Angus Hall - Devilday (Madhouse)

[dem]

Angus Hall - Devilday (Ace, 1969: Sphere, 1969, 1970: Severn House, 1986)

“Could you tell us what your mission in England is?”
“Why, I’ve come to play the devil!”

Paul Havard Toombs, a Hollywood star whose career was ended in the US after he was implicated in an unsolved murder, arrives in England to revive his hit show, The Adventures Of Dr. Dis. Reporter Barry Lambert is hired to keep an eye on him in the capacity of personal assistant, but soon finds himself out of his depth. Toombs’ interests - which include reincarnation, drug abuse and participating in Black Magic Rituals and orgies - lead to murder, but is he really responsible?

The novel is very different to the movie based upon it, as much whodunnit? as horror although there are several Black Magic and supernatural props. The murders are ultra-gruesome, the most appalling of all has the police drawing comparisons with Jack the Ripper’s barbaric attack on Mary Kelly.

Pop culture references include name-checks for The Saint, Danger Man, Perry Mason, Bardot, hairy student demonstrators, and Green Shield stamps. Lambert’s fiance, Julia is, of course a “dolly girl.”

[Calenture]

Thanks for reminding me what this book was about, Dem. I've read it, but had no idea it had been a Vince Price film. Here's the Sphere 1969 cover.

[Johnlprobert]

If you read the back of the Vincent Price tie-in version it gives the ending away, which can't be a good idea.

The film 'Madhouse' is quite a let down, coming as it did so quickly after the Dr Phibes films and the sublime Theatre of Blood. But it's still worth a watch, if only for the bit with Michael Parkinson & all those old clips from Corman Poe movies masquerading as 'Paul Toombes' pictures. Nice turns from Linda Hayden & Natasha Pyne as well.

[Calenture]

Does this film end with a lot of snakes escaping in a cellar and corpses all over the place?

I wasn't sure if I'd asked this before, so I thought I'd better try Googling an answer for myself. The best I could find was this poster here (it's not the Steve's blog, I'm sure.

Another interesting blog is here. But I can't figure out how to download any of the audio files...

Can't even find an excuse to nick another poster for this thread.

[Johnlprobert]

The film ends with Peter Cushing being eaten by Adrienne Corri's pet spiders. Then she and Vincent sit down to tea & the credits roll.

Sounds better than it is.

[franklinmarsh]

Jun 29, 2008 15:45:36 GMT Johnlprobert said:

The film ends with Peter Cushing being eaten by Adrienne Corri's pet spiders. Then she and Vincent sit down to tea & the credits roll.

Sounds better than it is.

Ah, but it's not quite Vincent, is it?

[Johnlprobert]

Well.......

Also, Madhouse was the first movie the youthful me saw where I felt genuinely sorry that a character had died (when Natasha Pyne gets a dagger in the throat).

And the severed head at the start worked for me as well.