Watch Circus of Horrors

In the 1960 British horror film "Circus of Horrors," directed by Sidney Hayers, is a dark tale of obsession and madness set in the world of a traveling circus. The film features a gallery of twisted characters who are willing to do anything to keep their secrets hidden and their illicit passions fed. Anton Diffring stars as the sinister Dr. Rossiter, a failed plastic surgeon who has taken over a financially struggling circus and transformed it into a den of depravity.

The film opens as Dr. Rossiter is being chased down the streets of Paris by police. He escapes by orchestrating a fatal accident that leaves several people dead, including his assistant. He then flees to Britain and sets up the circus, where he practices his surgical skills on the performers, giving them new identities and appearances as part of his mad circus spectacle.

Diffring's Rossiter is a truly chilling villain, with his icy demeanor and penchant for silvery surgical tools. At the same time, he is a tragic figure, consumed by his own dark desires and desperate need to be accepted by society. His obsession with beauty and youth ultimately becomes his undoing, as the twisted world he has created collapses around him.

Erika Remberg co-stars as Magda, a beautiful trapeze artist who becomes Rossiter's unwilling accomplice in his crimes. Yvonne Monlaur plays the innocent and naive Hestor, who becomes caught up in the circus's web of deceit and danger. The film has a dark and ominous atmosphere, bolstered by the brilliant cinematography of Douglas Slocombe, who expertly captures the strange and surreal world of the circus.

One of the most captivating elements of "Circus of Horrors" is its strange combination of horror and glamour. The circus is depicted as a seductive and alluring place, full of beautiful performers and dazzling costumes. But beneath the surface lies a seedy world of drugs, prostitution, and murder. The film portrays the circus as a sort of breeding ground for deviant behavior, a place where people can indulge in their darkest impulses without fear of reprisal. It's a potent metaphor for the societal taboos and repressions that were endemic to the era.

Despite its often lurid content, "Circus of Horrors" has moments of genuine artistry and beauty. The film's score, composed by Franz Reizenstein, is haunting and beautiful, and the film's set design and costuming are exquisite. Slocombe's cinematography is particularly noteworthy, with his use of shadows and light creating an eerie, almost dreamlike quality to the proceedings.

At its core, however, "Circus of Horrors" is a film about obsession and control. Rossiter's desire to recreate beauty and youth is a thinly veiled metaphor for his desperate need to control his own life and environment. He is a character consumed by his own ego and arrogance, incapable of seeing the damage he is inflicting on those around him.

Overall, "Circus of Horrors" is a film worth seeking out for fans of classic horror and British cinema. Its blend of horror, melodrama, and social commentary makes it a unique and compelling viewing experience, and Diffring's performance is unforgettable. It's a film that deserves to be rediscovered and appreciated for its strange and unsettling beauty.

Circus of Horrors is a 1960 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 27 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.0.