#House of Madness

[lily-s-world]

You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me:

[adamwatchesmovies]

Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon (1973)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Anyone who sits down and excitedly wonders what horrors await inside Dr. Tarr’s Torture Dungeon will be disappointed. The alternate title of The Mansion of Madness is far more suitable and more properly sets you up for a film that remains lackluster regardless of what you call it. This movie’s plot is too obvious and too badly written for you to care what happens in the end.

Reporter Gaston LeBlanc (Arthur Hansel) is writing an article about famed psychologist Dr. Maillard (Claudio Brook). Arriving at Maillard's asylum, LeBlanc finds the doctor’s methods unorthodox to say the least. Captivated by the beautiul Eugénie (Ellen Sherman), LeBlanc fails to realize the inmates are in charge of the facility.

Loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's darkly comedic The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, the film has a good premise. Imagine visiting a place only to discover that the patients have taken over. You're surrounded by madmen and can't escape. That's scary. To make it work, you need two things. First, a slow-boil plot. If everyone comes out of the gates raving like lunatics, you’ll figure out the whole thing immediately. Second, you need an intelligent protagonist. If you want to make the audience laugh, they should be dumb but if your goal is to scare, Gaston needs to be sharp. Once the deception is revealed, he needs to fake his way through this ordeal and exploit every means of escape possible. That’s what the audience will be doing mentally. Unfortunately, director Juan López Moctezuma fails to do either.

The Mansion of Madness a.k.a. House of Madness a.k.a. Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon does nothing clever or new with its concept. As Gaston approaches the sanitarium, the friends traveling with him suddenly have to cut their journey short. Obviously. If they stuck around, they'd reveal that the man in charge of the asylum isn't Dr. Maillard at all. They're useless until captured by the lunatics. At this point, they become worse than useless and star in a subplot that has no impact on the main story, whatsoever. They prove that all of the sane people in this movie are complete idiots. At one point, one of them escapes. The man’s all tied up and hopping around in the middle of the forest, trying to elude the insane rapists who roam the grounds surrounding the mental institution. He should look for a way to untie himself. Instead, he screams for help, practically begging to be recaptured. Here's a free lesson for all the screenwriters out there: audiences want to see a part of themselves in the on-screen characters. Having them behave like they have no sense of self-preservation is a surefire way to make everyone hate your movie.

That subplot is ultimately nothing more than padding and it’s not the only example of director Juan López Moctezuma struggling to find a way to make his movie feature-length. At one point, Eugénie and Gaston become romantically involved. So involved they profess their love to each other. They’ve exchanged fewer than 5 lines of dialogue. It’s ludicrous and another reason for you to dismiss the movie entirely. It doesn't stop there: unnecessary bits of backstory, garish opening credits, unbelievable behavior from our heroes, mountains of coincidences, and so on and so forth. Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon is a complete misstep any way you look at it. (English version, January 15, 2021)

[atomikats]

huntlow i love you huntlow

[lena-luthor]

[thankstothe]

this show rewires you fundamentally in 60 seconds and then just goes on to have more seasons. audacity

[somewhereincairparavel]

gentle reminder that jason has striked a god with his blade causing him to bleed, when the god was INVISIBLE, simply based on the movement around him.

[kirvia]

72 rpgmaker horror adjacent charms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[moocar0n]

pov u see edelgard and hubert walking together in the monastery

[cickyart]

[goryhorroor]

“horror movies were reborn in the 1930s. sound revolutionized cinema across the board and had a huge impact on the horror genre— and not just in the form of dialogue. sound effects added an extra dimension to terror, from creaking doors to echoing footsteps to the rumbling of castle thunder. music cues built suspense or signaled the presence of a threat. as screen storytelling moved away from symbolism towards realism, the dreamlike wraiths of silent cinema were replaced by monsters that grunted, groaned and howled.”

[haro4869]

a normal museum visit

[roborain]

I wish there was a cardinal emoji

[starjunkyard]

Hilson should have had ONE. (1) honest to god fistfight. Not talking about no pansy ass scuffle either i need a FIGHT. Im talking bloodied noses nd bruised cheeks. I need them to exchange words that will alter the course of their relationship forever. MOST OF ALL. They need to make out nastystyle afterwards

[plague-parade]

hey. you shouldnt get mad or annoyed at someone with gastrointestinal, bowel and/or bladder problems for being in the bathroom. yes that includes if its an ‘inconvenience’ to you. you can wait to brush your teeth, someone with urgency or incontinence cant.

[jojowentbananas]

Shoutout to female horror game protagonists, gotta be one of my favourite genders.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

your krakoa era cherik art has altered my brain chemistry

more krakoa era is to come from me my friend so i worry for your brain