Torture Garden
Directed by Freddie Francis
Written by Robert Bloch
1967/UK
Amicus Pictures
IMDb link
First viewing/Netflix rental
They Shoot Zombies Don’t They
[box] Lancelot Canning (segment 4 “The Man Who Collected Poe”): Did you know that there are ways to raise the dead?[/box]
Solid little Amicus horror anthology flick. Burgess Meredith has way too little screen time though!
The framework is built around Dr. Diabolo’s (Meredith) sideshow attraction at a carnival. Customers are invited to seek their futures from a sybil bearing scissors. The futures they are shown are the result of the vices hidden away in each customer’s heart. Dr. Diabolo stresses that the future is not set in stone but can be changed by reformation of the subject.
“Enoch” is the tale of a vengeful cat determined to strip an heir of his ill-gotten fortune. In “Terror Over Hollywood” we learn why some movie stars never seem to age. “Mr. Steinway” features a killer piano. In “The Man Who Collected Poe”, fans Peter Cushing and Jack Palance attempt to raise the author from the grave.
The segments vary in quality but are all quite watchable if not exactly terrifying. I could have happily watched an entire story about Dr. Diabolo. Meredith chews the scenery in he delightful way only he can.
