Chamber of Horrors (1966)

Chamber of Horrors (1966) starring Cesare Danova, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Patrick O’Neal, Laura Devon, José René Ruiz

Synopsis of Chamber of Horrors

Chamber of Horrors deals with a convicted and sentenced to hang man, a homicidal maniac. He cuts off his chained hand in order to make his escape. Now he returns for revenge for his sentencing.

Review of Chamber of Horrors

From the synopsis, you’d think that Chamber of Horrors was simply a slasher film. Thankfully, it’s much more than that. It was originally a pilot for a TV series about a pair of criminologists, who help the police solve crimes. And, add each murder to an exhibit in the wax museum that they run. The acting is excellent all around, and the murder is very intriguing. He’s insane — but highly intelligent. And so, highly dangerous.

At the beginning of the movie, he’s an aristocrat — who’s murdered his fiancee, and then forced a clergyman to perform a wedding between himself & her corpse. With the help of the two criminologists (Cesare Danova, Wilfrid Hyde-White) he’s brought to justice, convicted, and sentenced to death. He escapes on the way to prison in a gory bit – by chopping off his own manacled hand. He jumps into a river from the train, and is presumed dead. And begins his slow campaign of revenge …

He first orders a custom hook for his missing hand. But it’s a special prosthetic. Throughout the movie he replaces the hook with a gun, blade, etc. His next step is to hire a lovely lower-class girl (Laura Devon) to use as “bait” for his first victim.

Cast

• Patrick O’Neal (The Stepford Wives) … Jason Cravatte aka Jason Caroll
• Cesare Danova (Valley of the Dragons) … Anthony Draco
• Wilfrid Hyde-White (My Fair Lady) … Harold Blount
• Laura Devon (Goodbye Charlie) … Marie Champlain
• Patrice Wymore (She’s Working Her Way Through College) … Vivian (Delano’s hostess)
• Suzy Parker … Barbara Dixon
• Philip Bourneuf (Beyond a Reasonable Doubt) … Insp. Matthew Strudwick
• Jeanette Nolan (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) … Mrs. Ewing Perryman
• Marie Windsor (The Day Mars Invaded Earth) … Madame Corona