Dr. Diablo (Burgess Meredith) entices while Atropos slices.
Carnival barker Dr. Diablo (Burgess Meredith) lures several onlookers into his "torture garden" for a special show, an attraction in which his guests' fates are foretold by an animatronic figure of Atropos — one of the Three Fates from Greek mythology, specifically "the inflexible one" — who can cut the skeins of those destinies short with a pair of shears. The guests are given the option of heeding the warnings set forth by the visions, or... Said visions include:
- an unscrupulous deadbeat who visits his dying uncle in search of a handout, only to instead unearth an eldritch evil
- a
conniving American would-be starlet manipulates her way into the world
of Hollywood bigwigs, a group who "never seem to grow old or to slow
down"
- a
music journalist who falls in love with a celebrated concert pianist,
only to discover that her rival for his affections is his jealous grand
piano
- an
obsessed fan (Jack Palance) of Edgar Allan Poe who encounters a fellow
enthusiast (Peter Cushing) whose comprehensive collection contains
impossible rarities...and then some
Operating
in territory similar to the the studio's previous DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF
HORRORS, TORTURE GARDEN's anthology shockers are even more effective
than their predecessor, with the upped ante of darkness feeling a good
deal more grown-up and less like mere campfire tales. Burgess Meredith
is superb as Dr. Diablo, even though it's pretty damned obvious who he
is from the get-go, and the rest of the cast each essay their parts with
considerable verve. Peter Cushing is a welcome and fun presence as
always, and Jack Palance totally chews the scenery, as was often his
wont.
Like DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS, TORTURE GARDEN is a
solid entry-level anthology that offers something for everyone without
overstaying its welcome. For some reason, this is a portmanteau horror
that seems to often be overlooked in discussion, which is a gross
oversight.
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