Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Micransix Crappy film

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Prichards12345 The second of the Amicus Anthologies brings us 4 stories unfolded for a distinguished cast who wish to have their fortune told: by Atropos and her Shears of Fate, no less. Master of Ceremonies this time is Burgess Meredith in a side-show waxworks, and for a fiver he'll do you a treat! The opener may be a bit silly, featuring a cat-demon that devours the heads of those who displease it (it's just a moggy, really!), but it's also atmospherically told and reasonably engaging. Michael Bryant is pretty good at almost convincing me the cat's (mentally) clawing inside his head. He makes a daft plot work quite well.The second tale is about a would-be Hollywood starlet who finds out just WHY the top ten stars have kept their longevity. It's very cheapo looking, though, and does nothing to convince me it's set in America by having Humpty Dumpty from the BBC's PLAYSCHOOL pop up as set decoration! Not bad, but not exactly convincing.Ah, the haunted piano. This would have been better as an out and out humorous story, as it's very unintentionally funny. When the piano starts moving around the room it's hard not to laugh. This one is very silly indeed and doesn't work at all.But the best is for last, with Peter Cushing and Jack Palance squaring off in The Man Who Collected Poe. This concerns two almost frenzied enthusiasts of Edgar Allan, and we're given a sumptuous tour of Mr. Cushing's Poe collection, Palance almost foaming at the mouth in rhapsody. Both actors are superb, and old Jack discovers he should perhaps take the title of the story quite literally. For Peter Cush really HAS collected POE! This may sound absurd but it actually works, and builds up some fine frissons.At least there are no stories about mutant plants....

fedor8 Horror anthologies seem to have been all the rage in the 60s and early 70s. As were weird bras that made breasts look pointy and alien.The quality of the four stories increases, the first one being the weakest, the fourth one the best.Story 1: A more-or-less black cat hypnotizes/blackmails humans into killing other humans so it can eat their heads. I assume all black-cat actors were busy at the time, so the film-makers had to make do with what was available i.e. a cat that is vaguely blackish. You see, back in the 60s cats were in great demand on movie sets, due to the numerous horror films based on witches, magic and all that. As a result, even non-black cats found it possible to get employment in Hollywood and London. Perhaps they even dyed this cat? Needless to say, the cat is the star of this fairly mainstream story, the kind you'd find in any comic-book titled "Creepy Crawlies" or thereabouts. If kitty wants human heads, kitty should GET human heads! So it's not really a horror story at all. Cats should be pampered on all levels, even Satanic ones.Story 2: This one does have a touch of originality to it. Not so much its they-are-all-robots premise, but the fact that Hollywood's elite are androids – with their old brains intact, but with new metal bodies. However, here's the snag, the far-fetched part: actors with brains?! It would have made more sense to have an actor die, throw his/her brain in the bin (or give it to the hungry cat from story 1), and make the android brainless. The robot's software doesn't even have to be Windows, but any old 80s crap. If Sean Penn is a robot, does anyone seriously believe he's got a brain up there? The brunette from this story is quite sexy.Story 3: We've had killer bunnies, killer cats (see story 1), killer hamsters possibly even – but what we never had before was a killer piano. The piano not only has a motive to kill, but a gender too: it is a jealous girl piano. If this premise had been explored in a feature film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, the piano would probably have been the man's left-wing activist grandmother who had sex with him until her soul ended up inside the piano as a result of being murdered by Italian Fascists. Or something like that; we know how obsessed with incest old Bernie is. The story is quite straight-forward, and the piano gets her man in the end. A happy ending for all the piano-fetishists out there.Story 4: The idea that Edgar Allan Poe is resurrected and is writing more stories is definitely more original than the previous stories. Jack Palance does however overact his buns off as the loony EAP fan who knows everything about his idol, down to the type of socks he used to wear when going fishing.

Foreverisacastironmess When this was playing at the cinemas, they'd give you seed packets that you might one day start your own little Torture Garden - fun? The Shears, look deeply into the shears, deep deep deep... Oh god that was so lame, could they have come up with a less bland instrument than that? Why not throw in an egg-beater of contrition while we're at it! Okay, I thought Burgess Meredith as the customary macabre host was alright, but I definitely didn't find him nearly as impressive as Ralph Richardson or Peter Cushing. He was a bit too hammy and theatrical for me, and when it's his turn to speak to the audience at the end I thought it was done the wrong way and came off as laughable more than owt else. Something that I've noticed before in other Amicus anthologies is that you can tell when they put a lot more effort into a specific story or stories that they need to be extra atmospheric or a good closer for the movie, and although in this instance none of the stories are awful to me, some are less elaborate and it stands out. That said, I really like this movie because I like the classic grim twist in the tale style, and this is one of the big three by Amicus that I can comfortably stand to watch on repeated viewings! Something that I think brings down the quality of this a bit is the weak wraparound story, which feels very cobbled together at points. And for another thing, there's no real twist ending, the only thing that comes close is the mystery of whether or not Doc Diablo was telling the people possible futures to help them, or if was just a twisted game and they can never really do anything to change their fates... Anyway I thought it was a good start to the tales, the actor's performance made a bit of a silly situation more plausible, as a man who after cruelly allowing his elderly uncle to die, wanders into the dank(Evil Dead!) cellar in search of his inheritance and unleashes the awesomely-named Balthazar, a demon cat who'll give him gold in exchange for people's heads! It was so laughable whenever they'd show the cute little kitty's face up close and it's supposed to be all evil and whatnot, but it was just a cat! If Colin had just gotten hold of some catnip or a laser-light there wouldn't have been any problem! Taste the wrath of Balthazar filthy drunken hobo!!! It was shot really well, there's some eerie scenes in the cellar and the house, which I swear is the same one that was later used in The House that Dripped Blood. Verging on the ridiculous, but I liked it. ::: I also enjoy the outlandish second story, it's a bit long-winded and dull, but I find the mystery compelling and when the payoff finally comes, it's effectively sinister. "No cause for alarm" my foot! I liked the spare makeup effect used when the girl scratches the man's face and you see the metal beneath the skin. The tale really could have used a scene with a complete robot man on the rampage, but it works. And yeah, so there's a little sci-fi in there but so what, horror and sci-fi have long gone great together. The punchline at the end is really well done, I like the way it all ties up. It's kind of a creepy line, even if the way the bubbly girl delivers it is the epitome of camp! There's really not much to talk about, it's just a solid enough yarn about a status-seeking wannabe starlet who gets in way over her head, and although she does indeed get the fame and admiration she desperately craves, it comes at a helluva price. Kinda weak, but good. ::: I've read quite a bit of guff, but I love the elegant yet gently sinister tone of the third story, and I love the classy black and white style of the location. The actor who played the musician was a really handsome guy, I thought he was the spitting image of the actor Kevin Vanhentenryck from the 1982 classic Basket Case. I loved the painting of his character's eternally watchful and presumably by the looks of it, evil mother. Her patricial facade looked so coldly fierce, like a wicked tigress, ready to leap out of the painting and devour the interloping little tramp any minute! I really can't say I felt sorry for what happens to the Barbara Ewing character at all, she was a selfish gold-digger who didn't even care if she ended up ruining his artistic gifts! And I have to admit that even if you're a big fan of the story the spectacle of a piano shuffling across the floor to bump the girl out the window is ridiculously silly! The notion of a haunted piano is strange and romantic, but it was probably something best left on paper than on the screen. It sure would have been a great darkly poetic touch if the frozen image of mother dear had been smiling at the end. I suppose it is an odd story, but I have no problems with it. Just one question though: How much does a, Stein-Weigh?(!) ::: And of the superb final story is the most visually stirring and Gothic, as well as the one that I reckon captures the imagination the most. I love how it touches upon the rich lore of old stories and of being a collector of rarities. Jack Palance sold his squirmy edgy character brilliantly, and I thought he actually outshined Peter Cushing. A truly great terror tale is like fine wine, it only gets better with age... Wish I could say the same for this movie which is not perfect, but I'd still recommend, thank you!

catfish-er Throughout the mid 60s and early 70s Amicus Productions churned out a series of wonderful little horror anthologies including: DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965), THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1970), ASYLUM (1972), TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972, which is my all-time favorite anthology), THE VAULT OF HORROR (1973, second best of the bunch), FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1973), and TORTURE GARDEN (1967).TORTURE GARDEN features Burgess Meredith, Jack Palance, and Peter Cushing.The film begins at a carnival side-show, which is Dr. Diabolo's Torture Garden. For those willing to stick around, and pay 5 pounds more, awaits the shock of a lifetime – with a money back guaranty! This is an anthology, comprised of four stories plus a wraparound (the wraparound is the 'in-between' story that ties the rest together). I love anthologies; both for the hits and the misses… my general feeling is that about half of the stories work; and, the others not so well.The first story features a man very much in debt; but, a fair bit of luck comes his way after his uncle dies, with a little help, nonetheless. Turns out, the man is the sole beneficiary of his uncle's inheritance, but it comes with a few strings attached, one being a cat with an unusual diet and psychic powers.The second story features a comely woman who would do anything to make it in the movie business, including betraying her roommate. She soon learns of a group within the business, who never seem to age; and, will do anything to protect their secret (think Death Becomes Her.) The third tale involves a female musical journalist doing a piece on a famed pianist. The two hit it off; and, a whirlwind romance ensues. However, problems arise due to the strange relationship between the man and his piano (extra points for the obscure reference to the ancient Greek muse Euterpe!) The fourth story is the best of the bunch; and, it features two extremely avid Edgar Allan Poe collectors. Turns out the Poe-passion runs in the family, as the one man's grandfather started accumulating Poe memorabilia, which his father followed, and now he is doing. The other man is envious; bur, soon discovers there's more to this collection that meets the eye.Amicus did produce a number of different type films including horror (The Psychopath, which I rated 7 out of 10); and, some science fiction (They Came From Beyond Space and The Terrornauts).However, the production company's strength was the horror anthology. Overall the stories in TORTURE GARDEN aren't very horrific or very shocking, but they do provide some disturbing atmosphere, and there's a lot of fun to be had here.