Horrors of the Black Museum

Director: Arthur Crabtree
Script: Aben Kandel & Herman Cohen
Cast: Michael Gough, June Cunningham, Graham Curner, Shirley Ann Field, Geoffrey Keen, John Warwick, Hilda Barry
Running time: 82 minutes
Year: 1959
Certificate: 12

Scotland Yard are investigating a serious of gruesome murders that seem to reference items of murder that can be found in the Yard’s own murder museum. As the bodies pile up the police come under increasing pressure to catch the culprit, especially from members of the press and, in particular, from famous murder writer, Bancroft (Michael Gough), who seems to have done rather well for himself writing about death and murder. So, does Bancroft and his ever obedient assistant know more about the killings than they’re letting on, or are they just convenient red herrings used to intrigue and confuse the audience?

Seen by some as being one of the so-called British ‘Sadean’ horror film trilogy, which also includes Pepping Tom and Circus of Horrors, Horrors of the Black Museum demonstrates some sadistic tendencies with its Grand Guignol level of murderous mayhem, all shown in glorious Technicolor. Replete with inventive, Tales from the Crypt types of murders, Horrors wallows in its grimy sleaziness. It most certainly would have induced a few gasps of disgust upon its initial cinema release, that’s for sure.

Adroitly directed by Arthur Crabtree, Horrors of the Black Museum keeps much of the grisliness off-screen, but still manages to disturb the viewer. A good example of this is the opening murder whereupon an attractive woman is killed by using some binoculars that have been cunningly bobby-trapped, so that when they are used six-inch spikes shoot out, thus skewering the user’s eyes and brain. I’m sure the writers of the Saw films must be familiar with this film, which predates the more modern franchise by decades. The film also predates modern horror/thrillers in having a killer taunting the police from within their crime-fighting ranks.

In fact, there’s plenty to like about Horrors, from the committed acting on display (including Gough’s scenery-chewing turn as the – spoiler alert – bat-shit crazy Bancroft) to its impressive production design, especially Bancroft’s own Black Museum, replete with its collection of murder weapons and elaborate waxwork dioramas. It even has a monolithic computer type device, all chrome and flashing lights and its own acid bath, which is used to good effect to get rid of unwanted bodies, although the skeletons left behind are more laughable than frightening.

On the negative side, some of the dialogue is just plain silly and there’s no one really to root for as the police characters aren’t really fleshed out enough and the hero, of sorts, is actually one of the bad guys, kind of. Plus, there’s a very unlikely sequence set in a bar, where Bancroft’s mistress dances alone surrounded by awkward smiles and leers.

Horrors of the Black Museum is being distributed by Studiocanal on Blu-ray. There are a number of substantial extras included in the package, namely:

Audio commentary with Kim Newman and writer Steve Jones – A fun commentary, marred only by the sound being a little ‘soft’ in places. Kim and Steve point out that the film’s unusual for the time, what with being shot in colour (and in Cinemascope), and that it had some cuts made to it by a nervous censor. They also point out that initially it was on a double feature with one of the producer’s other films, namely The Headless Ghost.

Interview with critic and author Kim Newman (22 mins) – Kim talks about how the film came about and how it fits in with other genre movies from that time. Basically, it’s ‘I was a teenage Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. The Black Museum actually exists in Scotland Yard.

Hypnovista Introduction (11.20 mins) – Emile Franchal talks about the stages of hypnotism, which is all about part suggestion and part focus. I guess this short film was included due to the hypnotism references in the main feature.

Original trailer (2.55 mins) – This is quite distinct, emphasising, as it does the museum itself.

B & W lobby cards gallery (1.07 mins)