And Now The Screaming Starts!
Amicus
A restrospective
If you’re at all familiar with Amicus Productions you’ll no doubt be aware that the company built by Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg enjoyed a halcyon period between the mid-1960s to 70s, with a series of horror and sci-fi films and portmanteaus that have, by-and-large stood the test of time. In this retrospective, we cover all 24 films from 1965’s Dr Terror’s House of Horrors to the company’s swansong, 1977’s The People That Time Forgot…
Distinctly
Amicus
Ian Talbot Taylor introduces Horrified’s Amicus retrospective with a look at Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg’s film production company, and how it compared to the monolithic Hammer Films – noting similarities and, more importantly, unique differences… (READ MORE)
Dr Terror's House of Horrors
1965 / Freddie Francis
Mark Cunliffe boards a train bound for oblivion in this essay on Amicus’s first foray into horror features with Dr Terror’s House of Horrors… (READ MORE)
Dr Who and the Daleks
1965 / Gordon Flemyng
An American perspective on Amicus as Amy Cornell time travels back to her youth and the technicolour splendour of the first cinematic incarnation of the Doctor… (READ MORE)
The Skull
1965 / Freddie Francis
Grace Britten explores the inner workings of The Skull, ‘a crucial piece of horror history whose merit has continued to grow since its release fifty-eight years ago’… (READ MORE)
The Psychopath
1966 / Freddie Francis
The Psychopath was the third of a staggering seven films Freddie Francis helmed for Amicu Productions during the course of the original incarnation. Jez Conolly disturbs the creepy doll… (READ MORE)
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
1966 / Gordon FlemYnG
Liam Jones gives a short retrospective into the unfairly maligned Amicus Dalek sequel… (READ MORE)
The Deadly Bees
1967 / Freddie Francis
‘Not the bees!’ Don’t worry, it’s not that movie, but Freddie Francis’ own bee-bothering effort from 1967. Robyn Adams enters the hive… (READ MORE)
The Terrornauts
1967 / Montgomery Tully
An affectionate reappraisal of 1967’s The Terrornauts and Amicus’s other ‘terrors for tots’ by Adam Jezard… (READ MORE)
They Came From Beyond Space
1967 / Freddie Francis
Based on the 1941 story, The Gods Hate Kansas, Amy Cornell learns exactly why The Came From Beyond Space… (READ MORE)
Torture Garden
1967 / Freddie Francis
Often regarded as one of the more uneven Amicus portmanteaus, Jane Nightshade explores the ‘garden’… (READ MORE)
SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN
1970 / Gordon Hessler
The first film to feature the three horror icons, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, and described by David Pirie as ‘on of the best science fiction films ever written. But is it worthy of the praise? Find out in David Cottis’s essay… (READ MORE),
The Mind of Mr. Soames
1970 / Alan Cooke
Paul Lewis essays Amicus’s adaptation of Charles Eric Maine’s eponymous 1961 novel, starring Terence Stamp… (READ MORE)
The House that Dripped Blood
1971 / Peter Duffell
Matthew Tilt explains how the lighter tone and various in-jokes involve a burgeoning, horror-literate audience in Amicus Productions’ 1971 portmanteau feature… (READ MORE)
I, Monster
1971 / Stephen Weeks
Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are back! Here, Amy Cornell dissects Stephen Weeks’ debut feature, arguing that I, Monster should ‘take its place among the best that Amicus had to offer’… (READ MORE)
WHAT BECAME OF JACK AND JILL?
1972 / Bill Bain
As genre fans’ tastes began to change in the early 1970s, both Amicus and Hammer’s attempts to move with the times came with mixed results. Mark Cunliffe explores the change with Bill Bain’s What Became of Jack and Jill?… (READ MORE)
Asylum
1972 / Roy Ward Baker
Andrew Pope essays Roy Ward Baker’s ever-popular 1972 portmanteau, Asylum, and its ‘pulpy treatment of the fear of insanity’... (READ MORE)
THE VAULT OF HORROR
1973 / Roy Ward Baker
This penultimate Amicus anthology – the only one not to feature Peter Cushing – offered mixed results despite an interesting central conceit. Jonathan Clode enters the vault… (READ MORE)
And Now The Screaming Starts
1973 / Roy Ward Baker
Robert Taylor takes a look at Amicus’s rare foray into the singular, gothic horror with a ghost story featuring a blood-curdling family curse, and dark secrets that are uncovered far too late… (READ MORE)
From Beyond The Grave
1974 / Kevin Connor
Often cited as the best of Amicus’s portmanteaus, From Beyond The Grave wrestles with the price of moral transgression, as Nick Bartlett explains… (READ MORE)
The Beast Must Die
1974 / Roy Ward Baker
Jonathan Clode shares his thoughts on The Beast Must Die, Amicus’s stab at a werewolf film, featuring the ‘legendary’ werewolf break… (READ MORE)
MADHOUSE
1974 / Jim Clark
Together at last – Price and Cushing try their best to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, and mostly succeed. Sarah Morgan enters the Madhouse… (READ MORE)
THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT
1974 / Kevin Connor
The Land That Time Forgot marked a bold departure for Amicus. A dinosaur-war film mashup made by a talented team, it had a powerful effect on Matthew Willis as an impressionable child, as he explains in this essay… (READ MORE)
AT THE EARTH'S CORE
1976 / Kevin COnnor
At The Earth’s Core was Amicus’ second Edgar Rice Burroughs fantasy adventure adaptation. Simpler, more camp and pulpy than its predecessor, it nevertheless features some interesting innovations and stands out both from Amicus’ adventure films and others from the same era. Matthew Willis explores the film… (READ MORE)
The People that Time Forgot
1977 / Kevin Connor
Matthew Willis essays The People That Time Forgot, the third and biggest of Amicus’ adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ adventures yet, which lacked some of the charms of the earlier films while competing in a market that was tougher than ever. Amicus would not survive to see its last adventure released but the ambitious series launched many important careers… (READ MORE)
