Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (The Blood Suckers) (1965)

66% of users liked it
(937 ratings)

Not to be confused with David Hewitt's abominable Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors (AKA The Blood Suckers), this clever horror omnibus is one of the better early anthologies from Amicus Productions, thanks to Freddie Francis' stylish direction and a tongue-in-cheek approach from writer Milton… More Not to be confused with David Hewitt's abominable Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors (AKA The Blood Suckers), this clever horror omnibus is one of the better early anthologies from Amicus Productions, thanks to Freddie Francis' stylish direction and a tongue-in-cheek approach from writer Milton Subotsky (who would later apply the same sardonic treatment to the EC Comics-based productions Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror). The framing story is set in a train car, where five passengers have their fortunes told by the all-seeing Dr. Schreck (Peter Cushing), who refers to his ominous tarot deck as his "House of Horrors." Their respective stories involve all manner of occult happenings: a jazz musician's involvement with a voodoo curse; an estate haunted by a werewolf; a doctor (Donald Sutherland) who suspects that his wife has become a vampire; a cottage besieged by a monster kudzu vine; and the most entertaining segment, in which arrogant art critic Christopher Lee is avidly pursued by a snubbed artist's severed hand. In the end, it doesn't take a jaded horror buff to deduce Schreck's true identity or the ultimate destination of the train passengers, but it's a fun ride nonetheless. Not all of the stories work (the vampire story's "twist" ending is rather silly, the voodoo tale painfully dated), and the effects are generally sub-par, but Francis keeps the pace snappy throughout, giving the entire film a throwaway, Halloween spook-house feel. Hammer horror fans will certainly find this a keeper on the strength of Cushing and Lee's performances. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Freddie Francis
Written By: Milton Subotsky
Genres: Horror, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Feb 23, 1965 Wide

Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Uneven portmanteau horror, but when it works, it's very good.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

Okay, it's not really a house. It's a train. Even so, it's good, old-fashioned, Hammer-ish, British Horror.
Tim S

Nice anthology film from Amicus.
Anthony L

A classic British Hammer Horror with interweaving stories full of suspense, intrigue and, well, horror. With a cast to die for including the much loved and sorely misses Roy Castle (Added to the cast last minute when the original actor suffered a heart attack). Brilliant!
Emily B

The first anthology from Hammer Horror rivals Amicus, and probably their best. All the segments are entertaining, with even the weakest story having it's moments. The set up is a train journey involving five men and the mysterious Dr Schreck played by Peter Cushing. It turns… More
The first anthology from Hammer Horror rivals Amicus, and probably their best. All the segments are entertaining, with even the weakest story having it's moments. The set up is a train journey involving five men and the mysterious Dr Schreck played by Peter Cushing. It turns out Cushing can tell the paasenger's future just by having each man tap three times on his deck of tarot cards. So then precedes each man's fate each involving a nasty but highly enjoyable to us surprise! First up we have a Werewolf terrorising the first victim. Next we have a family with a murderous creeping plant with a mind of it's own. Then, the weakest segment I feel, involving Roy Castle as a jazz musician who doesn't realise the dangers of voodoo. This is the segment where some humour is injected in but doesn't always work. Then one of the best, with Christopher Lee putting in a brilliant performance as a snobbish art critic. Then finally a very young Donald Sutherland, who unbeknown to him is married to a vampire. If your interested in this sort of 60s/70s horror you will no doubt enjoy this.
Anthony V

Lots of Hammer horror fun.

Cast

            Peter Cushing as Dr. Sandor Schreck

            Christopher Lee as Franklyn Marsh

            Roy Castle as Bitt Bailey

            Donald Sutherland as Bob Carroll

            Neil McCallum as Jim Dawson

            Alan Freeman as Bill Rogers

            Max Adrian as Dr. Blake

            Edward Underdown as Tod

            Ursula Howells as Deirdre

            Peter Madden as Caleb

            Katy Wild as Valda

            Ann Bell as Ann Rogers

            Sarah Nicholls as Carol Rogers

            Jeremy Kemp as Drake

            Kenny Lynch as Sammy Coin

            Harold Lang as Shine

            Thomas Baptiste as Dambala

            Michael Gough as Eric Landor

            Isla Blair as Pretty Girl

            Jennifer Jayne as Nicolle

            Al Mulock as Detective

            Judy Cornwell as Nurse

            Faith Kent
            
            Bernard Lee as Hopkins

            Ken Lynch as Sammy Coin

            John Martin
            
            Irene Richmond
            
            Walter Sparrow
            
            R. Henderson Steel
            
            T. Hayes Quintet
            
            Hedger Wallace as Surgeon

            Frank Forsyth as Toastmaster

            Kenneth Kove
            
            Christopher Carlos
            
            Laurie Leigh
            
See full cast