Madhouse [Blu-ray]

1974, Vincent plays an actor reprising his former movie role as "Dr. Death" for TV, but soon finds that real deaths are taking place all around him. He thinks "Dr. Death" is real and is the fiend responsible. However, he has had more than one mental breakdown and can't determine who really is doing the killing. He soon devises a scheme to bring out "Dr. Death" by filming his "last scene" called "The Death of Dr. Death". The ploy works and he realizes the killer was near all the time.The movie looked good here on Blu-ray. I have read that earlier editions of this movie suffered from "Audio Sync" issues. I just got mine here on Amazon recently and played it back on the Ultra 4K TV and Sony 4K player. There were NO ISSUES at all with OUT OF SYNC AUDIO. NONE. This was a near perfect Blu-ray from Kino Lorber on this movie. While watching it however, there was one scene when actress Elizabeth Peters in the movie was approaching the large house where Vincent's character was staying. It showed her on the road or path saying "Where are you, Paul?", but there was no audio. Her lips were moving, but you only heard background music, etc. It's a distance "shot", not up close. It doesn't bug me that the audio isn't there though, because it's a far away shot with other music or movie sound effects going on at the same time.There are a few nice features here on the disc. A good featurette on "Dr. Death", theatrical trailers for several of Vincent's movies, about 4 in all.Audio was DTS mono on the menu selection, however, it played back as DTS 2.0 digital on the Ultra 4K player.Menu was good with song in background from the movie.I liked the movie as a whole and it had its moments of suspense. To my knowledge, this was the first movie Vincent and Peter Cushing did together. Correct me if I am wrong. They would later "team up" with Christopher Lee in "House of the Long Shadows" made around 1980. Actor John Carradine would also star in that one.

Really beautiful photography and art direction. This movie is better than I remember, and it looks really good on Blu-ray. It is great to see classic horror icons Vincent Price and Peter Cushing doing scenes together. A really fun film that I think has been underrated by reviewers.By the way, this is an update to the comments that follow from me (below, which was posted before the release of the disc), and let me say that Kino sent me a replacement disc at no cost to me and the audio is in sync with the video and there are no problems with the replacement disc.Again, what follows is from my earlier comment prior to the release of the Blu-ray.Actually, there is/was an audio problem, and Kino was made aware of it — Kino did the right thing and checked the accuracy of the audio claims, and not only confirmed them, but made arrangements for replacement discs of this Blu-ray release (most likely to be ready sometime in September of this year, 2015). After they confirmed the issue, I asked them if it was wise to buy the "Madhouse" Blu-ray while it is on sale this August, and then add my name to the replacement disc in order to receive when it became available. Mister Lime at Kino confirmed that was a good idea.So I made my purchase of this fun film starring both Vincent Price & Peter Cushing.

Paul Tomb (Vincent Price) is a horror movie actor who plays Dr Death in a series of films. He’s suspected of playing his part in real life and murdering people. Tomb himself believes this and feels like Dr Death is a curse. Madhouse delves into whether Tomb has a split personality or whether he’s just a killer.The movie starts off with a hit or should I say a head as Tomb finds his fiance’s head cut off. It’s a blast to see. The deaths are a strong point of the film. They’re not blood and guts but they’re fun to watch.Price does a good job as a tormented soul. You can see him slowly losing it and then he gets to do one of his trademark big monologues at the end.For a B-movie this one is pretty good.C

An actor in horror films (Vincent Price as Paul Toombes) has an unfortunate incident derail his career. His fiancée loses her head and he goes off his, confined to a mental hospital. His career in tatters, Toombes goes to London to spend some time with a sympathetic friend (Peter Cushing as Herbert Flay), the writer of Toombes’ Dr. Death films. Flay hopes to convince Toombes into resurrecting Dr. Death for television. But some unexpected deaths soon put that enterprise in jeopardy. The director being squished by a canopy bed didn’t help the cause. Is Dr. Death/Toombes a homicidal maniac, or is someone else behind these brutal murders?Not bad for it’s type. Some of the “acting” is a bit bizarre. Poor Peter Cushing is relegated to a thankless role that won’t allow him to do much of anything. Doesn’t matter, I bought this for Vincent Price who rarely disappoints.

Great Vincent Price style film with little predictability and a very stand out finish. I can't see any reason not to enjoy this one, even if a person wasn't really interested in the genre in specific.

As a huge fan of Vincent Price, I found this film to be thrilling. It had all his horror combined with the campy notes like other movies in his career. Honestly it’s just a perfect way to showcase how absolutely talented he was, and how talent peter Cushing was as well.The plot isn’t the greatest but the comedy/parody is what keeps it going. Stick around for the credits to hear Vincent Price’s beautiful voice.

Vincent Price shines as usual. The critics🙄 all praised Wes Craven's superior 'Scream' as a welcomed change to horror as satire. Madhouse was a clever satire of the schlock horror that was being churned out on a very low and specific budget. I loved how this film illustrates the excesses of oh so boring method actors in all their ridiculousness! I applaud Amazon for bringing back all these lost gems from American International Pictures and not relegated them to watered down and butchered late night viewing when you're lucky enough not to run into an infomercial!

I knew who the true murderer was ten minutes into the film and I'm not usually that quick. Far from it. The true villains of this film are the writers Greg Morrison and Ken Levison. The story is all over the place and full of inconsistences. In one instance, a woman is chased by an attacker through an office block, and unbelievably, no-one hears her screaming her head off. Scotland Yard seem to be uninterested in the case. They don't even bother looking for evidence. The story could have been immeasurably improved if all of these faults had been ironed out (a re-write anyone?), but they weren't, and what we have here is a mess of a film.I don't know why so many reviewers gush so lovingly about this film. Okay, it has Peter Cushing and Vincent Price acting together, but their performances are crushed by the script.A footnote. When I was a teenager, I use to watch the tv show, Father, Dear Father, just to watch Natasha Pyne. She appears in Mad House and is one of the few redeeming factors of this film. She actually looks like she is enjoying her part and puts in a fine performance. Of course, she looks lovely. Even as a teenager I had good taste in women. She had beautiful eyes and the most perfect skin of any human being I have ever seen. Watching her again rekindled my youthful crush on her. The only reason really for watching Mad House.

The grandmaster of horror, Vincent Price stars in this brilliant British horror film from the Seventies as Hollywood horror film legend Paul Toombes reknown especially for his classic role, the evil sadist and skull faced Dr Death.On being acquitted for the murder of his wife for which he was accused, with his career in decline he suffers a mental breakdown. He is offered the chance to make a comeback in his career by starring in a TV series based on the Dr Death films ...albeit with eventual tragic consequences.Vincent Price is excellent as the mentally troubled Paul Toombes with great supporting performances from horror legend Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry and Adrienne Corri. The legendary talk show host Michael Parkinson makes an appearance as he interviews Paul in a scene on his career.I love Vincent Price. He truly is an extraordinary talent and Madhouse is an understated British horror masterpiece. A great horror film.

In the film a record is played of Vincent Price singing a 1930s style ballad. The DVD makers have had the good sense to include this song on the DVD menu screen, so you can sit and listen to Price warbling a song over and over. It's not often that a DVD is worth £4.99 just for the menu screen!

What can I say...,I have just viewed this for the first time ever and I found it to be really good. A good story with very good acting.Not to garish but certainly not too tame.As much as I admire Vincent Price (and that's a lot) he doesn't quite match up to the gentle giant that was and still is the legendary Peter Cushing.

Could not even watch this film as it fills about a quarter of the screen if that, if you zoom in the picture quality which is not great to start with becomes atrocious and is unwatchable. So I sent it back for a refund.