Chamber of Horrors

...reviewed October 26th 


A psychopath, who murdered his potential bride because she rejects him, vows to get even with those who were behind his arrest and sentencing for execution. Having to ax off his hand could very well be the catalyst behind this vow of vengeance. Two proprietors of a wax museum could very well be caught in the crosshairs of this dangerous killer.

Chamber of Horrors was meant to be a series and oh how delightfully macabre one it could have been. This came to my attention on Chiller channel, and then it was later included in a double feature with The Brides of Fu Manchu. I think this is wonderful. I loved it. I had seen it twice before, and the third time pleased my horror sensibilities substantially. I am such a sucker for a wax museum in horror movies. This one is in a similar vein to Price's in House of Wax (the museum in Chamber of Horrors is also called House of Wax). The curators of the museum are Anthony Draco (Casare Danova; a type of private investigator; perhaps an "independent sleuth" would be more apt) and sculptor Harold Blount (Wilfrid Hyde-White). Their museum is dedicated to murders, violent crime, and death (historical and current event). Civilized patrons have a taste for the macabre so the museum is a success. Blount and his dwarf assistant/apprentice, Pepe (Jose Rene Ruiz) entertain those who visit their museum with history regarding their exhibits. Currently of certain notoriety in Baltimore is a psychopath named Jason Cravatte (Patrick O'Neal), who was sentenced to hang for his murder of a bride-to-be that shunned him right before their supposed betrothal. While on a train, Jason is handcuffed (it was to be temporary) to a metal wheel; he removes the wheel, dives into the nearby lake, and (with an ax he finds in a room close to his position)  chops off the handcuffed hand!

Now totally insane, Jason will devise a devious plan to kill all those responsible for sentencing him to death, which includes the judge (the "body of the law"; he has a weakness for lovely, but lowly, young women), the beat cop (the "arm of the law"), the psyche doc (his testimony helped define Jason's sanity; he washes his hands because, as Jason put it, he felt dirty examining the killer, so his "hands" are to be removed!), and Draco (whose sleuthing/snooping was key in finding and arresting Jason; he was, in essence, the "head" of the operation). With each subsequent murder, whatever body part the victim represents in Jason's warped psyche he chops off and sends to law enforcement! The plot is a ghoulish piece of work, isn't it? It gives Chamber of Horrors a rather dark edge to it I think makes it stand out; while I kind of understand why it didn't make it as a television series, I sure wish a series of movies could have been produced.

I think you could definitely play this in a double bill with House of Wax (I may just do this with the two films next year), and both have plots with mad killers, their heinous acts, and climactic battles in wax museums. What is perhaps lacking in Chamber of Horrors is a Vincent Price, but Hyde-White is an actor I really enjoy immensely so his presence (and a terrific O'Neal who is aces as the cold-blooded, hook-handed nutjob) assures a good time in the casting. Jeanette Nolan, as Jason's lively aunt (and totally supportive of her crazy nephew's capture) has a fun scene with Hyde-White and Danova; she's quite chatty and vocally unfiltered. Nolan is just a hoot. It is the kind of "interview" supporting part that seems to linger longer than it actually is. Laura Devon is the gorgeous love interest Jason finds in some cheap pub, taking advantage of her situation (getting money through the advances of her looks from the low-wagers who frequent such places), offering her money and comfort in exchange for gaining the interest of victims he plans to savagely kill. Danova is quite debonair and has a slight accent that certainly makes the ladies swoon. When it calls for a different kind of an approach to finding madmen, the police sometimes need the likes of Danova and Hyde-White.

I appreciate the moments where we see Hyde-White preparing wax heads and providing tours of the museum exhibits, and there are lots of glorious color (including a wonderful use of red), some style to burn (like how the camera and lighting frames O'Neal as he is about to commit murder; and he is often in cape and hat like a Baltimore Jack the Ripper), and cameos (like Marie Windsor as a madam who provides shelter to Jason while he's being hunted; Tony Curtis as a gambler of cards; Suzy Parker as an acquaintance of Davona's who find information about O'Neal); so plenty to offer classic horror fans. Give it a shot!