Psycho-Circus (1966)

A circus becomes the location for stolen loot and murder.

Directors:

Werner Jacobs, John Llewellyn Moxey (as John Moxey)

Writer:

Harry Alan Towers (screenplay) (as Peter Welbeck)

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Leo Genn, Anthony Newlands

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Lee	...	Gregor
Leo Genn	...	Inspector Elliott
Anthony Newlands	...	Barberini
Heinz Drache	...	Carl
Eddi Arent	...	Eddie
Klaus Kinski	...	Manfred
Margaret Lee	...	Gina
Suzy Kendall	...	Natasha
Cecil Parker	...	Sir John
Victor Maddern	...	Mason
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Mario
Lawrence James	...	Detective Sgt. 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:

manhunt | murder | circus | krimi | rope ladder | 

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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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Certificate:

Not Rated

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:

91 min 65 min (edited) (black and white)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only double the producers could find for Sir Christopher Lee was the circus' real lion tamer, who Lee described as being "half my height". In order to make the situation credible, 6'4" tall Lee was shot in close-up, so the height differential would not be too obvious to the audience. According to Lee, he wore a black mask through nine-tenths of the movie anyway.

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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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Alternate Versions

Original West German theatrical release was in black-and-white, whereas everywhere else the film was shown in colour.

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Connections

Featured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: The Angry Red Planet + Journey to the Seventh + Planet Dracula's Castle + Circus of Fear (1982)

User Reviews

Messy but fun sixties thriller

Circus of Fear is based on a novel by Edgar Wallace; the same writer who spawned the German "Krimi" style of film-making. This film is a British take on the Krimi style and comes out something like a Hammer Horror mystery, though the film is not without its problems. That's possibly why this film is not easy to come by; as despite the fact that it stars Christopher Lee in an interesting role as a circus lion tamer, Circus of Fear, at times, isn't all that easy to get along with as the plot is really quite messy and the horror that goes along with the central mystery often gets in the way. The plot begins with a botched heist that ends with one of the criminals shooting a police officer. The shooter is given the chance to go and give the boss his share before being allowed to flee the country; but unfortunately, he is murdered upon his arrival at the meeting place. The action then switches to the local circus where is believed that the identity of the murderer will be revealed. There we are introduced to a whole host of shady and mysterious characters...

The film is directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, who previously directed Christopher Lee in the excellent, fog-soaked, City of the Dead. Said previous film is a better one as the plot worked better; but while Circus of Fear doesn't always work well, the things that do work are very good and the film never gets boring. The cast is headed by Christopher Lee who is grim and imposing in his role as a horribly scarred and masked lion tamer. The film also features a small role for the great Klaus Kinski, as well as sound performances from British performers Anthony Newlands, Leo Genn and Margeret Lee. The film presents a lot of suspects and it soon becomes easier to just watch it rather than try and guess who the killer is. However, the two twists in the tale can be guessed (the first one is very obvious) without putting too much strain on the viewer, which is a shame. City of the Dead was all about atmosphere and this film is fairly atmospheric too, though not nearly to the same extent as the earlier film, which is another shame. Overall, Circus of Fear is not a great film; but it's entertaining enough and I can recommend it.