TheLittleSongbird There is not very much to add here. Torture Garden is entertaining and has a good amount of atmosphere and some good performances but is also a rather uneven film, and there are stronger Amicus anthology films around (understandably as this was a reasonably early effort for them). Also agree with the general consensus that the first and last segments are the best and the second and third come up short.The story linking the four segments is mostly very well done, it's suspenseful, it's fun, intriguingly written, ties the segments beautifully and succinctly and it has the bonus of having Burgess Meredith playing his tailor-made role with delicious relish. Some might find that the carnival setting's somewhat gaudy, but to me that was effective, it suited the atmosphere and carnivals are so in the first place anyway to an extent. It is a shame though that Diablo's real identity was a little too obvious and the ending can be smelt a mile off.Of the four segments, The Man Who Collected Poe comes off the most successfully. It is very macabre, very intelligently written and has a good deal of suspense. It is also the best-looking segment of the four, with the Gothic atmosphere evoked wonderfully. Jack Palance is devilishly enjoyable here, he's over-the-top but also very menacing, vintage Palance really. Peter Cushing proves himself to be a great contrast, a more subtle performance but very dignified and urbane. Enoch has a very creepy ambiance and doesn't go through the motions at all with the scares. The cat didn't look too cute personally, and does bring the right amount of chills as the antagonist of the story.Conversely, Terror over Hollywood and particularly Mr. Steinway don't fare anywhere near as strongly. Terror over Hollywood at least had a very intriguing subject, but it descend into weird silliness often and while striking Beverly Adams is rather too pretty and lightweight for the over-ambitious diva, when she does try to bring some menace or hard edge it feels very forced. Mr. Steinway is very dull from the get go and goes so overkill in the absurdity factor that it is really difficult to take seriously or be scared by it, only the piano's unsettling final attack prevents it from completely falling apart. John Standing is also rather bland here.Visually, Torture Garden's not one of the better-looking Amicus anthology productions and it's less than beautiful-looking, but it doesn't look too cheap at all either. In fact, it's very competently made and gives off a very nice atmosphere. Some of the sets are a touch tacky, with the exception of The Man Who Collected Poe and the appropriate carnival setting and the editing occasionally may lack slickness, but it's very stylishly shot, that takes maximum Gothic effect to imaginative heights, and the lighting's not too garish, in fact the use of colour is very like watching a Mario Bava film. James Bernard's score is rousing, haunting and thrillingly booming, Robert Bloch's script is skillful and combines many horror elements with wit and creepy atmosphere without feeling too over-stuffed and Freddie Francis directs engagingly at least for the first and last segments and the linking story. And while the acting in Torture Garden is very varied, Palance, Cushing and Meredith are incredibly strong and are more than enough to make one stick with the film.Overall, entertaining and above-decent but uneven, with one outstanding segment, one great segment and two misfires, along with a compelling story linking them together. Worth seeing also for the strong performances from Palance, Cushing and Meredith. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

utgard14 I'm a big fan of the horror anthology film in general. I'm an especially big fan of the ones made by Amicus. This is the second of their portmanteau films, following Dr. Terror's House of Horrors. This isn't their best but it's still entertaining. It's written by Robert Bloch and directed by Freddie Francis. There are four stories plus the linking/wraparound story. The first story is "Enoch," about a no-account who causes the death of his uncle while trying to extort money from him. Later he discovers the bizarre source of his uncle's wealth: a telepathic cat named Balthazar with a peculiar appetite. A weird but unique tale. The next story, "Terror Over Hollywood," is the weakest. An ambitious (and unlikable) actress discovers the secret of how movie stars stay so youthful-looking. Lame. The third story is "Mr. Steinway," about a reporter who becomes involved with a concert pianist. Too bad his piano is the jealous type! A little silly but fun. Finally, there's "The Man Who Collected Poe," which is about two Edgar Allan Poe collectors (Jack Palance, Peter Cushing) and the extremes they go to for the sake of their obsession. This is my favorite story in the film.The linking story has a sideshow showman named Dr. Diablo (Burgess Meredith) taking five people into a back room where they get to see their future. This leads into the other stories and finishes the movie with the expected twist about Diablo that, while amusing, will surely surprise no one. The best stories are the first and the last but the linking story is fun in its way, due to Burgess Meredith's performance. As I said, this isn't one of Amicus' better horror anthologies but it isn't bad either. The segments are interesting and feel fresh, not just rehashes of older stories. It's a good time-passer.

Scott LeBrun "Torture Garden" is, overall, a fun if unexceptional horror anthology from Amicus, a company that specialized in that sort of thing for a number of years. With a screenplay written by Robert Bloch of "Psycho" fame, and efficient direction by Freddie Francis, it's unfortunately a little uneven. It's divided into four segments, and segments two and three aren't quite as punchy, and more amusing than anything; segment one, which is rather leisurely paced, would have been better off as the third in the movie.The ever wonderful Burgess Meredith is a sort of host for the proceedings, playing a sideshow personality named Dr. Diabolo, who takes various customers into his "torture garden" and places them in front of an exhibit that can foretell their futures, and see the darkness buried within each of them."Enoch" stars Michael Bryant as Colin, a man in need of money who thinks he'll get it from his dying uncle (Maurice Denham). After accidentally causing the old man's death, he discovers what kinds of secrets his uncle had been keeping, and they revolve around a spooky "cat" that will develop a powerful hold on him. This is interesting and atmospheric stuff, with a great denouement and enjoyable shock moments.In "Terror Over Hollywood", cunning and ambitious young actress Carla (Beverly Adams) manages to make the acquaintance of some power players in the business, including veteran star & producer Bruce Benton (Robert Hutton). She soon finds out that there's a reason why Benton and company are able to maintain a facade of youth. This leads to a real hoot of a revelation, which gives this episode its element of "horror"."Mr. Steinway" is definitely something different: the only story this viewer has seen that can claim to be a love triangle between a journalist, Dorothy (Barbara Ewing), a star pianist, Leo (John Standing), and Leo's piano. Yup, a musical instrument. This is rather cheesy stuff, and entertaining, but hardly scary.Peter Cushing and Jack Palance star in "The Man Who Collected Poe", about two men obsessed with the legendary author. Ronald Wyatt (Palance) is determined to find out everything that he can about just what kinds of things Lancelot Canning (Cushing) is hoarding. As it turns out, Lancelot truly has the treasure to beat them all. At least we can say that this movie ends with the best story of the bunch.Taken as a whole, the movie is enjoyable for horror fans, although it is somewhat plodding and has its ups and downs. The top notch cast makes it a worthy viewing; John Phillips, Michael Ripper, Bernard Kay, David Bauer, Niall MacGinnis, Hedger Wallace, Clytie Jessop, and Timothy Bateson also appear. It's also noteworthy for having American stars (Palance and Meredith) be top billed. It's not the best of the Amicus anthologies, but it's not bad at all either.Seven out of 10.

TheFinalAlias In John Baxter's worthless, rambling, hunk of garbage book 'Science Fiction in the Cinema'(which calls 'The Thing' a rip-off of 'Frankenstein'(????), bashes 'Metropolis' and refers to any movie featuring monsters as juvenile pap unless he likes it or Jack Arnold directed it) he manages to occasionally make an important point. In his dissection of mad scientist films, he states "Each decade has it's stock menace, an expert in fantasy and grim humor who becomes Hollywood's resident monster and mad scientist. In the 20's it was Lon Chaney, in the 50's Vincent Price". He is very true. Often the horror actors were tapped as villains in non-genre offerings and added a flavor of black comedy to serious films; often with actor collaborations being laugh riots. But if this is true for horror stars, it is also true in the opposite way for non-genre stars like John Carradine, Claude Rains and Herbert Lom; who often found themselves booted up to 'honorary horror star' status when cast in a genre offering not typical of their output.Well, to that list, you can add Burgess Meredith and Jack Palance. Who both made for great villains in non-genre offerings, and as either heroes or villains in horror sub-genres like sci-fi and costumed heroes. And best of all, both actors are at their best here.Five carnival attendees(including Palance and British horror mainstay Michael Ripper)enter the chamber of the snide showman Dr. Diablo (Meredith, having the time of his life)who reveals to them their future by having them gaze into the pruning shears('Torture GARDEN' get it?) of a statue of the goddess Atropos. What follows are four stories written by Robert Bloch.The first story, based off Bloch's 'Enoch', features a scoundrel who tricks his wealthy uncle(an amusing cameo by Maurice Denham)into having a heart attack, only to end up discovering the source of his uncle's wealth in the form of a demon cat. This story is rather boring on first viewing, but on second viewing the creepy menace builds and one ends up taking in all the little moments of foreshadowing. It's excellent, even if the cat is too cute to be menacing. Once hated this story, now it's a fave.The second story features a b*tchy wannabe actress(Beverly Adams)who ends up discovering the secret of the Hollywood Ten while trying to seduce a handsome, but aging Clark Gable type. Often criticized for it's pacing, this segment has a satiric quality that in today's world of plastic surgery for celebrities, isn't far off. Ends with a typical Bloch pun.The third(and worst) story features another b*tchy seductress who tries to seduce a piano player only to run afoul of his piano(???)possessed by his mother. The ending seems to suggest that it was a real murder committed by the insane, hallucinating pianist, or is that what they want the onlookers in the story to think? The whole 'posession/impersonation/hallucination' thing combined with the dead, nagging mother reminds me of 'Psycho'. Bloch must have really hated his mom. I salute him for that. But this story just sucks. Thankfully it ends soon.The fourth, final, and best story, while a poor adaption of Bloch's story 'Man who collected Poe', is still excellent. Good enough to warrant it's own film. Jack Palance plays Roland Wyatt, an obnoxious collector who befriends a necromancer(Peter Cushing) who collects Poe memorabilia. The references to 'Fall of the House of Usher'and 'Cask of Amontillado' are fun to spot. Palance and Cushing are outstanding, as usual. I won't spoil any more of it.'Torture Garden' is no masterpiece, but it has many amusing moments, great performances from as I said; two 'honorary horror stars', a great cameo by Peter Cushing, eerie carnival music and lots to enjoy on repeat viewings. It's arguably the worst of Amicus's anthologies, but it's still essential viewing for any true-blooded horror fan.