During the 1950s, a wacky trend began to take over movie theaters, the gimmicks. William Castle may have been best known for this practice, but there were others who would capitalize on it. There were skeletons flying over the audience, life insurance policies for being scared to death, electric buzzers, and more meant to frighten and excite fans.
The 1959 film Horrors of the Black Museum, when released in U.S. cinemas, had a thirteen-minute segment tacked on to the beginning called Hypno-Vista. The segment featured a real hypnotist and helped to sell the picture to a theatrical audience. MVD Visual and VCI Entertainment have brought the film to Blu-ray with a pretty massive array of special features.
The Scotland Yard is having a rough time after a series of bizarre murders have left them without a clue. Edmond Bancroft (Michael Gough) is a crime journalist who continues to report on the crimes while trying to speculate what’s actually happening. What the authorities don’t know is Edmond is actually behind the crimes in order to create content for his writing. His assistant Rick (Graham Curnow) helps him run a Black Museum that’s filled with murder and torture devices. Will Scotland Yard learn the truth, or will Bancroft get away and continue his reign of terror?
If you’re a fan of 1950s horror/thrillers in the vein of titles William Castle would release, then there’s no question you’ll enjoy Horrors of the Black Museum. While I appreciated the entire experience, it just wasn’t what I found myself getting into. It’s silly and campy, with some fun moments scattered throughout, including the infamous spiked binoculars scene. It’s pretty gruesome for the time period but pales in comparison to what we are used to now.
I actually enjoyed the Hypno-Vista segment, which had been removed from television versions due to the fact some people were being hypnotized. Whether that’s true or not, who knows, but I like to think it was. I wouldn’t say I was hypnotized, though I did feel a little susceptible, especially during the yawn. The transfer is surprisingly clean and vibrant, a major improvement over what you’d find streaming.
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VCI loaded the disc with features like an archival commentary from writer/producer Herman Cohen, a 2023 commentary from film historian and artist Robert Kelly, as mentioned before, the Hypno-Vista opening, archival phone interviews with Herman Cohen and Michael Gough, a tribute to Cohen, trailers, a 2018 interview with Shirley Anne Field, and the two-sided wrap with original and new artwork.
Horrors of the Black Museum was the final feature film from director Arthur Crabtree, who passed away in 1975. It’s a fun, schlocky thriller from the ’50s. You get what you’d expect, and despite its flaws, this release does the film justice by preserving a wacky trend in cinema.
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