Must See Movie...

Fresh and Exciting

Blistering performances.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Count Regula (Christopher Lee) is put to death after it was determined he murdered twelve virgins. Fast forward several decades and Roger Elise (Lex Barker) and Baroness Brabant (Karin Dor) are invited to the castle even though no one is living there. Once there they find an assistant who is to bring Count Regula back to life and he plans his revenge on the two guests due to their ancestors.THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM has been released under countless titles but this German horror film is a pretty good one. If you're looking at the title and expecting anything overly graphic then you'll be disappointed because there's not any gore or violence but at the same time this here is the perfect example of why you don't need that stuff for an effective movie.There is one major problem about this film that keeps it from being better and that's what must be the longest coach trip in the history of cinema. Once Barker gets to town he jumps in a coach to head to the castle but for some reason it seems to take at least thirty-minutes of screen time to get there. I'm guessing all of this was meant to build up some sort of atmosphere but it goes on way too long and most importantly it keeps Lee off the screen even longer.The film really picks up once Lee makes his return and the torture devices are put into play. The torture scenes are extremely effective and quite intense. If you're frightened by spiders or snakes then you might have a panic attack as well. Lee clearly steals the film as the madman seeking revenge but both Dor and Barker are good as well. The film manages to move very quickly through its 80-minute running time. THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM is certainly a gem that's worth watching.

Excellent little German-made Gothic thriller about an evil count returning from the dead to exact vengeance on the descendants of his persecutors and executioners. The film is a cross between "Dracula" and "The Pit and the Pendulum," with a pinch of "Black Sunday" thrown in for good measure. Beautifully photographed with the most amazing set design and production values, but haphazardly dubbed and the music is atrocious, more befitting a beach party flick. Christopher Lee is the undead count. Lex Barker of Tarzan fame plays the hero and a beautiful German actress named Karin Dor is the love interest. She looks like a cross between Barbara Parkins and Barbara Steele. I don't know if there were any actual torture scenes in the original. The version I saw had none, which is to say no one is shown dying in agony. Lee is the main reason for watching this forgotten gem, although he is only in the movie briefly.

Christopher Lee hams it up in blue-face in this odd little German horror film that tries to imitate the Hammer Films of the time and presents the audience with few saving graces. One of those is the photography, which is pretty interesting even in a public-domain over-saturated DVD print.An interesting aspect I noticed was that the effects shots in the forest, which are the most compelling visual aspect of the film, seem to have been done later and quite a bit more weird than the script must have implied. The guy who is the coachman (Dieter Eppler) stops the coach and complains about 3 crows, not seeming to notice all the disembodied hands and arms also sprouting quite clearly from the trees.As with many of Lee's horror films from this period, his appearances are brief. Most of the action goes to former Tarzan actor Lex Barker, a stunningly poor actor who wears every emotion the director gives him on his sleeve. Gorgeous Karin Dor does just what the film asks of her and nothing more. Vladimir Medar provides an ongoing irritating presence as the faux-priest who is obviously a highwayman (this gives Barker a chance to raise his eyebrows in doubt, which apparently is supposed to make him seem intelligent).There are many amusing bits that make this watchable in a "so bad it's good" kind of way. We were particularly amused by the inappropriate MOR music that would play whenever the group was traveling around in the carriage.The ending of the movie provides excuses for G-rated exploitation as half-dressed "virgins" are seen in various torture poses. The whole device with the cross is one of the most obvious and stupid endings in history, just a cliché. This film would barely hold the audience down in a double feature. All the "scare" elements are typical too -- "oh look, a rat!" "Oh look, a bunch of snakes! How gross!" -- designed perhaps to get girlfriends to make the perfunctory move into their boyfriends' arms at the drive-in. This is lazy storytelling (notice how Medar's character continually runs away for no reason and reappears also for no reason with whatever information the other characters need) and lazy film-making and I would have been angry if I had spent more than $1 for the film.

"The Torture Chamber of Dr.Sadism" was loosely inspired by Poe's famous story 'Pit and the Pendulum'.It opens with Count Regula(Christopher Lee)being executed for twelve virgin killings.Before his execution he declares revenge from beyond the grave on the magistrate who sentenced him and all his descendants.A lawyer played by Lex Barker is invited to the castle of Count Regula,the one whose name is feared.The Baroness' letter suggests she'll be getting some kind of inheritance while the orphaned Mont Elise is promised information about his mysterious childhood.The long journey to the castle is dangerous and spooky.The haunted forest of human limbs and hanging people is memorably eerie.Upon arriving at the castle they find themselves at the mercy of a re-animated Count Regula and his invulnerable servant Anatol.Vastly entertaining Gothic horror with paper-thin plot.The castle itself is filled with vultures,cobwebs,dangerous traps,snake pits,torture devices and a pit and pendulum.The soundtrack is pretty inappropriate,but the film is surprisingly atmospheric and spooky.8 out of 10.