"Horrors of the Black Museum" is a reasonably enjoyable film, though some other films with similar styles of wild murders are certainly a lot more enjoyable such as "Theatre of Blood" and the Dr. Phibes films. There are also a few times where the script could have used a bit of a polish.
Michael Gough plays a nasty writer who is creating a museum of crime. The police think he's creepy but also respect his practically encyclopedic knowledge of murders. What they don't realize is that his books and museum are so accurate because he commits crimes...or at least, by proxy. It turns out that he's hypnotized his assistant into becoming a murderer and he does all the crimes for him---presumably because Gough's character has extreme difficulty walking.
As for the murders, they're very grisly for 1959 and often very creative. Seeing one person with spikes shooting into their eyes another decapitated and another killed with ice tongs to the throat certainly is memorable!! But in the case of the ice tongs, it's actually VERY stupid and a bad cliché. This is because someone realizes who the killer is and instead of going to the cops, she tries to blackmail him!!! And, there is no one around to stop him from killing her...DUH!!! The ending also seemed a tad disappointing. Still, the craziness of the killing and the typically angry performance by Gough make this worth seeing even if it isn't exactly art and even if you learn almost immediately after the beginning of the film who the guy is who is behind the killings!!
Michael Gough plays a nasty writer who is creating a museum of crime. The police think he's creepy but also respect his practically encyclopedic knowledge of murders. What they don't realize is that his books and museum are so accurate because he commits crimes...or at least, by proxy. It turns out that he's hypnotized his assistant into becoming a murderer and he does all the crimes for him---presumably because Gough's character has extreme difficulty walking.
As for the murders, they're very grisly for 1959 and often very creative. Seeing one person with spikes shooting into their eyes another decapitated and another killed with ice tongs to the throat certainly is memorable!! But in the case of the ice tongs, it's actually VERY stupid and a bad cliché. This is because someone realizes who the killer is and instead of going to the cops, she tries to blackmail him!!! And, there is no one around to stop him from killing her...DUH!!! The ending also seemed a tad disappointing. Still, the craziness of the killing and the typically angry performance by Gough make this worth seeing even if it isn't exactly art and even if you learn almost immediately after the beginning of the film who the guy is who is behind the killings!!