The Fear Chamber

Starring:Boris Karloff, Julissa, Carlos East, Isela Vega, Yerye Beirute, Eva Muller, SantanÃ³n, Pamela Rosas, Fuensanta, Sandra ChÃ¡vez
Director: Juan IbÃ¡Ã±ez, Jack Hill
Studio: Retro Media
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Lurid but not scary, awful but not bad enough to be good, Fear Chamber is unredeemed even by a late career performance by Boris Karloff, in what has to be the worst and most embarrassing movie of his career. Karloff, who was in his eighties at the time, plays Dr. Carl Mandel, a scientist whose assistants go deep into the Earth's core, where they discover some sort of magic rock ("pure crystallized intelligence," they call it) that the doc believes may be "the source of… the ultimate secrets of the universe." But there's a catch: the rock subsists on hormones that can only be produced by humans in a state of extreme terror. Enter the "fear chamber," in which beautiful young girls (all foreigners, so no one will miss 'em) are scared witless (after they strip down to bra and panties, of course) by way of an elaborate charade involving a spooky dungeon filled with bubbling cauldrons, horrid creepy-crawlies, and such. So far, so bad; but when the rock starts seeking out its own victims and messing with the doc's computers, things really go downhill fast. Not that there's very far to go. Filmed in Mexico in 1968 (producer Luis Vergara made three other movies at the same time) but not released until '72, Fear Chamber boasts cheesy sets, laughable special effects, appalling acting, stilted dialogue, ham-fisted editing, poor cinematography… and those are its better points. DVD extras include commentary by writer-director Jack Hill, who's got a lot to answer for. --Sam Graham

Description

After receiving strange signals on his equipment, brilliant geologist Dr. Carl Mandel (BORIS KARLOFF) sends a team to search the depths of the earth in an effort to learn its origin; what they discover is a lifeform encased in solid rock which can communicate telepathically. Upon bringing the mass to the surface, it is determined that this entity is "pure crystallized intelligence" and is thought to hold many of the secrets of existence. However, the only message this mysterious stone is transmitting is what kind of food it needs to thrive - a particular chemical that can only be produced by bodies of humans which are experiencing pure terror. Faced with this unusual dilemma the good doctor devises the "FEAR CHAMBER" where he has kidnapped subjects frightened to no end with all sorts of satanic rituals and creepy-crawlies so he may obtain this precious chemical. Even though Dr. Mandel and his assistants take care not to physically harm their subjects, the living stone begins evolving. It starts growing appendages and learns how to capture its own prey and extract the fluids it needs. The scientists begin to realize what a dangerous force they have unleashed on the surface of the world...

Customer Reviews:

Make sure you're getting the right one for you!.......2007-01-12

This isn't a formal review, as others here have said what needs to be said about this film, but be aware that Amazon has TWO listings for this title, both sporting the same reviews. THIS listing, for Fred Olan Ray's RETRO MEDIA release, does NOT contain the Jack Hill commentary. However, it DOES contain the "deleted scene" featured on the pricier Elite release--a smokin' hot striptease number--integrated back into the film, plus a hefty selection of trailers for Fred's breastacular films (as well as the trailer for this film) and the usual Fred & Miss Kim "Drive-In Antics" (and bloopers) involving silly repartee between Fred and his wife, a couple of hot dogs, and some bikini babes flashing their ta-tas out in the parking lot.

"It's generated its own feeding tube...I wonder what else we don't know about it.".......2005-12-20

It's pretty wild to think Boris Karloff had a career in film spanning nearly 60 years, even appearing in films after his demise in 1969, his last four films all being primarily Mexican productions, released in the states in the early 1970s. I haven't had a chance to see them all, but I did get to watch this one, titled The Fear Chamber (1968) aka La Cámara del terror aka The Torture Chamber, last night, and it was actually better than I thought it would be...co-directed by Jack Hill (Spider Baby) and Juan Ibáñez (House of Evil), the film features, as I mentioned, Boris Karloff, along with Julissa (Isle of the Snake People), Carlos East (Tintorera), and Isela Vega (The Mushroom Eater). Also appearing is Yerye Beirute (The Incredible Invasion) and the diminutive (in stature only) Santanón (Isle of the Snake People).

Karloff plays Dr. Carl Mandel, an elderly scientist consumed with the cosmic secrets that may be hidden beneath the Earth, so much so he sends his daughter Corinne (Julissa) and assistant Mark (East) to explore some caves near an active volcano. They find what appears to be a living rock containing `pure crystallized intelligence' (it actually looks like a reject from a Sid and Marty Krofft production), and bring it back to Mandel's laboratory/discothèque (okay, it's not really a disco, but it is groovy), and hook it up to a battery of computers, enabling them to communicate with their subterranean find. Turns out the rock creature has specific feeding requirements in that it needs fluids generated by humans during extreme states of terror, or what I call fear juice, so Mandel and his creepy associates have set up an employment foundation for young women, to where they lure them in, give them a place to stay, and then scare the beejesus out of them through extraordinary means (specifically an underground torture chamber mock up), extract their juices, and then convince them it was all a bad dream before sending them on their way. The system works pretty well, but the rock creature requires greater amounts of fear juice as it develops (at one point it grows a feeding tube/tentacle). Dr. Mandel, his daughter, and Mark become concerned and talk about ending the experiments (the rock monster seems to be holding back information), while Nurse Helga (Vega) and Roland (Beirute), the hulking man child assistant, scheme to keep the operation afloat. After Dr. Mandel takes ill, and Corinne and Mark take a vacation, Helga and Roland (the latter sporting a huge, Planet of the Apes lobotomy scar on the side of his head) continue on with the experiments, streamlining the operation by cutting out the middleman (the fear chamber), and giving the girls directly to the rock creature, who uses it tentacle to suck the juices from the women, leaving them old, decrepit, and dead. As Roland, who's become pals with the rock creature, dreams of great wealth (he thinks the rock creature will tell him how to find diamonds), Helga begins to understand the true nature of the beast, and its evil plans. Mark and Corrine receive some troubling news, and return to the institute, but it may be too late as the creature won't be denied...

This film feature one of the more bizarre stories I've seen in a while, featuring some pretty wicky wacky characters. Karloff, looking fairly old and understandably tired (I think he had emphysema at the time), plays a role he was certainly familiar with, that of the altruistic scientist sucked into doing questionable things in his efforts towards the overall betterment of mankind. Even though I've seen it a number of times in the past, I still never get tired of it, and he gave as good as he probably could, given his failing health. As far as the others, Isela Vega gives a strong turn as the sadistic nurse unwilling to let the reluctance of others stand in the way of her getting what she believes she deserves. And then there's Yerye Beirute, who just about stole the show as the oversized man child with lofty ambitions of becoming `king of the world'. His simplistic and often idiotic statements and demeanor provided quite a bit of unintentional humor, as did the revelation of his ultimate ambition. Throw in a cackling, bald-headed dwarf with a penchant for peeping (actually most of Mandel's assistants participated in this activity), some scantily clad females, and a lumpy, semi-sentient heaving, rocky mass of a monster and you've got yourself a real shindig...the whole faux `fear chamber' element of the story seemed a bit convoluted (Mandel and his associates would dress up as Satanists and perform phony baloney rituals), and quickly discarded after the initial sequence, making me wonder if it was really necessary. Also, there was a guy in a turban and John Lennon glasses running around who seemed to have no real purpose other than to be weird. The film did feature some lurid, sleazy qualities, but really not as much as I was expecting, but in retrospect, I suppose it's for the best out of respect for Mr. Karloff that one of his last features not be a skeevy skin flick. The production values were by no means great, but much better than I would have thought featuring some interesting sets. The jazzy, hep cat score was interesting (interesting meaning odd), but not unusual given the time the movie was made. The actual creature is shown in such a way that we never really get a clear, defined look at it, but rather quick, close up shots of something that looks much like a deformed, sickly, pulsating Mayor McCheese (from the McDonald stable of characters) with an appendage growing out of its head. It wasn't particularly scary, as it just sat in one place, making squonking noises, but whatever...in some respects, the film sort of reminded me of a previous Karloff movie titled Die, Monster, Die! (1965), featuring Nick Adams, particularly in the sense of a monster being present, but hardly ever actually shown it in its totality. All in all this isn't a terrible film, as it has its moments, but if you're looking for classic Karloff, there's a slew of other, little seen films currently available on DVD worth checking out first like The Ghoul (1933), The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936), The Man with Nine Lives (1940), The Devil Commands (1941), and The Body Snatcher (1945).

The picture quality on this Elite Entertainment DVD release, presented in widescreen (1.85:1) anamorphic, looks a little grainy, but otherwise comes across well enough. There are two options in terms of audio, one being Dolby Digital stereo, the other being Dolby Digital 5.1, both coming through fine. In terms of extras, included is a commentary track with writer/producer/director Jack Hill and a nearly six minute deleted sequence I like to call `Death of a Striptease Artist'...this was the only bit of nekkidness in the film, and most likely the reason it was removed. I'd suggest watching the film first, and then watching this scene, as you understand better where exactly it was excised from the film.

Cookieman108

Very Minor Karloff Vehicle.......2003-04-08

Dr. Carl Mantel (played by Boris Karloff), an American resident in Mexico, is the worldýs foremost geo-biologist. He has developed a theory that rock-based forms of life may have developed near the Earthýs core and may have been displaced closer to the surface over time. After recording puzzling electronic emanations from a cave complex near an active volcano, Dr. Mantel dispatches his daughter, Corinne, and his research assistant, Mark, to investigate. Corinne and Mark discover what appears to be a rock formation imbued with interior life.

Several months later: Luisa Martinez, a woman lodging at the Beneficent Foundation for Young Girls, wakes up to find that her bed has been transported to an eerie underground region, full of snakes and spiders and leering maniacs. She attempts to flee, only to stumble upon a black magic ritual, during which the head of the coven sacrifices a girl to Satan. The coven leader is Dr. Mantel, and the other members of the group include Corinne, Mark, and Helga, another one of the doctorýs assistants. Then Luisa is captured and brought to the altar. As the knife descends, she faints. . . .

And the Satanists strip off their robes to don surgical gowns! They quickly take the unconscious Luisa to an adjacent operating room, where they drain much of her blood. It seems the rock-thing requires certain human hormones to surviveýhormones that are secreted only in a state of extreme terror. So Helga has created a psychodrama to induce fear, with victims chosen from the girls at the phony Beneficent Foundation.

Luisia is released the next morning, believing that her experiences in the Fear Chamber were simply part of a nightmare. But the rock-thing, which has been able to establish a partial electronic communication with Mantelýs group, demands even more blood.

So another young woman, Sally Random, is selected as the next ýdonorý. However, Sally is a thief who has come to the Foundation for larcenous purposes. One night, as she roams the Foundation, looking for items to steal, she blunders into the room where the rock-thing resides. The rock-thing extends a tentacle and attacks, draining her of all her blood.

As a result of this mishap, Dr. Mantel decides to terminate the experiment, but before he can do so, he suffers a mild stroke. While he is recovering, Corinne and Mark leave for a romantic excursion. Helga secretly continues to feed the rock-thing, first with an exotic dancer brought to the Foundation, then with a woman seized at random from a nearby road. Helga is assisted in these nefarious misdeeds by a hulking brute named Roland.

Eventually, Roland comes to believe that the rock-thing is communicating directly with his mind. He feeds Helga to the creature, then sets off in search of a supposed diamond treasure in the caverns near the volcano. Dr. Mantel realizes he has to eliminate the rock-thing somehow, and with some timely assistance from Corinne and Mark, he manages to regress the monster to its original state and then destroy it.

Fear Chamber is a Mexican horror title, one of the last efforts Boris Karloff worked on before he died. The production qualities are low, and the story verges on incoherence at times. Worth watching onceýmaybe.

clap trap that turned into a masterpiece.......1999-02-13

I saw this movie late at night when I was young and it thrilled me and tittillated me. Even though I was young, I knew that this was low budget and thought it a joke. Only years later did I realize the absolute treasure that it is. It fits into the genre of "So bad its good". I really recommened this movie for a late late Saturday night. Just as I viewed when I was young It has contrived gratuitous devises in it such as the stripper that is eaten by the monster that make this a unique and twisted thriller. 5 stars!

Average customer rating:

Make sure you're getting the right one for you!
"It's generated its own feeding tube...I wonder what else we don't know about it."
Very Minor Karloff Vehicle
clap trap that turned into a masterpiece

The Fear Chamber
Starring: Boris Karloff , Julissa , Carlos East , Isela Vega , and Yerye Beirute
Director: Jack Hill , and Juan Ibáñez
Manufacturer: Retro Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Customer Reviews:

Make sure you're getting the right one for you!.......2007-01-12

"It's generated its own feeding tube...I wonder what else we don't know about it.".......2005-12-20

Very Minor Karloff Vehicle.......2003-04-08

clap trap that turned into a masterpiece.......1999-02-13

Average customer rating:

Brainless Fun

Island Monster/Chamber of Fear
Starring: Boris Karloff , Franca Marzi , Patrizia Remiddi , Carlo Duse , and Bruna Camerini
Director: Roberto Bianchi Montero , Jack Hill , and Juan Ibáñez
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Release Date: 2004-07-06

Description

Horror legend Boris Karloff headlines two rare features! In Island Monster, one of the rarest of all his films, the King of Horror inhabits a beautiful island paradise filled with nefarious activities, shot on the picturesque Ischia, sister island of Capri. Then savor the uncut, sleaze-filled version of Chamber of Fear, one of Karloff's last films, in which living rock ignites a chain of terror and death!

Customer Reviews:

Brainless Fun.......2004-07-25

Island Monster is a cheap film Karloff made in Italy, likely just for the free vacation. A narcotics officer has been assigned to get friendly with a female who works at a night club on a touristy island because she might have ties to a drug smuggling operation. Maybe it was the fact that he publically announced to his wife and daughter as they were sending him off on a boat loaded with people that they should only refer to him by his false identity while he is working undercover, or maybe it's because he spends most of his time on the island hanging around with local police or with his wife and kid (who follow him to the island because she is jealous) but SOMEHOW his cover gets blown immediately. Anyways, the detective has spent no more than 10 minutes with his target over a 2 or 3 day period when his mission is derailed because the head of the drug operation (who, unsurprisingly, turns out to be Karloff) kidnaps his daughter.

One interesting subplot has the family's pet dog somehow sneaking his way to where the girl is being held captive while carefully and deliberately avoiding detection. But once it finds the girl, this canine super spy immediately reverts to just keeping the girl company, thus preventing it from becoming Italy's answer to Rin Tin Tin. So it is up to the world's worst detective to come to the rescue. Island Monster is a slighly fun unintentional comedy, but is little more than a time waster.

The Chamber of Fear is Karloff's last film (he died during filming). Written by Jack Hill (a favourite of Tarantino, and a student of Roger Corman), Hill shot all the scenes with Karloff (maybe 20 minutes total) in California, while the rest was shot in Mexico by someone else. Kindly old Karloff discovers a living rock and with the help of his daughter (a total fascist) and some psychotic loonies, keeps the rock alive while trying to get it to teach them geology. Problem is that keeping it alive consists of finding wayward young women, shooting them up with psychedelics, scaring the crap out of them, then draining some of their blood to feed to the rock. Karloff is the only one who cares about keeping the women alive. Meanwhile some of the psychos he has hired are manipulated by the rock into sacrificing women to it in exchange for power and knowledge. Will the bedridden Karloff catch on and save the earth in time? Kind of like an H.G. Lewis film without all the gore. Interesting note: it would appear that Cameron copied the "King of the world!" scene in Titanic (complete with the arms-outstretched pose) from this film (only here it's a bald psycho in an underground cavern vs. Leonardo on a boat).

For this insanely fun second feature alone I would give the disc 5 stars, except it looks like it was transfered from a videotape. I know Retromedia always does the best it can with available material, but the video quality is still distracting.

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