Why so much hype?

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Furious over his boss' repeated attempts to curtain his career, a famous trick maker finds he can utilize his craft to kill for the sake of his career, only doing so requires him to constantly repeat the act in order to stay away from his friend and the authorities on his trail.Essentially a remake of another film by the same star from the previous year with a new profession behind it that powers the revenge motif, there's not a whole lot with this one that really works. The fact that it's so similar with the exception of the profession change does little for this one, requiring it to introduce a few spectacular gags for the revenge aspect when doling out the deaths but beyond that we don't get anything hardly original in here. The 3D gags are lifted straight from the previous film, going around with masks on to commit his crimes is a plot-point from there as well and the romance angle is taken from there as well with just a few minor tweaks that would naturally come about due to the profession rather than anything else. The constant plot of him being under the bosses thumb is nothing more than a requirement to start the rampage and goes on way too long for what it should be, the bumbling authorities accidentally uncover the whole ploy through sheer accident without willfully doing anything to piece the puzzle together and moreso the comic relief couple are rather tired and irritating more than a positive force upon the movie. That said, it's still quite fun with a few good moments here and there, including a few spectacular tricks to be employed by the stage-show, the finale contains quite a bit of action with the brawl in the shop and as usual it's always fun to see Price get to do his thing every now and then where he just gets to monologue for a while spouting off the reasons for his revenge, the end result containing a rather twisted logic behind it all that sounds reasonable enough for the rampage to ensue and not come off like a hokey joke. While it's nowhere near the top of his career works and certainly not near the bottom rung either, there's just too much about it that doesn't work to say it does nothing more than be overall adequate.Today's Rating/PG: Violence.

Truly sad is it that a film directed by the caliber of a John Brahm with the star of a Vincent Price could go so sorely unnoticed, overshadowed by the excellent HOUSE OF WAX..that is the case of THE MAD MAGICIAN, a slick Victorian era(Brahm is an absolute master at getting the most out of sets, wardrobe, and extras in regards to period atmosphere and authenticity)horror chiller about a seemingly decent creator of magic show acts which delight the audiences. Price stars as the much maligned Don Gallico, stuck in a contract with an unscrupulous businessman who exploits his brilliance, allowing others to take credit, showmen, like the slimy "The Great Rinaldi"(John Emery; appropriately hissable) who reap the benefits of another's talents. Gallico simply wants to perform his own shows, using the money paid him for his hard work to create a stunning crematorium act sure to wow those in attendance. Angered beyond reason, Gallico kills his boss, Ross Ormond(Donald Randolph), in a fit of rage using a buzz saw act which beheads him! Ormond also seduced Gallico's wife(Claire, portrayed by Eva Gabor, perfectly cast as a golddigger) using his wealth and prominence..without even the slight hint of remorse, Ormond isn't the least bit concerned about Gallico's plight, even telling his despairing employee that he done the man a favor stealing his wife! Claire, only worried about herself, wasn't content with wasting away in the life of a meager creator of inventions. Gallico is highly skilled at creating masks which mimic specific people almost perfectly and briefly assumes Ormond's identity, a disguise which could backfire if Claire is able to catch him, which she does, ending in tragic results. Gallico was using an assistant, Karen(Mary Murphy), for the stage act that was canceled by Ormond and she is dating a detective, Alan Bruce(Patrick O'Neal).Bruce is an advocate for a new forensic tool called fingerprinting which could be what ultimately condemns Gallico who can not help himself when Rinaldi threatens to turn him in if he doesn't hand over the crematorium act. As he did with Ormond(Gallico tosses his boss' remains into a bonfire during a sports festival!), Gallico will assume the identity of Renaldi, but isn't as adept at concealing his own habits during stage acts as the minor night visits to a flat in the role of his former employer. Like many Vincent Price madman, Gallico was a good person driven mad by the indecency of others. Having withstood being taken advantage of time and again, Gallico snaps and it's only a matter of time before he places himself in a bind. You just know, sooner or later, he'll tighten the noose around his neck and hang himself. The masks and acts of the film are really neat(Price's voice is dubbed when assumes the disguises of those he emulates, by the actors)and as I mentioned above Brahm astutely brings alive a whole different era using Columbia studios sets. It's amazing that this film was just thrown together, but if you are to do so who better to hire as director than Brahm and cast as your star than Price? The exciting conclusion has Bruce in a tough situation, strapped to the table of Gallico's crematorium, in perilous danger.Lenita Lane becomes an important character who lends a hand in potentially catching Price as the wife of a man who lets a room to who they believe is Ross Ormond. Lane's Alice Prentiss is a murder mystery novelist who figures Gallico out while pondering her next story. Criminally underrated and well worth searching for.

Basically the exact same movie as "House of Wax" - Vincent Price's first genuine horror hit released the previous year - but seriously who cares, because "The Mad Magician" offers just as many sheer thrills, delightful period set-pieces, joyous 3-D effects, sublime acting performances and macabre horror gimmicks as its predecessor! "Never change a winning team" is exactly what writer Crane Wilbur must have thought when he penned down Price's character Don Gallico, another tormented soul besieged by fate and out for vengeance against those who wronged him. Don Gallico is about to perform his very first own illusionist show as Gallico the Great and plans to exhibit the greatest magic trick in history; entitled "The Girl and the Buzz Saw". Gallico's promising solo career is abruptly ruined before it even begins when his previous employer Ross Ormond appears on stage and shoves a contract under his nose, stating that all of Gallico's inventions are the rightful property of the company. The sleazy and relentless Ormond, who by the way also ransacked Gallico's once beloved wife, takes off with the buzz saw trick and programs it in the show of Gallico's rival The Great Rinaldi. Inevitably Gallico snaps and sadistically butchers Ormond, but – also being a master of creating disguises – recreates his victim's image and even starts leading a double life. "The Mad Magician" is an amusing and thoroughly unpretentious 50's horror movie in Grand Guignol style, with a whole lot of improbably plot twists (the landlady turns out a brilliant crime novelist?) and a handful of fantastically grotesque gross-out moments (although they obviously remain suggestive for most part). The 3-D delights near the beginning of the film, like a yo-yo player and a goofy trick with water fountains, merely just serve as time-filler and contemporary 50's hype, but it's still fun to watch even now and without the means to properly behold them. "The Mad Magician" is also interesting from a periodical setting point of view, as the events take place around the time fingerprints were starting to get used as evidence material and the character of Alice Prentiss is an obvious reference towards famous crime authors of that era. Needless to state that Vincent Price remains the absolute most essential element of triumph in this film, as well as from nearly every other horror movie this legendary man ever starred in. Like no other actor could ever accomplish, Price depicts the tormented protagonist who gradually descends further and further into mental madness in such an indescribably mesmerizing way. You pity Don Gallico, yet at the same time you fear him enormously. You support his vile acts of retaliation and yet simultaneously you realize his murderous rampage must end in death. Vincent Price simply was a genius actor and, in my humble opinion, the embodiment of the horror genre.

This was enjoyable, but certainly no classic. It's fun to watch the actor Vincent Price in these insane roles. I was surprised to read, in the credits, Eva Gabor was a player; I thought she looked familiar, but she did not have the familiar wig from later years. The furnace was hot, but the disguises were easy to see through, I thought. The final scene had good suspense, but I knew Mr. Price's character was going to hop on that conveyor belt.Lenita Lane and Jay Novello seemed very familiar as the Prentiss couple. They must have played these kind of roles in other films; they should starred in a TV sit-com together. ***** The Mad Magician (5/19/54) John Brahm ~ Vincent Price, Mary Murphy, Eva Gabor