HORROR HOSPITAL

UK, 1973, 100 minutes, Colour.
Michael Gough, Vanessa Shaw, Dennis Price, Robin Askwith.
Directed by Anthony Balch.

Horror Hospital is a successful British horror film, taking the conventions and cliches of the mad doctor (with Germanic background) and showing him running an experimental institution into which a pop singer disillusioned with the pop world comes. The tone of the film is thus very mod in its presentation of Britain in the 70's, but rather more universal in its presentation of conventional horror. Directed by Antony Balch, a specialist in quick horror films and a distributor of many horror films in England.

1. Was this a successful horror film? Why? What conventions of the horror movie did it use? As cliches? Or originally?

2. How morbid was the film in itself? How ugly was it? Was it too ugly or was the ugliness part of the film? Is it too morbid for audiences to watch films like this? Why? Do films like this give audiences a pleasurable fright? Or Is there something more and deeper about them? Why?

3. Why do audiences like such far-fetched stories, adventures and thriller dangers with overtones of horror? Why do they appeal?

4. The initial impact of Dr Storm and his assistant, the car and the pursuit of innocent people, the decapitations, the introduction to Horror Hospital? Was this a suitable beginning for this film? Why?

5. What picture of the ordinary world did the film give? The initial presentation of the 'pop' scene, transvestites, smoke and music? the need to get away from it all? Hairy Holidays and Mr Pollack? His duplicity and eying of Jason? Was Horror Hospital necessarily much better than the real world? Why?

6. How was the interlude on the train important for presenting some kind of normality? The easy relationship of Jason and Julie? The contrast of the station manager, no care to meet them, the arrival of the bikes and the atmosphere of Horror Hospital?

7. The explanation of Dr Storm? The joke about his bikies and storm? troopers? His breaking of his knuckles, the incarnation of the mad doctor, his using of zombies, his wicked assistant etc.?

8. How well was Dr Storm presented as a mad doctor? The overtones of 'mad doctor' themes, Frankenstein monsters, the love for power, the abuse of science, the inhumanity, the playing of God and control for power? Were these themes well presented in this film?

9. Was Jason a conventional hero? Not particularly handsome? Extraordinarily strong in the fights with the henchmen? Hoping that he would escape? Why? Was Judy an attractive heroine? The dangers she endured? The nature of the escape? How conventional, how well used?

10. The importance of Aunt Harris with her background? Her visual presentation? As some kind of conscience against Dr Storm? The lurid past and her supplying of victims to him. his use of them (the sexual overtones - necessary?)? The horror of Aunt Harris's murder?

ll. The other decapitations in the film - especially Pollack? The zombie-making and the process the victims being servants to Storm? How horrifying were the zombie scenes? at the table, the exercises, the fighting with Jason and Abraham?

12. The contribution of Frederick to the film? His background as explained in the film, as a dwarf, as his helping the hero and heroine, the nature of his death?

13. Was the film particularly well made? Was it a good example of the horror genre?