#8212; in which a woman (Wilde) shrieks with horror at the botched job that&#8217;s been done on her face &#8212; it&#8217;s made clear that Diffring never intended for things to work out this way, and that he actually takes great pride in the stellar work he&#8217;s able to carry out, under the right circumstances. With that said, we soon learn that Diffring&#8217;s Dr. Rossiter\/Schuler is an egomaniacal control freak who desires not only to make disfigured women beautiful again, but to hold them forever accountable to his will (and sexual desires). His choice (as a fugitive) to run a very-public circus, as well as his uncanny ability to turn all the women he takes under his wing into stellar acrobats, are evidence of the flawed logic listed previously; but they help to propel the undeniably sensationalist story towards its inevitable conclusion, with several gruesomely circus-themed deaths thrown in along the way. Meanwhile, fine use is made of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.circopedia.org\/index.php\/Billy_Smart\">Billy Smart&#8217;s actual circus performers<\/a>; fans of this type of entertainment will surely enjoy seeing its historical capturing on film. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anton Diffring as Dr. Schuler<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Diffring.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Diffring.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Diffring.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Diffring-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Diffring-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Donald Pleasence as Vanet<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Pleasence.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Pleasence.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Pleasence.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Pleasence-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Pleasence-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Erika Remberg as Elissa<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Remberg.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Remberg.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Remberg.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Remberg-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Remberg-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine use of Billy Smart&#8217;s Circus as a setting<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Circus.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Circus.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Circus.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Circus-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Circus-of-Horrors-Circus-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s certainly recommended. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0053717\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1960\/09\/01\/archives\/screen-stylish-shocker-circus-of-horrors-on-local-screens.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s402circus.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/horror\/circus-of-horrors-1960.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=170\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/557526\/circus-of-horrors#articles-reviews?articleId=253086\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/69290\/circus_of_horrors.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;A thief and a prostitute: the perfect candidate for the Schuler Circus.&#8221; Synopsis: After botching a job on a society woman (Colette Wilde), a plastic surgeon (Anton Diffring) goes on the lam, taking over a circus owned by a Frenchman (Donald Pleasence) with a scarred daughter (Carla Challoner), and populating it with facially disfigured, troubled women whose beauty he restores. When his protegees choose to leave, however, he jealously kills them one by one, and soon a detective (Conrad Phillips)&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=22130\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22130"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65808,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22130\/revisions\/65808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}