In 1974, Vincent Price ended his long association with American international Pictures (starting in 1960 with HOUSE OF USHER) by appearing in MADHOUSE which was originally to have been called “The Revenge of Dr. Death”. It also marked the end of Price in a starring role and the end of the old school style of horror film that was his specialty. By this time THE EXORCIST had shattered box office records everywhere and the big budget, more explicit horror movie was here to stay. MADHOUSE was the second and final time that Price appeared in an Amicus production (or co-production to be precise as AIP co-produced this and SCREAM & SCREAM AGAIN). MADHOUSE did not do well at the box office and it was downhill for both companies after this. While it is an uneven movie, there is still much in MADHOUSE to recommend it to fans of Price and this genre of horror movies.
It’s almost as if the fimmakers knew that this was going to be Vincent’s swan song for the movie is essentially a tribute to Price’s career. Here he plays a retired horror star who is brought out of retirement to reprise his most celebrated character, Doctor Death. He had been forced into retirement years before after suffering a nervous breakdown when his fiance was murdered just before their wedding. Did he do it? He was in shock and can’t remember. Then his resuscitation brings about a series of murders done as Doctor Death had done them in his previous movies. This allows for an overview of Price’s career by showing clips from his previous AIP efforts and making references to several others. The screenplay also gets in several digs at the Hollywood of the time, the changing nature of horror movies, and gives Price some choice one liners.
Although quite tame by today’s standards, some of the murders (there are 7) were considered strong stuff in 1974. I saw the movie when it came out and I remember the audience reactions. They are committed by a masked figure in a black cloak (Doctor Death’s outfit) and it’s not much of a stretch to look ahead to the SCREAM franchise to notice quite a similarity in the costumes. In between the killings the movie is bolstered by the presence of another horror movie icon, Peter Cushing, as Price’s close friend and by Robert Quarry (COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE) who plays a sleazy, ex-porno producer now in charge of Doctor Death’s revival. Rounding out the chief players, there’s British horror movie staple Adrienne Corri (A STUDY IN TERROR) as a spider loving burn victim and Linda Hayden (BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW) as an ambitious young actress determined to make the big time.
The biggest problems with MADHOUSE are the jumbled nature of the script and director James (Jim) Clark. The screenplay veers between comedy, tragedy, and parody without any particular focus. Clark was an award winning screen editor (MARATHON MAN, THE KILLING FIELDS) but his direction lacks the pacing and the atmosphere essential to making a horror movie continuously suspenseful. To be fair there were a number of behind-the scenes problems during the shoot (as related by Vincent Price and others) that left its mark on the finished film. Still the quality photography, the autobiographical nature of Price’s character, and the bizarre resolution which needs to be seen more than once, make MADHOUSE more success than failure. And yes, that’s Vincent Price singing the old ditty at the end of the film.
The Capsule Critic 