British Portmanteau Horror Films
My favourite portmanteau films. Mostly Amicus
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- DirectorKevin ConnorStarsPeter CushingIan BannenIan CarmichaelAn anthology of four short horror stories revolving around a mysterious antique shop owner and his antique pieces, each of which hides a deadly secret.My personal favourite portmanteau horror film. Peter Cushing obviously enjoys himself camping it up with a Lancashire accent as he runs his second hand shop full of things 'thou shall not steal'.
All the stories and acting are excellent with Ian Carmichael's comedy segment a special treat. - DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsJoan CollinsPeter CushingRalph RichardsonFive strangers get lost in a crypt and, after meeting the mysterious Crypt Keeper, receive visions of how they will die.Another wonderful Amicus collection marred only by the first segment with it's daft story and utterly unrealistic blood that Joan Collins scrapes into a sherry glass - well you would wouldn't you?
The favourite is the one with the superb Peter Cushing - again - with the last segment (with Nigel Green and the wonderful Patrick Macgee) being a very close second.
BTW, the opening credits are filmed in Highgate cemetary. - DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsCurd JürgensTerry-ThomasTom BakerAn anthology of five horror stories shared by five men trapped in the basement of an office building.The weaker sibling of Tales From The Crypt (1972). Interesting touches are Anna Massey and Daniel Massey, a real life brother and sister playing a brother and sister; and Terry-Thomas finding the consequences of nagging your wife played by Glynis Johns, daughter of the actor who plays the architect in Dead of Night (1945).
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsBarbara ParkinsRichard ToddSylvia SymsIn order to secure a job at a mental institution, a young psychiatrist must interview four patients inside the asylum.Not my favourite but I like the title theme (Mussorgsky - Night on the Bare Mountain) and it's got Richard Todd, Sylvia Syms, Peter Cushing and Herbert Lom so it's not all that bad.
- DirectorRobert FuestStarsVincent PriceJoseph CottenVirginia NorthDoctor, scientist, organist, and biblical scholar Anton Phibes seeks revenge on the nine doctors he considers responsible for the death of his wife.This isn't your typical portmanteau film but it has seven separate stories of killings. The linking story with Vincent Price gets tedious until he's preparing for murder. Unusually, Terry-Thomas appears in the sequel to this (playing opposite Beryl Reid) even though in this film he's bled to death.
- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsChristopher LeePeter CushingNeil McCallumAboard a British train, mysterious fortune teller Dr. Schreck uses tarot cards to read the futures of five fellow passengers.If my memory is correct, not only is this the first Amicus portmanteau horror offering but it is the first of it's type I remember watching when I was a young lad. Even then (when I was 10 or 11) I thought Roy Castle's performance was less than passable. The best is obviously the last one with Christopher Lee and Michael Gough.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsVincent PriceJohn CarradineAnthony SteelA writer of horror stories is invited to a "monster club" by a mysterious old gentleman. There, three gruesome stories are told to him; between each story some musicians play their songs.One of the weakest of the list but it does have Vincent Price and Donald Pleasance so it's worth watching for them two alone.
- DirectorPeter DuffellStarsJohn BryansJohn BennettDenholm ElliottAn anthology of four horror stories revolving around a mysterious rental house in the U.K.Strangely, I think the Christopher Lee segment is the weakest of the group, but none are particularly strong and I think Jon Pertwee was cast only because he was playing Dr Who at the time. My favourite line is said by the omnipresent Geoffrey Bayldon. Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee) is in Theo von Hartmann's (Geoffrey Bayldon) unusual shop. Paul picks up a thick black candle, Theo sees him and says "Are you a celebrant?" Paul mistakes the word "celebrant" for something completely different.
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiCharles CrichtonBasil DeardenStarsMervyn JohnsMichael RedgraveRoland CulverGuests invited to a weekend in the country share their supernatural stories, beginning with Walter Craig, who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality.The daddy of them all. This was (AFAIK) the first of the horror portmanteau films. All the stories are good, with the creepiest being the one with the mirror, not so much the story itself but the way the boyfriend slowly changes. Everyone's favourite is the last one with Michael Redgrave playing the unhinged ventriloquist who lets the "mind" of his dummy take over him. Incidentally, William Goldman wrote a book then a film called "Magic" 30 years after Dead of Night in which Anthony Hopkins plays a ventriloquist whose dummy's mind takes over his and he turns into a murderer. It seems unbelievable that Dead of Night did not influence Goldman's story.
- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsJack PalanceBurgess MeredithBeverly AdamsAn anthology of four short horror stories about people who visit Dr. Diabolo's fairground haunted-house attraction show.Not a great entry and most of the stories are so-so but it does have the unique Burgess Meredith which makes up for its shortcomings.
- DirectorFreddie FrancisStarsJack HawkinsDonald PleasenceGeorgia BrownA psychiatrist tells stories of four special cases to a colleague.Another I haven't seen for a while and if my memory serves me, this is another weaker one like "Torture Garden" but I've included it in case anyone wants a list of 1960's & 70's anthology horror films.
- DirectorRobert FuestStarsVincent PriceRobert QuarryValli KempThe vengeful doctor rises again, seeking the Scrolls of Life in an attempt to resurrect his deceased wife.The linking story of this is set in Egypt and isn't work bothering with but the deaths are this things that are worth the watch.