GamerTab
That was an excellent one.
Sexylocher
Masterful Movie
ReaderKenka
Let's be realistic.
Connianatu
How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.
jadavix
The ridiculously named "Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism" has everything you need to be a classic of b-grade Gothic horror. It's got fantastic locations, brilliant sets, beautiful ladies, capable actors, and Christopher Lee.The film begins with Lee, who plays a male version of Countess Bathory, being drawn and quartered for his crimes against young women.The film jumps forward a few hundred years or so with a group of people who are travelling through the European countryside in search of the evil Count Regula (no, he's not called Dr Sadism) and his castle. We get that staple of Euro-horror: everyone the band of adventurers ask for information refuses to give any. No one will speak Regula's name. The movie stops short of the whole "travellers enter a bustling pub or restaurant and when they mention the name of the castle/bad guy everyone stops talking immediately", but it gets its point across.When the people finally arrive at the castle - it seems to take longer than it should - they encounter the count's creepy servant, and realise his plans for them.The castle is probably the best set I have ever seen in a gothic horror flick. They should all look that good. It has everything you expect - medieval decor, torture devices, weird paintings, and even a mad scientist set-up with bubbling beakers and lots of tubes.The count himself, of course, is Christopher Lee, a brilliant choice who unfortunately feels a bit under utilised here.The movie is also just so much better photographed than perhaps any other movie of its kind. Jess Franco made a bunch of movies like this in the '60s, but none of them looked this good. The scenery on the way to the castle, particularly, is breath taking.However the movie is not perfect. The only real problem I had with it was its structure. It takes too long to get to the castle, and then too long for the evil Count to appear.I can easily imagine that this might not be a problem for many viewers, however, and regardless, I feel confident in recommending "The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism" as a must-see for anyone interested in Gothic horror on the big screen.
ctomvelu1
Excellent little German-made Gothic thriller about an evil count returning from the dead to exact vengeance on the descendants of his persecutors and executioners. The film is a cross between "Dracula" and "The Pit and the Pendulum," with a pinch of "Black Sunday" thrown in for good measure. Beautifully photographed with the most amazing set design and production values, but haphazardly dubbed and the music is atrocious, more befitting a beach party flick. Christopher Lee is the undead count. Lex Barker of Tarzan fame plays the hero and a beautiful German actress named Karin Dor is the love interest. She looks like a cross between Barbara Parkins and Barbara Steele. I don't know if there were any actual torture scenes in the original. The version I saw had none, which is to say no one is shown dying in agony. Lee is the main reason for watching this forgotten gem, although he is only in the movie briefly.
funkyfry
Christopher Lee hams it up in blue-face in this odd little German horror film that tries to imitate the Hammer Films of the time and presents the audience with few saving graces. One of those is the photography, which is pretty interesting even in a public-domain over-saturated DVD print.An interesting aspect I noticed was that the effects shots in the forest, which are the most compelling visual aspect of the film, seem to have been done later and quite a bit more weird than the script must have implied. The guy who is the coachman (Dieter Eppler) stops the coach and complains about 3 crows, not seeming to notice all the disembodied hands and arms also sprouting quite clearly from the trees.As with many of Lee's horror films from this period, his appearances are brief. Most of the action goes to former Tarzan actor Lex Barker, a stunningly poor actor who wears every emotion the director gives him on his sleeve. Gorgeous Karin Dor does just what the film asks of her and nothing more. Vladimir Medar provides an ongoing irritating presence as the faux-priest who is obviously a highwayman (this gives Barker a chance to raise his eyebrows in doubt, which apparently is supposed to make him seem intelligent).There are many amusing bits that make this watchable in a "so bad it's good" kind of way. We were particularly amused by the inappropriate MOR music that would play whenever the group was traveling around in the carriage.The ending of the movie provides excuses for G-rated exploitation as half-dressed "virgins" are seen in various torture poses. The whole device with the cross is one of the most obvious and stupid endings in history, just a cliché. This film would barely hold the audience down in a double feature. All the "scare" elements are typical too -- "oh look, a rat!" "Oh look, a bunch of snakes! How gross!" -- designed perhaps to get girlfriends to make the perfunctory move into their boyfriends' arms at the drive-in. This is lazy storytelling (notice how Medar's character continually runs away for no reason and reappears also for no reason with whatever information the other characters need) and lazy film-making and I would have been angry if I had spent more than $1 for the film.
HumanoidOfFlesh
"The Torture Chamber of Dr.Sadism" was loosely inspired by Poe's famous story 'Pit and the Pendulum'.It opens with Count Regula(Christopher Lee)being executed for twelve virgin killings.Before his execution he declares revenge from beyond the grave on the magistrate who sentenced him and all his descendants.A lawyer played by Lex Barker is invited to the castle of Count Regula,the one whose name is feared.The Baroness' letter suggests she'll be getting some kind of inheritance while the orphaned Mont Elise is promised information about his mysterious childhood.The long journey to the castle is dangerous and spooky.The haunted forest of human limbs and hanging people is memorably eerie.Upon arriving at the castle they find themselves at the mercy of a re-animated Count Regula and his invulnerable servant Anatol.Vastly entertaining Gothic horror with paper-thin plot.The castle itself is filled with vultures,cobwebs,dangerous traps,snake pits,torture devices and a pit and pendulum.The soundtrack is pretty inappropriate,but the film is surprisingly atmospheric and spooky.8 out of 10.