After a mental breakdown following the murder of his bride to be, famed horror actor Paul Toombes (Vincent Price) is persuaded to return to the Dr Death role that made him famous. He is persuaded by a writer friend of his Herbert Flay (Peter Cushing) who is also the scriptwriter of all the Dr Death movies. Soon Toombes finds his mind is again being tested as the series of mysterious deaths that plagued him before, returns. The police soon suspect Toombes of the crimes, but who is the mysterious masked and caped killer that is disrupting filming? Lots of campy and cheesy fun with some horror greats, there's actually some nice visuals too that I hadn't remembered from previous viewings. Not price's best but still good fun.

A horror movie star (Vincent Price) returns to his famous role after years in a mental institution. But the character seems to be committing murders independent of his will.

This is a great cast! Vincent Price as horror star Paul Toombes, Peter Cushing as his friend Herbert Flay. And even throw in Robert Quarry as Oliver Quayle. Cushing and Price alone sell a film, but Quarry (known to horror fans as Count Yorba) is a welcome addition.

This is probably the sexiest Price film. While he has had his share of female co-stars, and some of them even sort of foxy (see the Phibes films), here is the first time I know of where women are practically throwing themselves at him. Sure, he is past 60 at this point, but still a handsome man in his own right.

I also have to give credit to whoever joined Amicus and AIP together. AIP has consistently made Price a star in their films, and Amicus is a powerhouse in Britain (second only to Hammer). By combining them, that was a work of genius (and I presume why we see Cushing and Price share a screen).

Some critics have bashed the film saying "it could have been written during a lunch break", but I think it is a very touching homage to Price's career in horror, particularly with the showing of some of his past work. Howard Maxford hesitantly approves, saying it has "a fairly successful mixture of chills and humour." I concur.

There are, of course, other Price films to see first. But do not rule this one out -- it is better than some of his other work (I thought it easily topped "Cry of the Banshee") and a real treat to see him alongside Cushing. For as little exposure as this one gets, it is much better than you might think (though, the most overlooked Price film is still probably "Mad Magician").

MADHOUSE came out at around the same time as fellow Vincent Price-starrer THEATRE OF BLOODand both films share an aspect of deliria that make them worthwhile watches. While the latter film is today regarded as a classic, however, MADHOUSE has slipped into the void and is regarded as an interesting obscurity at best. I enjoyed the film, but I freely admit that it's no classic; it lacks pacing and focus in the script, and during a couple of moments I was left looking at my watch, waiting for something to happen. It doesn't help that attempts at comedy (if that is indeed what they are) are quite awful; the attack by the couple with the watch in the garden is one such moment and it really stood out as a cheesy, unfunny, just plain weird moment in the film.

To start off with, it's business as usual. Vincent Price plays Paul Toombes, a horror actor with a successful career as the creepy "Doctor Death". Essentially Price is playing himself and the film has a self-referencing angle that came decades before Wes Craven did it in SCREAM. Toombes is the main suspect in a string of grisly murders, although the special effects – rubbery severed head, hanging body – are laughable rather than frightening. We're never quite sure whether Toombes is insane and committing the crimes himself, or if he's being framed by an arch rival, and it doesn't really matter: by the end of the film he's quite mad anyway. What follows are a couple of twist endings and a memorable final shot which boasts astonishingly good make-up job.

Vincent Price was a major draw for me and without him, I think this film would have been dire. With him, it's quite good. He has a lot of fun with the role and some creepy moments as the camera captures his distorted face. Price is ably supported by a pair of fellow horror veterans, Peter Cushing and Robert Quarry, although the two of them appear in relatively few scenes and their appearances seem to be little more than extended cameos. The delectable Linda Hayden also pops up in some eye-popping outfits and she's as gorgeous as ever, while chat-show host Michael Parkinson puts in a cameo that really adds to the movie as well as dating it. Adrienne Corri overacts her heart out as a crippled madwoman living in the cellar with her tarantulas.

This was an Amicus/AIP co-production, so plenty of use is made of Price's career with Roger Corman; we get clips from THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, THE HAUNTED PALACE, THE RAVEN, and TALES OF TERROR. The inclusion of scenes from the latter two movies allow the film-makers to give an amusing "with special participation by Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff" announcement at the film's opening. Such moments give MADHOUSE a weird atmosphere and unusual storyline, but I can't help feel that this is a bit of a jumbled film, a mess in places and brilliant in others. It's good, but I won't be returning to it in the same way I will THEATRE OF BLOOD; a worthwhile failure is the best way to think of it.