Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

mark.waltz This is a slow moving but moderately enjoyable Italian horror movie where the madness of the title character, obviously lingering under the surface from the beginning, finds its way to the outside when he returns home after a decade long absence after the death of his first wife with a brand new one. Robert Flemying is typically moody and mysterious as the title character, first seen performing experiments and giving wife Maria Teresa Vianello an injection of some kind when she starts to have convulsions and quickly dies. After a quick scream of guilt ridden grief, Flemying decides to depart, and returns only when he marries the much younger Barbara Steele who is quickly haunted by the mysterious presence she feels in the house, obviously orchestrated by the housekeeper (Harriet Medin) who claims that the screams they hear are from her demented sister whom she is having committed. Many shots are of Steele looking through a keyhole, seeing a strange figure in a dress just outside her door, but husband Flemying insists that it is her imagination. The real answer is obviously much more shocking than that, although I pretty much figured it out from the beginning and even knew from the experience of having seen dozens of these 1960's gothic horror films how it would conclude.The only real horror element is the thought of poor Barbara Steele being burnt alive while tied upside down, certainly psychologically hand wringing for a first time viewer, but for the most part, this film is extremely slow moving and often tedious. Steele, having played both evil witches and heroines in peril, was perfect for these second string Italian horror films, often photographed oddly with a mouth that in some shots appeared too long and eyes that could sparkle fear or ooze evil (especially in "Black Sunday"). It is obvious from the moment that Silvano Tranquilli appears on screen as a young doctor that Steele will quickly lose interest in her brooding, older husband and fall in love elsewhere, and fret over how to get out of that marriage. Certainly, there have been worse gothic horror films and some made on an even smaller shoe string budget, but had I seen this one before all the others of the same nature, I might have rated it a bit higher....but not much more.

Michael_Elliott The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962)*** (out of 4) Dr. Hitchcock (Robert Flemyng) administers a drug to his beautiful wife but he accidentally gives her too much, which causes her to overdose and die. The pain causes him to leave him home but years later he returns with his new wife Cynthia (Barbara Steele). It doesn't take too long for the new wife to start seeing and hearing mysterious things, which could be the dead wife.THE HORRIBLE DR. HITCHCOCK is a pretty good horror film from director Riccardo Freda who skips out on blood or graphic violence and instead delivers atmosphere and some great performances. The film became a pretty big hit when it was originally released and it continued to gain new fans as it showed up on American television. There are two different versions out there with the original Italian version running twelve-minutes longer than the American cut but it's the American version that is currently available on Blu-ray and is what I watched.For the most part this is a pretty good film that works perfectly in that "old dark house" way where we're given an innocent woman put into a dangerous situation and we're not quite sure what's going on. Is she losing her mind? Is her new husband playing sinister tricks? Has the dead wife returned? These are the questions that are asked throughout the picture and Freda keeps the film moving at a nice pace. There's no question that it's a well-made film that contains some beautiful cinematography as well as a nice music score. Freda builds up a very good and rich atmosphere that carries the picture to the end.Another major plus is the fact that the performances were so good. Flemyng is very good in the role of the husband because he plays it so perfectly down the middle that you can never tell what he's up to. Then you've got Steele who once again delivers a great performance as the wife who finds herself seeing ghosts and other strange objects. THE HORRIBLE DR. HITCHCOCK isn't a flawless movie but it's certainly an entertaining one.

Mikel3 Last night we had a late night double feature. In addition to watching 'The Vampire Bat' we also viewed 'The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock'. I'm a big fan of Mexican, Spanish and Italian horror films. I enjoy there different atmosphere and stories compared to American made films of the same time. Here director Riccardo Freda (as Robert Hampton) did a fine job. I especially enjoy films, like this one, with Barbara Steele. 'THDH' had many of the elements I enjoy most like, good atmosphere, artistic cinematography, fine acting, seemingly accurate period costumes and Gothic settings. The story itself was very off- beat especially for 1963, dealing with a taboo theme like necrophilia. The plot seems like a mixture of 'Rebecca' (1940) with bits of 'Jane Eyre' and strong doses of horror. The films are alike in that a second wife, or lover to be, comes to live in the secluded mansion of a departed beautiful first wife. The home is full of her memories and even large portraits of the first wife. And of course there are mysterious screams and noises in the night and figures moving in the dark. Like in 'Rebecca' there's even a strange maid devoted to her first mistress. There are some other comparisons to 'Jayne Eyre' I won't go into so as not to reveal the plot. We watched this in Italian with English subtitles. The subtitles did not take away from the film at all. If you like Italian or foreign horror films in general, this is a must see. I would include it on my list of best Gothic horror films of all time.

The_Void Many people, like me, will see The Terror of Dr Hitchcock purely for it's cult value. This is the best reason to see the film, as the value outside of it's cult status isn't exactly vast; but the film does offer other reasons that makes viewing worthwhile. First and foremost is the fact that it stars 'The Queen of Horror' Barbara Steele. Steele is an odd beauty, and her looks always ensure that she serves whatever film she's in well. She stars alongside Robert Flemyng, who takes the title role as Dr Hitchcock. Given that the film is supposed to be about him, I was surprised to find that most of the screen time focuses on Barbara Steele's character. This is either the result of Steele's status within the genre, or the fact that Flemyng's character is actually quite boring. This is the film's main problem. The themes on offer are intriguing and often make for great horror movies; but because the central character never really gets a chance to let his motives and desires shine through the performance; it's difficult to really connect with him or the film.The story follows the aforementioned doctor. Dr Hitchcock is into necrophilia, and when his game that involves drugging his wife goes wrong and she winds up dead, Hitchcock is unable to let go and keeps her body in the cellar. He remarries and plans to use the blood of his new wife to bring back his old one. Like most Italian horror films from this period; the cinematography is awesome, and this is brought about by lavish sets and excellent use of lighting. A lot of the running time is spent on watching Steele run about the various rooms of the castle, and this would be quite boring if the film wasn't so beautiful to look at. The cinematography isn't enough to save the film, however, as a lot of what goes on does look suspiciously like padding for an otherwise thin plot. The film starts off slowly, and the pacing does pick up towards the end where the film is at it's most interesting. The Terror of Dr Hitchcock isn't a great film, or even a great genre film; but it's an interesting little flick that is best remembered for it's beautiful cinematography and the fact that it stars one of horror cinema's great actresses.