The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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Better known stateside as Dr. Tarr’s Torture Dungeon (an extrememly misleading title if ever there was one, and the cover art of the Magnum VHS release made it look like an Andy Milligan sex and gore film), Mansion Of Madness is the directorial debut of Panic Movement member Juan Lopez Moctezuma (better known for Alucarda).

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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Losely based on Edgar Allen Poe’s The System Of Doctor Tarr And Professor Feather, the story follows a Frenchman named Gaston (Arthur Hansel who had a bit part in the Cannon films masterpiece 10 To Midnight with Charles Bronson!) who has returned to his homeland after several years studying abroad in the United States. His goal is to visit the mental hospital where his father recently passed away, and when the film opens he’s travelling by horse and buggy with a man and a woman through the thick woods to get there.

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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He arrives at the hospital and sets about on his quest, while the his two fellow travellers head off back into the woods only to meet a dire fate. Gaston soon meets up with Dr. Maillard (Claudio Brook, also of Alucarda), whose controversial methods are looked upon with some distrust by the local medical community, and rightfully so. Maillard allows his patients almost completely free reign of the facility. A man who is convinced he is a chicken runs around, as does a man who thinks he is an owl. Oddly enough, the doctor’s employees seem equally off balance, as does the doctor himself. His beautiful daughter, Eugenis (Ellen Sherman), has a penchant for bizarre dances and she soon takes an interest in the hosptals new arrival.

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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One night Eugenie and Gaston meet, and she explains her father’s history to him – he’s not actually a real doctor at all but a criminal mastermind who has organized a revolution of sorts. The inmates have literally taken over the asylum and they have the real hospital workers looked up in the basement of the hospital. The two decide to make a break for it and get out of the hospital while the still can, but Maillard’s cronies quickly capture them and bring them back to the facility, where they too will be locked up in the basement – a place where insanity is king and there are no rules.

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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The strong Moctezuma/Jodorowsky (El Topo, The Holy Mountain) connection is obvious on this film. There are many surrealist touches on display, from the costumes and settings to the random actions of the inmates and their captors. The story is really only there to string together the bizarre set pieces and give a little bit of method to all of the madness contained therein. Moctezuma’s background in the Panic Movement is made clearly obvious by the irrational actions and dialogue of the central characters within the film, as well as the over the top theatrics and truly unsettling conclusion.

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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In short, this film doesn’t really resemble Poe’s source material so much, and it would seem that the film is less of an adaptation than maybe a very loose interpretation. There are some traditional gothic sets, and the setup is pure Poe, but once Gaston gets into the hospital and the devil begins to hop around in the woods jumping and waving like a maniac, we are very definitely in surrealist territory.

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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Mansion Of Madness is just plain weird – but that’s not a bad thing. At times quite surrealist, other times strangely fascinating (if a tad confusing), Mondo Macabro has done another fine job of delivering a true cinematic oddity to DVD.

Rock! Shock! Pop!

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The Mansion of Madness (1973) [Mondo Macabro] [Repost]

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Special Features:
- Brand new digital transfer
- Featurette - A Cultured Maverick: Juan Lopez Moctezuma (13:44)
- Featurette - Guillermo dl Toro on Moctezuma & star Claudio Brook (7:31)
- Trailer (4:00)
- English and Spanish soundtracks (with optional English subtitles)
- Text pages and filmogaphies & text interview with director
- Stills gallery
- Mondo Macabro preview trailer