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      The Mad Magician

      1954 1h 12m Horror List
      Reviews 64% 250+ Ratings Audience Score An 1880s magician (Vincent Price) creates illusions of mayhem that work. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member John Brahm directed two of Hollywood's finest gothic horrors in the 40s: The Lodger and Hangover Square. Good plots, glorious photography, and wonderfully tortured central performances by the great Laird Cregar. This very short (75 minutes) filler is a big come down. A rather stupid screenplay and overripe acting (not least from Vincent Price at his campest) is presented as if it's all taking place on a stage and the people at the back can't hear. Quite good fun, nevertheless, because of its hokiness. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review martin a Wonderful high camp over the top horror, Vincent just does such a wonderful job in overacting, a pure delight Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Another great performance from Vincent Price in a suspenseful and chilling film. There are several great moments, good direction, and memorable scenes. The characters are nice and the story is overall interesting. There are some slow moments, but it's still one worth checking out. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Vincent Price followed his success in 1953's House of Wax with this horror thriller, reemphasizing his place as the king of hotror as a magician who loses his sanity and finds ingeneous wsys to dispose of those who have held back his career. Nobody in cinematic history does revenge like Vincent Price. This is essentially a variation on the plot presented in House Of Wax. Price is a designer of illusions for stage magicians who aspires to set out on a performing career of his own, only to be frustrated when another illusionist steals his ideas. When you watch it, you feel his anger and frustration, and you cheer him on when he wreaks vengeance on those who have wronged him. The props he devises for his stage act -- a buzz saw and a crematorium -- are used to dispose of his victims with true Hitchcockian irony. Even though he is a murderer, the viewer will find themself rooting for him as he is a sympathetic character who is driven mad by the people who keep taking advantage of him. Moral of the story: don't mess with Vincent Price. Mary Murphy and Patrick O'Neal are good as Price's assistant her police detective boyfriend; again these two are similar to the two young protagonists in House of Wax. Eva Gabor is skanky when she appears in a couple of scenes as Price's ex-wife, a gold digging serial divorcee (talk about type casting). Lenita Lane was very good as the snooping amateur crime novelist landlady who was integral to solving the string of murders. Jay Novello is typecast as her timid husband; he played a similar cameo role in an episode of I Love Lucy. The Mad Magician" is a solid B-movie melodrama; a crime movie more than a horror picture, and is enjoyable providing you're not expecting a masterpiece. Shot in black and white, it is low on gore, but high on irony. Price's fiery demise in his own crematorium is the ultimate irony, again harkens back to House of Wax. It is best seen as melodrama and enjoyed for the presence of Vincent Price giving an idiosyncratic performance. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Overly complicated and under-developed, this stock horror has its moments of invention. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Vincent as a vengeful magician. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Mad Magician

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (3) Critics Reviews
      Matt Brunson Film Frenzy There’s never a dull moment in this kicky horror yarn. Rated: 3/4 Mar 29, 2023 Full Review Sean Axmaker Parallax View Overly complicated and under-developed, this stock horror has its moments of invention... Mar 24, 2013 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A delightfully villainous Vincent. Rated: B Apr 6, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis An 1880s magician (Vincent Price) creates illusions of mayhem that work.
      Director
      John Brahm
      Screenwriter
      Crane Wilbur
      Genre
      Horror
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jul 3, 2012
      Runtime
      1h 12m