Circus of Fear

***B movie crime/mystery that takes place at a circus outside of London***

After an armored car heist, some of the money is traced to Barberini's Circus winter quarters in the country just west of London. As dead bodies are discovered the inspector (Leo Genn) suspects several people, including the gruff hooded lion tamer (Christopher Lee).

A UK production, “Circus of Fear” (1966), aka "Psycho-Circus,” starts as a big city crime thriller and quickly morphs into a Whodunit at a circus with several familiar British faces in the cast. It’s a colorful B movie with a comic book vibe that’s so melodramatic it’s either amusing or annoying.

While the story focuses on the talky investigation, there are plenty of typical circus goings-on, like the lion act, elephants, knife throwing and some high wire stuff. Margaret Lee (Gina) and Suzy Kendall (Natasha) appear on the feminine front, but they’re not milked for their potential (not tawkin’ bout nudity or sleaze). The best shot of a female is a brief clip of a blonde stunt-riding a horse. Meanwhile Lee spends 90% of the movie in a black hood. Still, the flick works in its quaint, overdramatic Grade B way.

The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes. Beware of shorter prints with a missing reel, as well as subpar prints (I saw the full version, “Circus of Fear,” which is a high quality print with crisp, colorful imagery). The picture was shot in Berkshire, Windsor, England (just West of London), with the opening filmed at Tower Bridge and wharfs in London.

GRADE: B-