Circus of Fear (1966)

Director:

John Llewellyn Moxey

Writers:

Harry Alan Towers (writer)
Edgar Wallace (novel)

Release Date:

May 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

The most horrifying syndicate of evil in history!

Plot:

A circus becomes the location for stolen loot and murder. |

Plot Keywords:

Circus | Murder | Reporter | Acrobat | Based On Novel

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Gregor
Leo Genn	...	Elliott
Anthony Newlands	...	Barberini
Heinz Drache	...	Carl
Eddi Arent	...	Eddie
Klaus Kinski	...	Manfred Hart
Margaret Lee	...	Gina
Suzy Kendall	...	Natasha
Cecil Parker	...	Sir John
Victor Maddern	...	Mason
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Mario
Lawrence James	...	Manley
Tom Bowman	...	Jackson
Skip Martin	...	Mr. Big
Nosher Powell	...	Red (as Fred Powell)

Also Known As:

Circus of Terror
Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreieck (West Germany)
Psycho-Circus (USA)
Scotland Yard auf heißer Spur (West Germany)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG (video rating) | West Germany:12 | UK:A (original rating)

Company:

Circus Films

Trivia:

Though shot in color, the film was released in Germany only in black and white. The main reason was the close relationship of Rialto Film, the Production Company of the German Edgar Wallace Series, and Constantin Film, this film's German distributor and co-producer. Rialto Film wanted to promote a production of their own as the "first Edgar Wallace Film in Color". This film was to be "Der Bucklige von Soho" (1966), released in Germany only a couple of months after "Circus of Fear". The Original Color Version of the film was released in Germany for the first time ever on DVD in 2006, though in edited form.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the police are chasing the van, the weather alternates between cloudy and rainy, and bright sunlight between shots.

Neat whodunit

As almost everybody has already noted, "Circus of Fear" is not a horror movie, despite the title, the advertising and the presence of Christopher Lee (in a secondary role). It's a cross between a crime caper and a whodunit. And as soon as you get over your initial reservations, it turns out to be an engrossing film that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. The story is full of strange, shady, secretive and suspicious characters, but the revelation of the killer's identity still comes as a shock (to me at least - it blew my theory away!). Apart from the sometimes overemphatic music score, this 40-year-old movie still holds up today. And who wants to miss any opportunity of seeing Klaus Kinski playing....Klaus Kinski? This guy only needed a cigar, a few close-ups and two or three lines of dialogue to look creepy! (**1/2)