bigbaf
This 1954 3D classic was meant as a follow up to "House of Wax" and except for not being in technicolor the opening scene is almost identical to the earlier film. Other reviewers have covered the details of the story but I just wanted to add that it recently became available in 3D on blu-ray! It's really the only way to watch this movie and I highly recommend it!
Robin Blake
"The Mad Magician" from 1954 is has Vincent Price as a magician who has been constantly screwed over by his manager regarding ownership of the illusions the magician creates, so he kills his manager. And then he kills again. And again! The magician uses his magic show's tricks and illusions to perform the murders and then disposes of the bodies. Without giving too much away, the part that troubled me the most was the first murder and how he disposed of the body. It involves a saw. That's all I'll say. I really liked this one. Price is great in this one as always. I just can't bring myself to criticize anything the man did. He is just a delight to watch and it hurts me that we'll never have another actor like Vincent Price.
TheLittleSongbird
And I do think undeservedly. It is too short perhaps, and a lot of the support characters are rather colourless especially compared to Gallico. However, while the revenge story has been done before many times it is still interesting here with not a dull moment. There are some very suspenseful moments and Gallico's means of revenge are sadistic. The crematorium climax is the meaning of edge-of-your-seat, and the buzz saw that isn't scene is also very memorable. The Mad Magician does look good, the sets are both beautiful and wonderfully macabre. The 3D effects are not as great as those of House of Wax, but still better than a lot of the mostly soulless effects we have nowadays. They do enhance what is going on on screen and apart from a couple that are a little weird often to thrilling effect. Of the supporting turns the best were Eva Gabor, a beautiful woman who plays a character with no redeeming qualities with no sense of blandness or holding back, and Donald Randolph, who is wonderfully sleazy as Ormond. Best of all again is Price, whose presence is genuinely fearsome yet the audience also garners sympathy for him, the sort of role that Price really excelled at. Overall, I like it very much and think it deserves more attention than it gets. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Neil Doyle
The only ingredient missing in this VINCENT PRICE tale of horror is Technicolor which might have provided even more interest in this murderous tale of a magician who kills in order to protect his inventive magic act.First to go is a partner with whom he has a violent argument and is given the buzz saw treatment. Then, JOHN EMERY, a rival magician who is foolish enough to steal from Price and threatens to reveal what he knows about the death of Price's partner. Emery has a grand time matching his scene stealing tricks with Price.Skillfully directed by John Brahm, a section of the film dealing with the bonfire is reminiscent of a similar moment from Brahm's HANGOVER SQUARE when Laird Cregar delivers the body of a woman to be consumed by fire.Acting is uniformly excellent and the script moves at a fast pace under Brahm's direction. Once again, Vincent Price delivers a first-rate performance in a shuddery role. The suspenseful moments lead to an edge of your seat climax involving a crematorium device.
AD
