An old actor returns years later to the role that made him famous--that of evil, psychopathic killer, Dr. Death. But why does everyone on the movie set keep dying violently? Alright, so it's not either one's greatest film, but it is Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, so cut them some slack. The plot is chock-full of holes, but still mildly entertaining, and has a good (if inexplicable) twist ending. That, as well as the two stars, are the only reasons this gets a rating of 6/10 from me.
Would I recommend? Not particularly, as there are much better films you could watch to see Price and Cushing at their best. But it's one of your few chances to see both great actors together, and it isn't a total waste of time.
Everybody thinks I'm dead, including myself.
Madhouse is directed by Jim Clark and written by Angus Hall, Ken Levison and Greg Morrison. It stars Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri and Natasha Pyne. Music is by Douglas Gamley and cinematography by Ray Parslow.
A horror movie star returns to his famous role after recovering from a nervous breakdown. But the character seems to be committing real life murders...
The madhouse of the title is a metaphor for the movie making industry, with the makers here clearly having some sly asides to the industry that made them, whilst some of the in-jokes are sharply observed. Featuring genre legends Price from "AIP" and Cushing from "Hammer", it's a horror picture that's more of fond fan piece than anything substantial. Especially given that the two horror greats don't get enogh screen time together.
Pic is packed with too many red herrings and some scenes actually don't make any sense, you sometimes feel that it is written on the fly. The insertion of clips from a couple of Price's Corman films are a nice touch, as are a couple of homages, but it still feels like a cobbled idea for a film cribbing from the "Dr. Phibes" scheme of things. While the big reveal for the finale is a bit of a let down and hardly surprising.
So not a great film then (it sat on the shelf for two years before getting released), but there's still plenty enough to enjoy here - not least Corri's mad spider obsessive character, Michael Parkinson interviewing Price, and even Price singing! But mostly it's for fans of Price because his horror career was winding down to a close. 6/10
