Circus of Fear [Psycho-Circus] ** (1966, Christopher Lee, Leo Genn, Anthony Newlands, Klaus Kinski, Margaret Lee, Heinz Drache, Eddi Arent, Suzy Kendall, Cecil Parker) – Classic Movie Review 4,291

An armoured car is robbed on London’s Tower Bridge. The 1966 Anglo-German thriller film Circus of Fear is based on Edgar Wallace’s novel Again the Three Just Men, and stars Christopher Lee, Suzy Kendall, Leo Genn, Klaus Kinski and Cecil Parker. 

The 1966 Anglo-German international co-production thriller film Circus of Fear is loosely based on the 1928 novel Again the Three Just Men by Edgar Wallace, and stars Christopher Lee, Suzy Kendall, Leo Genn, Klaus Kinski and Cecil Parker. It is set in London, mostly in the East End and the Docklands.

The US title was Psycho-Circus and the German title was Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreieck [Mystery of the Silver Triangle] or Scotland Yard auf heißer Spur. It was also known as Circus of Terror.

An armoured car is robbed in a daring daylight raid on London’s Tower Bridge and the gang escape on the River Thames after one of the guards is shot and killed by gang member Mason (Victor Maddern).

Leo Genn stars as a Scotland Yard police detective called Elliott, who investigates robberies and killings that are linked to a touring circus, Barberini’s Circus. Margaret Lee plays Gina, who becomes one of the victims.

Christopher Lee also stars as Gregor (‘Drago’), a circus lion tamer who wears a full mask to hide his fire damaged face and who is high among the list of suspects, and also notable among the cast is Danzig-born German screen legend Klaus Kinski as Manfred Hart, who turns up at the circus seeking employment. Skip Martin plays Mr Big the midget, who is blackmailing Drago. Suzy Kendall plays Drago’s niece Natasha, and Cecil Parker plays Sir John. It is a quirky, interesting cast.

Director John Llewellyn Moxey’s tolerable 1966 murder mystery is based on a story by Edgar Wallace that mixes whodunit with horror elements, with Christopher Lee and Genn giving compelling performances that hold it together. Harry Alan Towers produces and writes the screenplay as Peter Welbeck.

Also in the cast are Anthony Newlands, Heinz Drache, Eddi Arent, Suzy Kendall as Natasha, Cecil Parker, Victor Maddern, Maurice Kaufmann, Lawrence James, Tom Bowman, Skip Martin, Nosher Powell, Gordon Petrie, Henry B Longhurst, Dennis Blakely, George Fisher, Peter Brace, Roy Scammell, Geoff Silk and Keith Peacock.

It is shot at Hammer Films’ Bray Studios in Berkshire, on location around London, and at Billy Smart’s Circus.

The film is co-produced by leading German distributor Constantin Film, then releasing Rialto Film’s very popular, long-running series of Edgar Wallace adaptations in Germany.

Cast members Heinz Drache, Eddi Arent and Klaus Kinski were regulars in the German Edgar Wallace series and added to attract German audiences.

Werner Jacobs directed the West German version. It premiered in Germany on 29 April 1966.

It was released in the UK in November 1967 by Warner-Pathé Distributors.

It was released in the US by American International Pictures as Psycho-Circus.

It reuses some footage from the 1960 British horror film Circus of Horrors, with some of the circus acts and crowd shots edited into it.

Edgar Wallace’s 1928 British thriller novel Again the Three Just Men, also known as Again the Three, is the last of six novels in the Four Just Men series. It provides a loose inspiration for Circus of Fear.

The cast are Christopher Lee as Gregor (‘Drago’), Leo Genn as Elliott, Anthony Newlands as Barberini, Heinz Drache as Carl, Eddi Arent as Eddie, Klaus Kinski as Manfred Hart, Margaret Lee as Gina, Suzy Kendall as Drago’s niece Natasha, Cecil Parker as Sir John, Victor Maddern as Mason, Maurice Kaufmann as Mario, Lawrence James as Manley, Tom Bowman as Jackson, Skip Martin as Mr Big, Nosher Powell as Red, Gordon Petrie as Man, Henry B Longhurst as Hotel porter, Dennis Blakely as Armoured van guard, George Fisher as Fourth man, Peter Brace as Speedboat man, Roy Scammell as Speedboat man, Geoff Silk as Security man, and Keith Peacock as Security man.

John Carradine is the Narrator.

Circus of Fear [Psycho-Circus] is directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, runs 90 minutes, is made by Circus Films and Proudweeks, is distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) Constantin Film (West Germany) and American International Pictures (US), is written by Harry Alan Towers, based on Again the Three Just Men by Edgar Wallace, is shot by Ernest Steward, is produced by Harry Alan Towers, and is scored by Johnny Douglas.

Kinski was born Klaus Nakszynski in Zoppot, Free City of Danzig (now Sopot, Poland), grew up in Berlin, was drafted into the German army in 1944 and captured by British forces in Holland. He died on November 23 1991, aged 65.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 4,291

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