In the 1960s, Paul Toombes (Price) is the cat's pajamas in his Dr. Death film series. He's holding a party to celebrate his latest installment with his partner, writer Herbert Flay (the always-understated Peter Cushing). He's also there to announce his engagement to a young beautiful starlet who seems fully devoted to him. But he quickly meets her former director Oliver (Robert Quarry) and finds out her career started in less-than-legitimate style. Toombes, convinced that she too is "on the make" retires to his room. When his fiancee is found dead with his Dr. Death gloves next to her, he is committed to an asylum.
Settling in, the film brings us up to "modern" day (1974). Toombes is a free man and is traveling to London to meet his friend Herbert. Apparently Herbert and now-legit director Oliver want to create a television series based on Dr. Death. Toombes is not excited about dragging up that bit of his past but Herbert needs the money, so his friend is happy to oblige.
What follows is a rather predictable film--people continue to die at the hands of Dr. Death, who may or may not be Toombes. A young woman follows the actor hoping for a breakout role, and a couple attempt to blackmail him for £10,000. Numerous clips of former Dr. Death films are shown and near the end Toombes is pursued by the murderous Dr. Death himself. The revelation of the real murderer is no surprise to anyone who has paid the lest bit of attention.
But it's not the plot that makes this movie so fun. It's more of a love note to horror fans and their icons. To begin with, all the supposed Dr. Death films are former AIP movies of Price (makes sense--since the company produced them they don't have to pay for the rights). There are scenes from The Raven, Trilogy of Terror, House of Usher, and even The Pit and the Pendulum, all fantastic (except one--I didn't care for The Raven) adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe works.
There are also less-overt references to other films. At a costume party, Cushing appears dressed as Dracula, a nod to all his Horror films where he played Van Helsing. At the same party Quarry is dressed as a vampire--in fact, he is wearing his same costume from Count Yorga, Vampire (1970). Each murder is proceeded by a view of somebody putting on the black Dr. Death gloves, a direct reference to the Italian giallo films that were popular at the time (if you're not familiar with the conventions of giallo, it seems as if half the runtime of each film is full of someone putting on or taking off gloves. I think the giallo movement must have sustained the entire Italian glove industry for many years). One woman is murdered and hung from her hair--eerie echos of Boris Karloff's preferred method of displaying Bela Lugosi's dead wife in The Black Cat (1934). And old castmate of Toombes named Faye shows up in Herbert's basement looking like the lost third sister from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and acting like a refugee from the vastly underrated Spider Baby (1968). A melting body looks more like a melting wax figure from Price's breakout horror performance in House of Wax (1953).
There are no raving fans for Toombes here; in fact, we only see one woman who politely asks for his autograph. But a few minutes later he is confronted by Dr. Death himself. The image of Price being chased by his own murderous creation speaks volumes. For actors of Price and Cushing's stature, they must often feel that they are pursued by their characters, never able to just be a regular Joe. In fact, Toombes explains that he and Herbert did not so much create Dr. Death as find him, as if he was something external to the actor and writer.
Toombes is often shown watching his own films. He looks uncomfortable, as if he really dose not relish his history. On a talk show he is asked why people like horror and he replies that everybody has horrible instincts inside. These instincts are usually kept caged up, but sometimes between sleep and waking they try to escape. Horror films are a way of letting those urges escape, even if for a limited time.
But in case anyone has taken the film too seriously, it ends with Faye and Toombes sitting down to dinner. He asks what she made, and she replies it is his favorite dish--sour cream and red herrings!
For the casual viewer, this may not be an entertaining way to spend the day. But for someone with a knowledge of horror films from Universal to AIP, or a die-hard Price fan who can identify his singing voice, this is a fun way to spend 90 minutes.
Rating: ★★★
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