MovieChat Forums > Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) Discussion > As much as I love this film [Spoilers ah...

As much as I love this film [Spoilers ahead]

posted 17 years ago by sheridanelliot
12 replies | jump to latest

Has anyone else noticed that the plot resolution makes absolutely no sense? If they all died in a train crash, then what was with the separate deaths foretold (in a future that could never come to pass) by Dr. Schreck?

Still, a classic anthology horror with a quirky and eclectic cast. Christopher Lee is obnoxiously brilliant and Cushing (RIP) seems to revel in hamming it up (with an accent all the way from the Dutch East Indies via Scandinavia.)

[–] judd_clarke 16 years ago

Yeah, you're right! I kinda thought the same thing.

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[–] stagebandman 16 years ago

They had not died yet, when he drew the death card as the only way out of the futures the Dr. described. My thought has always been that when they went through the "tunnel", and the Dr. disappeared, was when the crass happened.

If we all liked the same movie, there'd only be one movie!

[–] coney_island_baby 16 years ago

Dr Schrek says at the beginning that everyone has 'twin destinies' (or something) either mundane or supernatural. The Cards revealed what could have been their supernatural deaths, and the fifth card was to reveal how to avoid this fate. Of course there was no way to avoid it because if they had not died in the supernatural circumstances they would still have been killed in the train crash (their non-supernatural destiny).

That was a lot more detail than I was planning, lol, maybe I've thought about this too much...

T-bag: Unfortunately Pretty, that ain't an option...

[–] Duncan_Idaho02 11 years ago

But what is the point of the stories if they are dead anyway? I am having trouble with this because they were not given any choice. It was simply that they were told stories that would never happen as they were either already dead or were just about to die. Again, they had no choice. It was already destined for them to die on the train. So what was the point of telling each of the 5 men some story that was never going to happen anyway? If there was a scene where they chose death over their destiny, as told by the cards, it would make sense. But that is not what happened. Interesting, but not very good about connecting the stories to their death.

[–] Danimal_77 15 years ago

ALL of the Amicus horror anthologies went on the same premise. There were always 5 people who had to face a future that was inevitable and unavoidable. A future they had no control over, because of something they WERE going to do. The mere fact that they had it in them to do such a horrible thing, is what led them all to a horrible fate: DEATH. It's always been the wrap around story, for not only this movie, but all the other Amicus and some none Amicus horror anthologies from 1965-1973.

[–] 35541m 13 years ago

Neither House that Dripped Blood, Torture Garden, Asylum or From Beyond the Grave have this premise.

[–] Danimal_77 13 years ago

From Beyond The Grave Did. Everyone who stole from the shop, or deceived the shop owner DIED. Tales From The Crypt, as well The Vault of Horror and this movie all went on the same premise as well. 4 out of 7 is more than half of them.

[–] greenbudgie 11 years ago

Re Peter Cushing's accent as Dr Shreck. I thought that he sounded a lot like Bela Lugosi in his last line of the film. The way that he drawled out "Haven't you guessed?" sounded just like Lugosi's thick Hungarian brogue. I wonder if that was an intentional homage to Bela Lugosi?

[–] euro4569 11 years ago

Torture Garden did have that same theme. Although the characters who visited the fun fair were not already dead, their death was 99.9 percent inevitable and unavoidable.

[–] cookieman108 9 years ago

Has anyone else noticed that the plot resolution makes absolutely no sense? If they all died in a train crash, then what was with the separate deaths foretold (in a future that could never come to pass) by Dr. Schreck?

You make an interesting point, but the way I saw it was they all died in the crash only after their futures were revealed. Having knowledge of their futures (and subsequent demises), theoretically they could have attempted to alter their destinies but since each received a death card, one way or the other, they were marked to die, hence the crash.

[–] MovieKnut 9 years ago

I always thought that the individual stories were simply a means to an end. That of unveiling the Death Card, foretelling the character's death.

Love this movie.

You can't palm off a second-rater on me. You gotta remember I was in the pink!

[–] asiamatron 9 years ago

The twin destinies thing doesn't make much sense: this is because ostensibly the five passengers are destined to die in the train crash. If that's the case then they only have one true destiny, the individual stories are pointless.

This style of wrap around story makes more sense when the characters have already died but are unaware of it (the individual stories show how the characters died in the first place.)

I still love the film though regardless.