ANTON DIFFRING WITH ERIKA REMBERG IN 'CIRCUS OF HORRORS'

title: Circus of Horrors Year: 1960 rating: ****

Anton Diffring's England-exiled German plastic surgeon character Dr. Schuler is really into madly reconstructing once-beautiful women's injured/deformed faces, and winds up running a circus after he and two followers happen upon German drunk Donald Pleasence, who trades his small rural circus for his war-scarred daughter to be Patient X of the big tent spectacle a decade later...

And the now successful circus owner/secret doctor Schuler meets his match in Erika Remberg as a lethal, facially-deformed whore... later yearning to be the show's rope-dangling main attraction instead of voluptuous blonde Vanda Hudson, stunt-riding on horseback before spinning against flying knives...

Ironically, CIRCUS OF HORRORS is more a body count thriller than horror: the deaths "mysteriously" occur to the doctor's post-surgery beauties who are just about to move on from the "Jinxed Circus", so there's plenty of suspense hindered only by the grownup little girl, now in her beautiful twenties and romanced by an intrusive cop, sniffing around the mad yet never hammy or overboard lead antagonist's schemes far too soon, making even gorgeous British starlet Yvonne Romain's vulnerable and dangerous third act feel both rushed and overlong.

Erika Remberg as a killer whore turned rope rider in CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Anton Diffring with Vanda Hudson & Jane Hylton in Circus of Horrors

Anton Diffring with Vanda Hudson in Circus of Horrors

Vanda Hudson's predictable fate spoiled in Circus of Horrors

Erika Remberg and Anton Diffring in CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Anton Diffring with Kenneth Griffith & Jane Hylton in Circus of Horrors

Annoying cop Conrad Phillips and grownup cutie Yvonne Monlaur Circus of Horrors

Erika Remberg as a killer whore turned rope rider in CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Erika Remberg and Anton Diffring in CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Donald Pleasence sells out for daughter in CIRCUS OF HORRORS

And cute child starlet Carla Challoner in CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Anton Diffring and Yvonne Romain in CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Yvonne Romain takes the third act in CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Yvonne Romain takes the third act in CIRCUS OF HORRORS