Verdict
Summary
Horrors of the Black Museum starts off with a doozy of a scene where a beautiful blonde woman’s eyes are gouged out in a vivid way, and it’s all downhill from there.
Plot:
A crime journalist is behind a spate of horrifying murders in London.
Review:
A woman receives a brand new pair of binoculars anonymously in the mail, and when she opens them, she’s delighted to try them out by looking out her window. But something horrible happens: The binoculars are booby-trapped and her eyes are gouged out by daggers that are rigged to the lenses! The media goes into a frenzy over the story, and a crime reporter named Bancroft (Michael Gough) sensationalizes it, much to the chagrin of the authorities. On the side, Bancroft runs a morbid wax museum that showcases some of the more awful murders throughout history, and he has a dimwitted assistant (played by Graham Curnow) who does his every bidding. The binoculars incident isn’t an isolated incident: There have been recent horrible murders that’ve captured the media’s attention, and Bancroft has already been making changes and additions to his museum of horrors. Then the penny drops: Bancroft is the orchestrator of all the murders and terrifying events of late in London! He uses his assistant to carry out the tasks and dirty work, while he sits back, planning them and then writing about them! But when his assistant gets cornered by cops on top of a Ferris wheel at a carnival, Bancroft’s scheme may have come to its conclusion.
Horrors of the Black Museum starts off with a doozy of a scene where a beautiful blonde woman’s eyes are gouged out in a vivid way, and it’s all downhill from there. For a moment I thought the movie was going to continue to impress me with its sick imagination, but it becomes more of a psychological drama, and because the film is presented in a gimmicky “Hypnovision” format where it is introduced by a “registered psychologist” at the beginning before the film starts, the movie’s intention seems to be to mess around with your expectations rather than continuing to go for the jugular. Michael Gough’s performance is all over the place, teetering on hysteria, yelling and spitting out his lines like an unhinged mad scientist, but the movie ends up feeling a little underwhelming, which is a shame because that first scene is pretty vivid. From director Arthur Crabtree.
VCI’s recent Blu-ray release of Horrors of the Black Museum comes in a nice, crisp widescreen (2:35:1) digital transfer, and comes with a bunch of bonus features and a reversible slip.
Bonus Materials
- Original U.S. Theatrical Trailer
- Original European Theatrical Trailer
- Photo Gallery
- Archival Commentary by Writer/Producer Herman Cohen
- 2023 Commentary by Robert Kelly noted film historian and artist.
- 2-sided coverwrap features original theatrical art and flip side with a new graphic design by Robert Kelly
- Video Tribute to Producer Herman Cohen
- Archival Phone Interview/Video Featurette with Herman Cohen
- Original U.S. Hypno-vista opening featuring psychologist, Emile Franchel
