Madhouse (1974)

An old actor returns years later to the role that made him famous--that of evil, psychopathic killer, Dr. Death. But why does everyone on the movie set keep dying violently? Alright, so it's not either one's greatest film, but it is Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, so cut them some slack. The plot is chock-full of holes, but still mildly entertaining, and has a good (if inexplicable) twist ending. That, as well as the two stars, are the only reasons this gets a rating of 6/10 from me.

Would I recommend? Not particularly, as there are much better films you could watch to see Price and Cushing at their best. But it's one of your few chances to see both great actors together, and it isn't a total waste of time.

Everybody thinks I'm dead, including myself.

Madhouse is directed by Jim Clark and written by Angus Hall, Ken Levison and Greg Morrison. It stars Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri and Natasha Pyne. Music is by Douglas Gamley and cinematography by Ray Parslow.

A horror movie star returns to his famous role after recovering from a nervous breakdown. But the character seems to be committing real life murders...

The madhouse of the title is a metaphor for the movie making industry, with the makers here clearly having some sly asides to the industry that made them, whilst some of the in-jokes are sharply observed. Featuring genre legends Price from "AIP" and Cushing from "Hammer", it's a horror picture that's more of fond fan piece than anything substantial. Especially given that the two horror greats don't get enogh screen time together.

Pic is packed with too many red herrings and some scenes actually don't make any sense, you sometimes feel that it is written on the fly. The insertion of clips from a couple of Price's Corman films are a nice touch, as are a couple of homages, but it still feels like a cobbled idea for a film cribbing from the "Dr. Phibes" scheme of things. While the big reveal for the finale is a bit of a let down and hardly surprising.

So not a great film then (it sat on the shelf for two years before getting released), but there's still plenty enough to enjoy here - not least Corri's mad spider obsessive character, Michael Parkinson interviewing Price, and even Price singing! But mostly it's for fans of Price because his horror career was winding down to a close. 6/10

**_Price and Cushing in this clunky Brit precursor to “Scream”_**

Shot in the late spring of 1973 under the (superior) title “The Revenge of Dr. Death,” it was changed to the generic “Madhouse.” It didn’t open in the USA until a year and a half later in December 1974.

I couldn’t help but think of “Scream” a couple of times while watching, so this obviously influenced that more popular 1996 slasher (and I like it better). It’s quirky and sometimes awkward due to butchering in the editing room by Milton Subotsky, yet it’s nevertheless colorful and entertaining. While Price and Cushing are highlights in the cast, there are several other notables, such as Robert Quarry, who appears dressed in his outfit from “Count Yorga, Vampire” during a costume party sequence.

Winsome Linda Hayden stands out in the female cast, but there are several others worth mentioning, such as Julie Crosthwait (Ellen), Adrienne Corri (Faye), Catherine Willmer (Louise) and Jenny Lee-Wright (Carol), amongst a couple of others. There are well-done scenes involving the mad Faye that make me wonder if they were the inspiration for Overkill’s song “Playing with Spiders/Skullkrusher.”

Since the film underperformed at the box office, it marked the end of Price’s collaboration with American International Pictures after 14 years, which started with “House of Usher.” Speaking of which, there are several clips from that flick, "Pit and the Pendulum," "Tales of Terror," "The Masque of Red Death," "The Raven” and “Scream and Scream Again,” all presented as Dr. Death (Price) movies.

It runs around 1 hour, 29 minutes; and was shot in the studio in Twickenham, which is located just southwest of London, as well as areas of the city and Pryford Manor in Surrey, the latter further southwest of London.

GRADE: B