Psycho-Circus (1966)
"Circus of Fear" (original title)

A circus becomes the location for stolen loot and murder.

Directors:

Werner Jacobs, John Llewellyn Moxey

Writers:

Harry Alan Towers, Edgar Wallace (novel)

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Leo Genn, Anthony Newlands

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Lee	...	Gregor
Leo Genn	...	Insp. 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)

Storyline

A circus becomes the location for stolen loot and murder.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | murder | motor boat | fire | man hunt | 

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Taglines:

The most horrifying syndicate of evil in history!

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller | Horror

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Details

Country:

UK West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Psycho-Circus

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Circus Films, Proudweeks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

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 The Hunchback of Soho, released in Germany only a couple of months after "Circus of Fear". The original colour version of the film was released in Germany for the first time ever on DVD in 2006, though in edited form.

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Goofs

About five minutes into the movie, when the police are chasing the van, the shadow of the camera is visible on the front of the van.

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Connections

Edited from Circus of Horrors (1960)

User Reviews

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)