Fear Chamber 1968 Elite Entertainment   Buy It Now

During the 1960's, there were a number of horror films released that took the genre in completely different directions. This was when the films of Hammer Studios gained a great deal of popularity and it was also the same decade that the legendary H.G. Lewis would break the boundaries of cinema with a film that is considered to be the first gore film ever released; Blood Feast. Not all films were great though, and many producers and studios would simply release a horror film and try to put some star power behind it to sell the product. DVD has given us the best and worst that Hollywood has had to offer, though the past year or so has seen more Asian cinema getting released than anything else, but there are still companies that are true to the past days of horror.

Boris Karloff; his is a name that will forever be associated with horror films and for just about any fan; Karloff IS the one and only Frankenstein. Karloff however starred in numerous films, but seemed unable to escape from horror completely. This seems to be true of many horror legends. No matter what types of other films they did, both Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price will always been known for their roles in horror films. In 1968, horror fans got another chance to see Karloff on the silver screen in one of his last roles, though Fear Chamber certainly is not one of Karloff's finer pieces of work.

Miles below the surface of the Earth Dr. Mandel (Karloff) has discovered a strange life form. The creature is actually alive within solid rock and can communicate with humans through telepathy. The creature is brought back to the surface to be further studied, but it needs something in order to live. Humans create a chemical substance within them, but only under cases of extreme fear, and without this, the creature will die. The good doctor however comes up with a solution.

Together with his team, they create a home for down and out woman. Some of them they have selected to expose to terrifying conditions late at night. The women are thrown into a horrific world filled with Satanists will to sacrifice them and many other horrific manifestations all in an effort to raise their fear level. The team has success until the creature begins to evolve and Dr. Mandel decides that the creature must be destroyed. His decision however may have come far too late.

Disjoined might be one of the best ways to describe Fear Chamber, but that's actually standard for a number of horror films from the 60's. It isn't until at least 30 minutes into the film where some vague plot really comes into play here. At first, we Mandel's daughter, Corrine (played by Julissa), and another scientist, Mark(Carlos East.) The two make some rather cryptic references about what they are looking for before the entire story shifts to a group of Satanists. This is merely a cover to produce the fear-induced chemicals needed to feed the rock they have found. You'll find an effort to make things psychedelic but the sequence is plagued with bad cuts and still shots that show the "Satanists" teleporting around the chamber. It is only then that we learn what is really going on, and this scene alone could have been drastically cut down.

The team finally discovers that the creature may not be what they had assumed and that even though it seems to want to pass on some valuable information, it hasn't done so. It also begins to evolve and that's when Mandel decides to destroy it. However, his assistant Helga (Isela Vega) and another of the doctor's lackeys, Roland (Yerye Beirute), decide to carry on the doctor's work and revive the creature. The idea at first seems noble, but in a very predictable move, it becomes a nightmare and the feeble minded Roland is soon obsessed with the creature and believes that it wants to give him diamonds.

There are many things bad about this film, the acting being one of the main one. Karloff is great but that was expected, as he was quite a seasoned actor at the time this was filmed. The rest of the cast however is awful and their acting just doesn't work at all for the film. It feels forced often times and is along the lines of what you might hear in some locally made commercial. The film doesn't necessarily rely heavily on special effects, but what is seen isn't the type of things that would inspire fear in anyone. The Fear Chamber itself for example has things like plastic skeletons and rubber bats adorning its wall, save for a few real creatures, it's about as terrifying as a trip to the playground. The rock creature is never truly seen, leaving you to image what it looks like, and I'm fine with this, but often times when it "moves" you can clearly see wires, strings, and everything else used to give it life.

If you were to take Fear Chamber and cut down some of the rather lengthy, unnecessary scenes, the movie would probably have a running time of around 45 minutes. There are many shots that just do on too long for their own good and instead of enhancing the movie; it drags it out for too long. There also are a number of quick cuts which could have worked for the movie, but they end up being used simply because one of the cinematographers had that as a background. You can learn a bit more about this on the commentary track for the movie.

As much as I want to complain about the movie though, it's pure schlock, and that's part of the appeal for movies from this decade. Every episode of the original Star Trek for example really is a poor piece of work, and that has made them classic. Blood Feast might have the worst actors of all times, but it's still a classic. Fear Chamber certainly isn't a masterpiece, but in spite of the down side, there are some things that are laughable, making it somewhat enjoyable if you forget about what makes it a bad movie. Karloff really would be the main appeal for most though, and don't assume there's going to be high caliber anything in Fear Chamber.

There aren't many extra features. The entire movie has a commentary track with Fear Chamber's writer and producer, Jack Hill. Jack isn't always a talkative fellow and you'll find times where they are quite a few minutes of silence. You will get some good background information on the movie and Jack talks about some of the other actors that he's worked with. In listening to this though, it's very apparent that even he realizes this isn't a great film. There is a also a deleted scene included, and I guess that the censors just weren't too pleased about breasts being shown. That's too bad. Also, the movie has a remixed 5.1 soundtrack and when compared to the original version of the movie, this is magnificently done.

If you're looking for a B-movie that is probably only going to be enjoyable once, Fear Chamber is just the thing. If you're out to collect everything that Karloff has ever been in, that would be yet another reason to pick this one up. Horror fans that are serious about what they watch though, and especially what they buy for their collection, are probably going to want to rent this one first. Fear Chamber is a film that you probably aren't going to see on the list of "Coming Soon Remakes," but it's a movie that's worth a watch at least once, but don't expect to walk away from it with anything terribly memorable.

-mike-
 

Directed By: Jack Hill & Juan Ibáñez   Written By: Jack Hill  & Luis Enrique Vergara   Cast: Boris Karloff Julissa Carlos East Isela Vega Yerye Beirute

DVD Features: Commentary w/ Jack Hill Deleted Scene