Circus of Horrors
Encyclopedia
Circus of Horrors is a 1960
British
horror film
directed by Sidney Hayers
. It starred Anton Diffring
, Yvonne Monlaur
, Erika Remberg
, Kenneth Griffith
, Jane Hylton
, Conrad Phillips
, Yvonne Romain
and Donald Pleasence
.
It was the third in what film critic David Pirie called Anglo-Amalgamated
's "Sadian trilogy", focusing on sadism, cruelty and violence (with sexual undertones) rather than, say, the supernatural horror of the Hammer films
in the same era. The previous films in the trilogy were Horrors of the Black Museum
and Peeping Tom
, both in 1959
.
, Dr. Rossiter (Anton Diffring
) is a plastic surgeon
wanted by the police after an operation goes hideously wrong. However, believing himself to have brilliant abilities as a surgeon, he and his assistants (Kenneth Griffith
and Jane Hylton
) evade capture and escape to the Continent. There Rossiter changes his name to Schüler, and befriends a circus owner (Donald Pleasence
) on whose deformed daughter Nicole (played by Carol Challoner as a child, Yvonne Monlaur
as an adult) he operates.
Schüler manipulates his way into running the circus, taking it over when the owner dies in a freak "accident". A decade later, he is running an internationally successful circus, which he uses as a front for his surgical exploits. He befriends deformed women and transforms them for his "Temple of Beauty". However, when they threaten to leave, they meet with mysterious accidents which raise the suspicions of local police (Conrad Phillips
among them), who are soon on his trail.
in London
and in Old Amersham
, Buckinghamshire. Billy Smart's Circus
provided the big top and some of its performers appeared as extras.
The score was provided between Franz Reizenstein
and Muir Mathieson
. Douglas Slocombe
was the cinematographer
.
The song "Look For A Star" is from this movie. In the US, there were four versions issued at the same time that charted:
Taking all four versions together, "Look For A Star" was quite a big hit in 1960. (It's fair to assume that only one version got airplay and sales in each radio market. For example, in the Minnesota market, the Deane Hawley was the version that got played and sold in the stores.)
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Sidney Hayers
Sidney Hayers
Sidney Hayers was a British film and television director, writer and producer.Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, among his most acclaimed films were Circus of Horrors , The Trap and the occult thriller Night of the Eagle .In British TV, his credits included The Persuaders! and The New Avengers; he...
. It starred Anton Diffring
Anton Diffring
Anton Diffring , born Alfred Pollack, was a German actor.-Biography:Diffring was born in Koblenz...
, Yvonne Monlaur
Yvonne Monlaur
Yvonne Monlaur is a retired French film actress of the late 1950s and 1960s best known for her roles in the Hammer horror films.Her father's a Russian count; her mother's a ballet dancer....
, Erika Remberg
Erika Remberg
Erika Remberg is an Austrian film actress. She appeared in 31 films between 1950 and 1970.She was born in Medan, Indonesia.-Selected filmography:* Um Thron und Liebe * Circus of Horrors...
, Kenneth Griffith
Kenneth Griffith
Kenneth Griffith was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker.-Early life:He was born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Six months after his birth his parents split up and left Tenby, leaving Kenneth with his paternal grandparents, Emily and Ernest, who immediately adopted...
, Jane Hylton
Jane Hylton
Jane Hylton was an English actress who accumulated 30 film credits, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, before moving into television work in the latter half of her career in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
, Conrad Phillips
Conrad Phillips
Conrad Phillips is a British film and television actor, born in London. His real name is Conrad Philip Havord.He is best known for portraying William Tell in the popular ITV television series The Adventures of William Tell which ran for 39 episodes from 1958 to 1959. Philips also played Stefan,...
, Yvonne Romain
Yvonne Romain
Yvonne Romain is a British film and television actress of the late 1950s and 1960s.-Early career:...
and Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence
Sir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
.
It was the third in what film critic David Pirie called Anglo-Amalgamated
Anglo-Amalgamated
Anglo-Amalgamated Productions was a British film production company run by Nat Cohen and Stuart Levy that operated from 1945 to the 1970s. Much of the output was low budget and often second features, many produced at Merton Park Studios...
's "Sadian trilogy", focusing on sadism, cruelty and violence (with sexual undertones) rather than, say, the supernatural horror of the Hammer films
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
in the same era. The previous films in the trilogy were Horrors of the Black Museum
Horrors of the Black Museum
Horrors of the Black Museum is a British horror film starring Michael Gough and directed by Arthur Crabtree.It was the first film in what film critic David Pirie dubbed Anglo-Amalgamated's "Sadian trilogy" , with an emphasis on sadism, cruelty and violence , in contrast to the supernatural...
and Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom (film)
Peeping Tom is a 1960 British psychological thriller directed by Michael Powell and written by the World War II cryptographer and polymath Leo Marks. The title derives from the slang expression 'peeping Tom' describing a voyeur...
, both in 1959
1959 in film
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
.
Plot
In 1940s EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Dr. Rossiter (Anton Diffring
Anton Diffring
Anton Diffring , born Alfred Pollack, was a German actor.-Biography:Diffring was born in Koblenz...
) is a plastic surgeon
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
wanted by the police after an operation goes hideously wrong. However, believing himself to have brilliant abilities as a surgeon, he and his assistants (Kenneth Griffith
Kenneth Griffith
Kenneth Griffith was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker.-Early life:He was born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Six months after his birth his parents split up and left Tenby, leaving Kenneth with his paternal grandparents, Emily and Ernest, who immediately adopted...
and Jane Hylton
Jane Hylton
Jane Hylton was an English actress who accumulated 30 film credits, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, before moving into television work in the latter half of her career in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
) evade capture and escape to the Continent. There Rossiter changes his name to Schüler, and befriends a circus owner (Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence
Sir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
) on whose deformed daughter Nicole (played by Carol Challoner as a child, Yvonne Monlaur
Yvonne Monlaur
Yvonne Monlaur is a retired French film actress of the late 1950s and 1960s best known for her roles in the Hammer horror films.Her father's a Russian count; her mother's a ballet dancer....
as an adult) he operates.
Schüler manipulates his way into running the circus, taking it over when the owner dies in a freak "accident". A decade later, he is running an internationally successful circus, which he uses as a front for his surgical exploits. He befriends deformed women and transforms them for his "Temple of Beauty". However, when they threaten to leave, they meet with mysterious accidents which raise the suspicions of local police (Conrad Phillips
Conrad Phillips
Conrad Phillips is a British film and television actor, born in London. His real name is Conrad Philip Havord.He is best known for portraying William Tell in the popular ITV television series The Adventures of William Tell which ran for 39 episodes from 1958 to 1959. Philips also played Stefan,...
among them), who are soon on his trail.
Cast
- Anton DiffringAnton DiffringAnton Diffring , born Alfred Pollack, was a German actor.-Biography:Diffring was born in Koblenz...
as Dr. Schuler - Erika RembergErika RembergErika Remberg is an Austrian film actress. She appeared in 31 films between 1950 and 1970.She was born in Medan, Indonesia.-Selected filmography:* Um Thron und Liebe * Circus of Horrors...
as Elissa Caro - Yvonne MonlaurYvonne MonlaurYvonne Monlaur is a retired French film actress of the late 1950s and 1960s best known for her roles in the Hammer horror films.Her father's a Russian count; her mother's a ballet dancer....
as Nicole Vanet - Donald PleasenceDonald PleasenceSir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
as Vanet - Jane HyltonJane HyltonJane Hylton was an English actress who accumulated 30 film credits, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, before moving into television work in the latter half of her career in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
as Angela - Kenneth GriffithKenneth GriffithKenneth Griffith was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker.-Early life:He was born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Six months after his birth his parents split up and left Tenby, leaving Kenneth with his paternal grandparents, Emily and Ernest, who immediately adopted...
as Martin - Conrad PhillipsConrad PhillipsConrad Phillips is a British film and television actor, born in London. His real name is Conrad Philip Havord.He is best known for portraying William Tell in the popular ITV television series The Adventures of William Tell which ran for 39 episodes from 1958 to 1959. Philips also played Stefan,...
as Inspector Arthur Ames - Jack GwillimJack GwillimJack William Frederick Gwillim was a prolific English character actor.-Career:Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, he served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years, attaining the rank of Commander...
as Superintendent Andrews - Vanda Hudson as Magda von Meck
- Yvonne RomainYvonne RomainYvonne Romain is a British film and television actress of the late 1950s and 1960s.-Early career:...
as Melina - Colette Wilde as Evelyn Morley Finsbury
- William MervynWilliam MervynWilliam Mervyn was an English actor best known for his portrayal of the Bishop in the clerical comedy All Gas and Gaiters.-Life and career:...
as Doctor Morley - John MerivaleJohn MerivaleJohn Herman Merivale , also known as Jack Merivale, was a British theatre actor, and occasional supporting player in British films.-Biography:...
as Edward Finsbury - Peter SwanwickPeter SwanwickPeter Swanwick was a British actor best remembered as the "Supervisor" in the 1967 TV series, The Prisoner...
as German Police Inspector Knopf
Production
The film was shot at Beaconsfield Studios, with location filming on Clapham CommonClapham Common
Clapham Common is an 89 hectare triangular area of grassland situated in south London, England. It was historically common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, but was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878.43 hectares of the common are within the...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in Old Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
, Buckinghamshire. Billy Smart's Circus
Billy Smart, Jr
Billy Smart, Jr was widely known in Britain as a circus performer and impresario.Smart, whose real name was Stanley, was the tenth child and third son of Billy Smart, Sr. His father was a showman and fairground proprietor, who bought a circus in 1946. The first appearance of the Billy Smart circus...
provided the big top and some of its performers appeared as extras.
The score was provided between Franz Reizenstein
Franz Reizenstein
Franz Theodor Reizenstein was a German-born British composer and concert pianist. He left Germany for sanctuary in Britain in 1934 and went on to have his career there, including teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music and Boston University, as well as performing.-Life and work:Franz...
and Muir Mathieson
Muir Mathieson
James Muir Mathieson was a Scottish conductor and composer. Mathieson was almost always described as a "Musical Director" on a large number of British films.-Career:...
. Douglas Slocombe
Douglas Slocombe
Douglas Slocombe OBE, BSC, A.S.C. is a British cinematographer who has enjoyed a long career in the British film industry...
was the cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
.
The song "Look For A Star" is from this movie. In the US, there were four versions issued at the same time that charted:
- Garry Mills (apparently the original) (Imperial 5674) reached #26
- Garry Miles (Liberty 55261) reached #16
- Deane Hawley (Dore 554) reached #29
- Billy Vaughan (the sole instrumental version) (Dot 16106) reached #19
Taking all four versions together, "Look For A Star" was quite a big hit in 1960. (It's fair to assume that only one version got airplay and sales in each radio market. For example, in the Minnesota market, the Deane Hawley was the version that got played and sold in the stores.)