Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (The Blood Suckers) poster & wallpaper
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Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Roy Castle, Donald Sutherland, Neil McCallum ... see more see more... , Alan Freeman , Max Adrian , Edward Underdown , Ursula Howells , Peter Madden , Katy Wild , Ann Bell , Sarah Nicholls , Jeremy Kemp , Kenny Lynch , Harold Lang , Thomas Baptiste , Michael Gough , Isla Blair , Jennifer Jayne , Al Mulock , Judy Cornwell , Faith Kent , Bernard Lee , Ken Lynch , John Martin , Irene Richmond , Walter Sparrow , R. Henderson Steel , T. Hayes Quintet , Hedger Wallace , Frank Forsyth , Kenneth Kove , Christopher Carlos , Laurie Leigh

Not to be confused with David Hewitt's abominable Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors (AKA The Blood Suckers), this clever horror omnibus is one of the better early anthologies from Amicus Productions, th... read more read more...anks to Freddie Francis' stylish direction and a tongue-in-cheek approach from writer Milton Subotsky (who would later apply the same sardonic treatment to the EC Comics-based productions Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror). The framing story is set in a train car, where five passengers have their fortunes told by the all-seeing Dr. Schreck (Peter Cushing), who refers to his ominous tarot deck as his "House of Horrors." Their respective stories involve all manner of occult happenings: a jazz musician's involvement with a voodoo curse; an estate haunted by a werewolf; a doctor (Donald Sutherland) who suspects that his wife has become a vampire; a cottage besieged by a monster kudzu vine; and the most entertaining segment, in which arrogant art critic Christopher Lee is avidly pursued by a snubbed artist's severed hand. In the end, it doesn't take a jaded horror buff to deduce Schreck's true identity or the ultimate destination of the train passengers, but it's a fun ride nonetheless. Not all of the stories work (the vampire story's "twist" ending is rather silly, the voodoo tale painfully dated), and the effects are generally sub-par, but Francis keeps the pace snappy throughout, giving the entire film a throwaway, Halloween spook-house feel. Hammer horror fans will certainly find this a keeper on the strength of Cushing and Lee's performances. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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66% liked it

936 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Freddie Francis

Release Date: February 23, 1965

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Flixster Reviews (87)

  • flixsterman
    January 24, 2012
    flixsterman
    Okay, it's not really a house. It's a train. Even so, it's good, old-fashioned, Hammer-ish, British Horror.
  • FilmFanatik
    December 20, 2009
    FilmFanatik
    Nice anthology film from Amicus.
  • SirPant
    October 16, 2009
    SirPant
    A classic British Hammer Horror with interweaving stories full of suspense, intrigue and, well, horror. With a cast to die for including the much loved and sorely misses Roy Castle (Added to the cast last minute when the original actor suffered a heart attack). Brilliant!
  • littlecharmer1959
    June 8, 2009
    littlecharmer1959
    The first anthology from Hammer Horror rivals Amicus, and probably their best. All the segments are entertaining, with even the weakest story having it's moments.
    The set up is a train journey involving five men and the mysterious Dr Schreck played by Peter Cushing. It turns o... read moreut Cushing can tell the paasenger's future just by having each man tap three times on his deck of tarot cards. So then precedes each man's fate each involving a nasty but highly enjoyable to us surprise! First up we have a Werewolf terrorising the first victim. Next we have a family with a murderous creeping plant with a mind of it's own. Then, the weakest segment I feel, involving Roy Castle as a jazz musician who doesn't realise the dangers of voodoo. This is the segment where some humour is injected in but doesn't always work. Then one of the best, with Christopher Lee putting in a brilliant performance as a snobbish art critic. Then finally a very young Donald Sutherland, who unbeknown to him is married to a vampire.
    If your interested in this sort of 60s/70s horror you will no doubt enjoy this.
  • threefolddado
    July 8, 2008
    threefolddado
    Lots of Hammer horror fun.
  • muveekween
    July 15, 2011
    muveekween
    Uninteresting tales in this Amicus film. Boring, just boring. I don't get how some poeple thought this was good. I almost fell asleep watching this. Not good at all. The acting was horrible.
  • flynnparadox
    April 17, 2007
    flynnparadox
    Here it is: the beginning of Amicus' domination of the horror anthology format. Sure, not all the stories are good (the creeping vine story goes nowhere) but it's a well-made, eerie horror flick with a wonderful, star performance from Cushing as Dr. Terror (Dr. Shreck, actually)... read more himself. The first story (the werewolf segment) is the best, in my opinion, although Christopher Lee being menanced by Michael Gough's severed hand is pretty spectacular as well. It's all about atmosphere, lighting and good stereotyping of the lead characters. If you like British horror films from the sixties, you're going to love this one. Check it out.
  • TheBogMan1031
    February 24, 2007
    TheBogMan1031
    Certainly not the most noteworthy British anthology, but a personal fave of mine Spooky, darkly shot, and the ending (even though a bit obvious) is a killer.

View All Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (The Blood Suckers) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke
May 5, 2004
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Uneven portmanteau horror, but when it works, it's very good.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

David Kaplan
March 1, 2008
David Kaplan, Kaplan vs. Kaplan

No review available.

Neil Cohen
July 29, 2007
Neil Cohen, Echo Magazine

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
August 21, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

February 11, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

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