Since the dawn of motion picture entertainment England has created some defining Horror features. From 1961’s The Innocents and 1973’s The Wicker Man to 1987’s Hellraiser and beyond, there are a lot of fascinating original tales to uncover in British Horror cinema. Looking more closely into the region’s ‘60s era, you had memorable entries like 1960’s Village of the Damned, 1963’s The Haunting, among many others. Then you had other films that attracted a broad audience like 1960’s Circus of Horrors.
Released originally on April 8, 1960 in London, it was swiftly picked up for distribution in the USA by American International Pictures and released as a double feature with films like 1959’s A Bucket of Blood and The Angry Red Planet in May of that year. Connecting with theatergoers, Circus of Horrors back a hit both in the USA and UK markets thanks to a ghoulishly compelling story.
Written by George Baxt (a famous screenwriter who is known for screenplays such as 1960’s The City of the Dead), Circus of Horrors was directed by Sidney Hayers. Interestingly enough, Circus of Horrors would be the first film that Baxt and Hayers collaborated on, the second being 1962’s Night of the Eagle (U.S. title: Burn, Witch, Burn).
With this in mind, the story of Circus of Horrors follows a Plastic Surgeon named Dr. Rossiter who is running from the law after a failed operation on a high society type. Dr. Rossiter quickly finds a way to hide as he assumes ownership of a failing circus after successfully fixing the former owner’s daughter’s scarred face. From here Rossiter recruits only disfigured criminal types with promises to repair their appearance if they join the circus. Hard to resist, they do so and as a result, assist Rossiter in building one of the most successful traveling circuses throughout Europe. However, when a performer chooses to leave the circus, more mysterious accidents begin to unfold. Can anyone get out of this big top of terror alive?
A well-paced tale, you cannot help but become enthralled with Rossiter’s derangement with promises of happiness, but at what costs? Truly a case of making a deal with the devil, the suspense is plausible with every turn. Brought to life by exceptional acting, the cast is led by Anton Diffring (an accomplished German actor) as Dr. Rossiter, Austrian Actress Erika Remberg as murderous prostitute turned circus star Elissa Caro, French film star Yvonne Monlaur (known for her roles in Hammer films) as the elder Nicole Vanet, plus the distinguished Donald Pleasence (known for many roles including Dr. Loomis in 1978’s Halloween) as ill-fated former circus owner Vanet.
The question is – how many have seen Circus of Horrors sixty-odd years later? Hopefully more than a few. Assuring that the film does not become lost in the archives of time it was released on DVD back in 2002, and Blu-ray in 2019, but now in 2024, it arrives in 4K Ultra HD for the first time.
Made possible by Kino Lorber, their 4K Ultra HD release of Circus of Horrors emerged on November 12, 2024. From a 4K scan of the 35mm original negative, it is the same 2018 UHD SDR Master transfer utilized by the 2019 Scream Factory Blu-ray, but the difference is that it is on a 4K Ultra HD disc. A factor that makes a difference in the eyes of some, the image is nothing less than stunning while the original Specta-Color pops off the screen.
Beyond this, the extra features are relatively minimal, but you do get a new audio commentary with Film Historian David Del Valley (as opposed to the 2019 Blu-ray which featured a commentary from Filmmaker John Landis), plus trailers, as well as a nice slipcover and lovely reversible artwork. Putting together a dignified 4K UHD release of Circus of Horrors, Cryptic Rock gives Kino Lorber’s new release 4 out of 5 stars.
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