Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

House Of 1000 Dolls

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Ian Jane
    Administrator

  • House Of 1000 Dolls



    Released by: Kino Lorber
    Released on: July 21st, 2015.
    Director: Jeremy Summers
    Cast: Vincent Price, Martha Hyer, George Nader, Maria Rohm
    Year: 1967
    Purchase from Amazon

    The Movie:

    Directed by Jeremy Summers, produced by none other than Harry Alan Towers and released domestically by American International Pictures, 1967's House Of 1000 Dolls introduces us to a magician named Felix Manderville (Vincent Price). When the movie begins, a massive coffin is being moved into his mansion but shortly after this, it bursts open and a woman named Diane (Maria Rohm) jumps out. As it happens, this is part of the act he does with his wife, Rebecca (Martha Hyer), though in reality the act itself is a front for a slave ring wherein they kidnap lovely young women who are then forced into prostitution.

    Given that the two operate their show/criminal racket around the nightclub scene, there's ample opportunity to wrangle the kind of tender young flesh they need. Also hanging around here is Fernando (Sancho Garcia), Diane's boyfriend - he's wondering what happened to her and winds up cooperating with a couple named Stephen (George Nader) and Maggie Armstrong (Ann Smyrner) in hopes of reuniting with his lost love.

    All signs point to a Tangiers brothel referred to as The House Of Dolls, a raunchy joint run by a man known only as 'The King Of Hearts'…

    Written by Towers himself, this one is nicely directed by Jeremy Summers who had recently made The Vengeance Of Fu Manchu for the producer, a film that also starred Rohm (then Towers' wife). Despite the lurid content and some scenes of ladies being whipped (which are a bit longer in this uncut version, the same version that was released by MGM on their MOD program The MGM Limited Edition Collection a couple of years ago), the film never goes as far as the pictures that Jess Franco would make for Towers in just a short period of time. Not even close. In fact, in terms of what we're shown, the film isn't particularly graphic, though it certainly implies much more than it depicts and as such, it's sleazier than your average Vincent Price vehicle by a good margin.

    Like a lot of the stuff Towers was making around this time, there's a very obvious pulp novel feel to much of what happens in the film. If you watch it on that level, it's entertaining and intriguing as it mixes genres in strange ways. The film incorporates elements of old serials and actions movies as well as mystery and thriller elements but despite the presence of Price, who is a bit underused here (though very good in his role - and particularly fashionable!), it never feels like much of a horror film. While that won't bother some, those who see Price only as a horror icon may not get exactly what they want out of the movie (while those able to recognize his work outside the genre should do just fine - he was, after all, a far more versatile actor than many will ever really recognize).

    While Price is the one to watch the rest of the cast do… okay. Rohm looks as beautiful here as she ever has and for that reason, she scores high marks. Never mind that she's not asked to do a whole lot. Nader and Smyrner are serviceable if unremarkable while Sancho Garcia is actually a lot of fun as the man who will do whatever it takes in order to save the woman he loves. Martha Hyer also entertains as Price's wife, they have a good chemistry together and they look great on screen. Add to that the fact that the movie is really nicely shot and makes good use of some interesting locations and it turns out to be very much worth seeing for fans of trashy pulp films or Price's more esoteric fare. And if you dig female mud wrestling, then so much the better.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    House Of 1000 Dolls arrives on Blu-ray in new AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 2.35.1 widescreen and it looks excellent, easily surpassing other home video releases from the last few years. Detail is very strong here and colors are reproduced very nicely indeed. Black levels are solid and while there's a bit of minor speckling there aren't any problems with serious print damage. The film's grain structure looks fine, free of any obvious noise reduction or digital trickery, while skin tones look nice and natural.

    The only audio option provided is a DTS-HD Mono track in English, there are no alternate language options or subtitles provided. Clarity is good here as is range and balance. Hiss and distortion never factor into things and the dialogue is clear and easy to follow.

    Vincent Price expert David Del Valle and filmmaker David DeCoteau team up for a commentary track that makes for a pretty interesting listen. Del Valle offers up a lot of interesting facts and what not for the early days of the project such as original casting and directing choices and the two go back and forth about the involvement of producer Towers. The make some interesting observations about the look of the film, the locations, the cast and crew and quite a bit more and it's a well-paced and informative talk.

    The disc also includes trailers for a few other Vincent Price starring pictures - Madhouse, Tales Of Terror, More Dead Than Alive - as well as static menus and chapter selection.

    The Final Word:

    House Of 1000 Dolls may feel restrained but that doesn't really take away from its value as pulpy entertainment and a bit of a curiosity item when compared to most of Price's other films. Not perfect by a long stretch, it does feature Price at the top of his game with some fun supporting players and marginally sleazy set pieces. The Blu-ray release from Kino offers a big upgrade in the video department, solid audio, and a commentary that is genuinely informative and interesting. If you're a fan of the film, this is definitely an upgrade worth making.

    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!





















    • John Bernhard
      #2
      John Bernhard
      Senior Member
      John Bernhard commented
      Editing a comment
      cut/paste from a comment on another site from someone who works in the industry: ...it looks like Kino rushed it through telecine as quickly as possible to save money. Flesh tones are all over the map, and color isn't always well-matched from cut to cut.

    • Ian Jane
      #3
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      Ian Jane commented
      Editing a comment
      Looked fine to me, but I don't have the old DVD to compare it to.

    • John Bernhard
      #4
      John Bernhard
      Senior Member
      John Bernhard commented
      Editing a comment
      I don't have the BD but can see some funky tones and inconsistencies on display just in the review caps.
    Posting comments is disabled.

Latest Articles

Collapse

  • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Severin Films
    Released on: April 30th, 2024.
    Director: Lee Frost
    Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
    Year: 1969
    Purchase From Amazon

    Hot Spur – Movie Review:

    Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
    ...
    03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
  • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Mondo Macabro
    Released on: April 9th, 2024.
    Director: Max Pecas
    Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
    Year: 1985
    Purchase From Amazon

    Death Squad – Movie Review:

    Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
    ...
    03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
  • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Quality X
    Released on: February 28th, 2024.
    Director: Chuck Vincent
    Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
    Year: 1982
    Purchase From Amazon

    Roommates – Movie Review:

    Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
  • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Blue Underground
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Jess Franco
    Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
    Year: 1970
    Purchase From Amazon

    Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

    Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
  • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Saul Bass
    Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
    Year: 1974
    Purchase From Amazon

    Phase IV – Movie Review:

    Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
  • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Radiance Films
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
    Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
    Year: 1969-1972
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

    Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
    ...
    03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
Working...
X