Italy's film industry was quite prolific during this period. They produced many truly classic horror films at this time, some from the legendary director Mario Bava. English actress, Barbara Steele made her horror film debut in Mario Bava's masterpiece BLACK SUNDAY (one of my all time favorite horror films). From then on Italian audiences fell in love with Ms. Steele and she went on to become the leading female horror icon of the genre. Count me among her fans, no other actress can embody both elegance and menace, beauty and horror, devotion and revulsion like Barbara Steele. There truly is no one else like her.
After Black Sunday, Barbara Steele costarred alongside the incomparable Vincent Price in the classic THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM. Then she starred in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents before returning to Italy for her next horror film, THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK. Directed by Riccardo Freda, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock explores seldom trod topics and a massive taboo for civilized society: the pioneering days of anesthesia and necrophilia.
For 1962 this was very controversial and it is a wonder how a film about such things was even made!
THE PLOT
The year is 1885. London doctor, Bernard Hichcock, is on the cutting edge of a new medical practice: anesthesia. In his experimentation with anesthesia, Dr. Hichcock develops a bizarre fetish. Often his wife allows him to place her under anesthesia and perform sexual acts upon her while she's under. One night he administers too much, accidentally killing her. Distraught and grieving, Dr. Hichcock leaves his home for several years. Eventually he remarries and brings his new wife back to his old home. Once there his old fetishes return more severely. And his new spouse begins seeing and hearing strange things, believing it to be the vengeful ghost of her husband's late wife.
WHAT I LIKED
Tasteful Taboos. As mentioned above, this revolves around some truly messed up subject matter, namely necrophilia and necrophilia-like fetishes. To most of the world at large these things are still taboo, dirty, and disgusting. But this film manages to tackle these subjects rather tastefully and with elegance. This film has all the trappings of a British Victorian era setting, including the standard English civility and formality. The film even manages to possess some of the qualities of JANE EYRE. Never have these subjects looked so clean and proper. Amidst all the other gothic horror films in existence, this one stands uniquely alone.
Genre Blending. Running alongside Dr. Hichcock's forbidden pleasures is Barbara Steele's plot thread, that of a haunted house thriller. The haunted house thriller feels a bit standard next to the more lurid content, but once the two threads weave together the film becomes something quite unique. There are the Jane Eyre esthetics and a wicked twist ending making the film all the more compelling. Then there's the anesthesiology exploration, the only other horror film to tackle the subject (that I'm aware of) being CORRIDORS OF BLOOD (1958). All these elements make for one interesting horror film.
And I just have to say there is one scene where the horrible doctor almost goes off the deep end with a corpse that is both disturbing and riveting at the same time. I found myself cringing and asking aloud, "Is he gonna do it? Is he gonna do it?!"
NITPICKS
Slow Starter. This movie has a great and creepy prologue but then it slows way the hell down. It seems to have trouble regaining its momentum until almost halfway through. Maybe it was because I was tired and feeling under the weather when I watched this section but this area of the movie felt like a real slog to get through. Once through that the movie began accelerating again and becoming intriguing. Also, it seemed like it took a little while for Barbara Steele to find her groove, which added to the slogging but about the time where the movie picks up the pace is when she really gets into her role. The movie overall just has a really strong second half.
THE VERDICT
Italian Gothic horror featuring the inimitable Barbara Steele in a film almost just as unique, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock is an anomaly of its time, no other film of the era tackling such forbidden content. Blending gothic horror, haunted houses, far out fetishes, all grounded in the dawning era of anesthesia. There's a rather slow section in the first half before the film really gets going and the bizarre contents reach their boiling point. You probably have to be a fan of these kinds of horror films to really appreciate it but this definitely is a movie of note.
Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
For more Gothic horror and Barbara Steele glory check out these other films below
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