Chamber of Horrors

Rating:
Summary: Chamber of Boredom
Review: A murder is found to be connected to a false heir and a secret underground torture chamber.In an old haunted house, Dr. Manetta plans to menace heiress Judy Lansdowne, who is well portrayed by lovely blonde Lilli Palmer in an early role. "Chamber of Horrors", an English B-Picture, is plagued by slow pacing, poor writing, and laughable acting. This low-budget British thriller is based on Edgar Wallace's book, "The Door with Seven Locks". The year before, "The Human Monster", based on another Wallace story, was a big box-office hit. It had starred Bela Lugosi. 1940's "Chamber of Horrors" is thought to be a remake of 1932's "The Most Dangerous Game". But it's not. The only real connection is that both starred the marvelous Leslie Banks. "The Most Dangerous Game", shot in Hollywood on the sets for "King Kong", was Banks first of 35 films. Leslie Banks appeared in 2 early Alfred Hitchcock movies, "Man Who Knew Too Much(1934)", and
"Jamaica Inn(1939), Hitch's last English film. The debonair actor was a British screen, stage actor, stage director, and producer. Banks owed his scarred face and frozen expression to a paralyzing injury suffered in World War I. He died in 1952. The Roan Group DVD, "Chamber of Horrors", features a cast and crew menu, and 19 chapter stops, with no other extras. For a magnificent performance by Leslie Banks in a classic thriller, find "The Most Dangerous Game" in DVD and VHS. Unless you're a fervent devotee of master thespian Leslie Banks, there is no point in entering this "Chamber" door.

Rating:
Summary: "We must be gentle with her, she plays Chopin divinely..."
Review: This is, at least in my opinion, a very entertaining mystery with a great, if somewhat hokey, plot. Plus it has Leslie Banks and a very young and incredibly beautiful Lilli Palmer, a talented and underated actress who gave an excellent performance in the classic, "The Counterfeit Traitor". The quality of this dvd leaves a lot to be desired (particularly the sound quality), but it's overall adequate considering the age.

Lessa explained the plot perfectly, so I won't waste time. I think this forgotten classic is highly underated, with a great mixture of romance & suspense, and loads of humor. And the sinister Dr. Manetta has a lazy eye (big-time!), giving him an even more evil appearance! The movie does start out slow, but once Lilli Palmer is seen you can't help but become interested! This is no masterpiece, but I think it's definitely worth owning if you're a fan of classic light-hearted mysteries.

Rating:
Summary: Chamber of Horrors
Review: Well this is a very hokey movie but well worth watching for all you lovers of the B movies. The copy I have (not from Amazon) is a bit dark so it was hard to view... It's a funny movie, kind of a spoof on detective movies with an old spooky mansion, a not so poor damsel going there to inherit money, and a very handsome and dashing if not silly detective who follows her there for protection. The damsel inherits a key to a fortune but there are seven that are needed to get into the family tomb and get the treasure. A large Mute, a cunning and evil looking Dr, and two other family servants try their best to keep the damsel from getting her inheritance. The title of the movie comes from the Dr... he has a love of torture devices and collects them in a small museum on the family manor. The comedy relief is provided by the side kick of the detective and the damsel's young aunt who is interested in nothing but finding a man. ;) A very screwy screwball comedy/suspense. Slow in spots but worth watching.