A different way of telling a story

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

I saw this film in 1959 when I was 13. In an early scene something happens that is so disturbing that I was physically shocked and for weeks after I had awful flashbacks. To this day I still am revolted thinking abut that scene. Today we are all hardened to hyper-violent films and yet I would not want to watch that scene again. Bottom line keep children younger than 30 away from this exploitive little film. Repeated to meet 10 line minimum. I saw this film in 1959 when I was 13. In an early scene something happens that is so disturbing that I was physically shocked and for weeks after I had awful flashbacks. To this day I still am revolted thinking abut that scene. Today we are all hardened to hyper-violent films and yet I would not want to watch that scene again. Bottom line keep children younger than 30 away from this exploitive little film.

After Hammer (and The Curse Of Frankenstein in particular) had opened the door for grislier and gorier horror films, it wasn't long before more films appeared which sought to capitalise on this new-found cinematic bloodlust. Horrors Of The Black Museum is, for its time, a notably unpleasant chiller in which a demented serial killer does away with a number of London women in various gruesomely imaginative ways. Good film it ain't – the stretches between the murder set pieces are extremely stodgy and dull – but it remains more-or-less watchable thanks to a few interesting touches, more of which will be said later.Superintendent Graham (Geoffrey Keen) of Scotland Yard is trying desperately to solve a series of bizarre and violent lady killings in London. His efforts are further undermined by the ridicule of the press, most significantly crime columnist Edmond Bancroft (Michael Gough) whose scathing criticism of the police in the affair may not help the cause much, but sure sells a lot of newspapers. It soon becomes apparent to the viewer – though not to Superintendent Graham, unfortunately – that Bancroft himself is the killer. His home contains a strange dungeon-like room full of nasty historical torture devices and murder weapons, and he himself seems to have an unhealthy obsession with death. To aid him in his ghastly crimes Bancroft has employed hypnosis to control a young assistant, the weak-willed and unhappy Rick (Graham Curnow). Rick is secretly involved in a relationship with a pretty young woman named Angela (Shirley Anne Field)… when Bancroft learns of this he is furious, believing that Rick's romantic dalliance with the woman may be the one chink in his murderous plan. He sees their romance as something that must be dealt with as swiftly and ruthlessly as possible.As mentioned earlier, there are a couple of touches which raise the film above the gutter. One is Gough's extraordinary unrestrained performance as the madman Bancroft. This may well be Gough's finest hour within the exploitation genre - he enjoys himself something rotten as the fiendish villain of the piece. The other is the imaginative murders, which include such delights as spiked binoculars and a home-made guillotine. Although not especially shocking by modern standards, these killings were probably quite horrifying back in the fifties. It's such a shame that in most other areas the film is a considerable let-down. The characters are boring overall; the dialogue is hopelessly wooden; the plot doesn't hold up to close scrutiny. Worse still, the extended American print incorporates a deadly-dull 12 minute monologue about hypnotism, delivered in monotonous tones by a laughably uptight doctor prior to the "real" film getting underway. This lengthy and wholly pointless segment should be avoided – if you do end up viewing a version that includes it, just skip through to the main feature (you won't miss anything). Horrors Of The Black Museum is generally a misfire - albeit a misfire with occasional points of interests - and is just about worth a look for Gough's maniacal and energetic lead performance.

This terrifically terrible 60's exploitation flick gets upgraded to cult status via a deliciously demented performance by the unparalleled Michael Gough. Known for his over-the-top turns in many genre films, Horror Of The Black Museum is a perfect exemplification of Gough's non-stop twisted maniacal facial expressions run rampant. Its impossible to take your eyes off of him in any scene he is in. But that is not where the fun ends. There are several fiendishly nasty (although highly improbable) killings and a ridiculously retarded dance number by Marilyn Monroe wannabe June Cunningham that will stay in your mind long after the credits have rolled. This is one of those films that can be enjoyed by both us hardcore B- horror junkies and our "normal" friends. The plot? A horror/murder writer with a secret wax museum housing articles involved with local murders is always one step ahead of the police. Find out why when you buy your ticket to The Black Museum!

The plot is deceptively simple. Michael Gough portrays murder novelist Edmond Bancroft who is obsessed with death and the act of killing in various methods especially. His devious acts of violence towards women is perhaps a hidden hatred for them. Perhaps researching murderers from the past, and his obsession with them, forged the way into his demented reasons to kill women. As explained to his hypnotized assistant Rick(Graham Curnow), women were the main culprits in how murderers were caught and executed. Edmond lives and breathes the novels of killing he writes and he will do whatever it takes to make those works continue. So he uses poor Rick as a means to help perpetuate his literary bloodlust by often forcing him to kill or by helping him get rid of bodies he had murdered. Certain characters threaten Edmond's work so he makes plans to do away with them when their not expecting such as an antique store saleswoman for whom he buys merchandise from(she plans to blackmail him after spotting her name on a pair of "spike-lensed" binoculars that stabbed a woman's eyeballs to the very nerves killing her)or a doctor who, through both mental and physical examination, sees what Edmond is turning into(..or has already become). But, the most major threat is Rick's secret lady-love, Angela(Shirley Anne Field).Horrors of the Black Museum has loads of potential, but seems to be devastingly marred by an abrupt ending. I myself felt like this film could've really been something great if we could've understood more about Rick's plight. Why does his face twist into this hideous sight ravaged by an ugly green tint. Sure towards the end we see him receive an injection by his master Edmond Bancroft, but really delving deeper seems to be this film's major flaw. It wants to make the evil Bancroft pay for his crimes rather quickly instead of furthering his abilities to lead detectives on a wild goose chase. He makes too many mistakes at the end which question his credibility to have gotten away with his twisted scheme for so long.I would suggest seeing it for several interesting death weaponry like the mini-guillotine or the aforementioned spiked-lensed binoculars, but Gough's delicious villainy is why I enjoyed it to a point. But, I also felt it needed a stronger ending than the blown-up finale which has Rick faced with the position of killing Angela when Edmond demands it. His descent through the "fun-fair" running around like a maniac is laughable(still his face and how he turns is a mystery to me), and the reasons behind Edmond even going to the "fun-fair" is even more a mystery. And, why would Edmond abruptly try to have Angela killed so soon..and SO PUBLIC! Why not kill Angela like all the others..in some sort of secluded execution. But, the film is colorful and has some fascinating moments..just not enough for a great movie.