Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing: Greatest Horror Icons Unite in This Mysterious British Screamer
Due in great part to two significant production firms, Hammer and Amicus, British horror film achieved its zenith in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite having different styles, both studios frequently collaborated with horror icons Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, who appeared together on film 22 times. Their most well-known joint role was in Hammer’s ‘Dracula’ (1958), in which Cushing played Van Helsing and Lee played the title vampire. This movie launched a string of Dracula movies, and the two continued to collaborate on other spooky works, such as ‘The Mummy’ and ‘The Hound of Baskervilles’, which were all influenced by Hammer’s gothic aesthetic. But in 1965, they decided to take a different approach and partnered with Amicus for Dr.
‘Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors’ was one of the company’s earliest horror anthologies. This specific film didn’t receive as much notice as Amicus’s later efforts, even though they later gained recognition for their anthology films.
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The six horrifying tales in ‘Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors’ are all set in a train cabin. Six men from affluent backgrounds board the train, and they are all fascinated when a deck of tarot cards appears in one of their bags. By referring to the cards as his “house of horrors,” Dr. Schreck (Cushing), whose name means “terror” in German, gives us a preview of what lies ahead. While the fifth man, art critic Franklyn Marsh (Lee), rejects the concept, the other four men enthusiastically request that their futures be read.
Every tarot reading results in a magical story with characters who are ironically punished for their choices. The readings connect the stories, making the audience feel as though they are travelling with the protagonists on the train, racing toward their unavoidable end. To heighten the sense of dread, Dr. Schreck selects a card after each reading, always displaying the same card to each individual.
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A tense mood is created by the stories’ uncertain yet inevitable nature. Every story, from voodoo to disembodied hands, has a distinct but no less sinister conclusion. The characters’ penalties are enjoyable, yet the gloomy setting makes us wonder if they deserve them. Dr. Schreck is portrayed by Cushing in a way that is remarkable because of his eerie appearance and manner.
As Cushing’s rival once more, Lee excels in his portrayal of the cynical art critic whose storyline entails a spiral into insanity. This picture, which delivers an unpredictable and unsettling anthology that leaves spectators on edge, is a remarkable example of their exceptional on-screen chemistry.
–Farheen Ali
