In the late 1950s/early 1960s, British film company Anglo-Amalgamated produced a trio of grisly shockers that became known as the “Sadian Trilogy”: Michael Powell’s PEEPING TOM, Arthur Crabtree’s HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM, and this, one of the better horror films set in a circus setting. German actor Anton Diffring – the most inexcusably under-used actor in horror films – offers his finest hour in this sick and sleazy effort.

Just after World War II, Dr. Rossiter (Anton Diffring, THE BEAST MUST DIE) is a crazed surgeon who is forced to flee England after badly botching up an operation, the face of a woman (Colette Wilde, THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS) driven to hysterics. With a brother and sister pair of cohorts – Martin (Kenneth Griffith, REVENGE) and Angela (Jane Hylton, THE MANSTER) – Rossiter ends up in France, taking refuge at the crumbling circus of Vanet (Donald Pleasance, THE MUTATIONS). Vanet's young daughter had her face badly scarred during the war, and Rossiter promises to rectify it, becoming his circus partner in exchange. The surgery is a success, but Vanet is killed after a drunken dance with a stuffed bear (or bear suit) that looks like a prop left over from Abbott and Costello's "Colgate Comedy Hour" (an equally unconvincing gorilla suit surfaces later in the film).

A decade later, Rossiter is calling himself Schuler and the circus has now grown into a tremendous success. Vanet's little girl has grown up to be a beautiful young woman named Nicole (Yvonne Monlaur, THE BRIDES OF DRACULA, whose thick French accent is fittingly applied here). Rossiter/Schuler is using the circus not only to mask his true identity, but also to perform surgeries on various female criminals and prostitutes with injurious histories. He transforms the once-scarred femmes into raving beauties, and they all have their place as star performers in the ring. Of course, problems occur as he has affairs and issues with them, causing conflicts resulting in horrifying "accidental" deaths (deeming it "The Jinx Circus"). Blonde Magda (Vanda Hudson, JUNGLE STREET GIRLS) is killed in a knife-throwing mishap while another (Erika Remberg, CAVE OF THE LIVING DEAD) violently falls from her trapeze rope. A police superintendent (Jack Gwillim, THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB) sends in a probing inspector (Conrad Phillips, THE SHADOW OF THE CAT) posing as a tabloid journalist. He finds time to seduce several of the big-top beauties while Rossiter/Schuler has his hands full with the luscious Melina (Yvonne Romain, THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF); she arrives at the circus with a face horribly eaten by acid, but she becomes a ravishing lion tamer, literally busting out of the skimpy outfits she's given to wear!

A sizable box office hit in the United States, CIRCUS OF HORRORS included a fluffy soundtrack song called “Look For A Star” that charted several times by a number of different artists, even reaching as high as #16 on the Billboard Pop Chart. As a madman obsessed with perfection in women, Diffring is marvelously nasty. Already having a lead role in Hammer’s THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH, he could have had a cinematic path along the lines of Peter Cushing (or perhaps Michael Gough), but his horror roles where few and he was usually cast as Nazis or other heavies during his long career. The direction of Sidney Hayers (who later helmed such tense thrillers as IN THE DEVIL’S GARDEN, REVENGE and DEADLY STRANGERS) moves along at a brisk pace, allowing good characterization and sufficient panic amongst the rather voyeuristic three-ring spectacle. Giving it a level of authenticity outside the studio-bound shooting is Billy Smart's Circus, which was also instrumental to Jim O'Connolly’s BERSERK with Joan Crawford a few years later. But here, the real circus performances are integrated nicely as to tie in with the acts of the main characters, and not as monotonous padding. The screenplay by New York-born George Baxt (HORROR HOTEL, TOWER OF EVIL, VAMPIRE CIRCUS) is over the top on almost every level (especially in its depiction of multiple characters with hideous facial disfigurements), making for some grand entertainment, as lavishly shot by lauded cinematographer Douglas Slocombe (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK). Canadian-born John Merivale (who had just been the lead in Riccardo Freda’s and Mario Bava’s CALTIKI, THE IMMORTAL MONSTER) appears as the husband of one of the unfortunate ladies and Kenny Baker (years later immortalized as “R2-D2” in the original “Star Wars” movies) appears as one of the circus performers. A “Continental” version of the film with topless nudity is reported to exist, but no such scenes are present in this Blu-ray (nor any other known past home video version).

Released theatrically in the U.S. by American International Pictures (Sam Arkoff was one of the producers), the film was distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated (the opening logo seen here) in the U.K., with rights now held by Studio Canal. Previously available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment, Scream Factory claims the first Blu-ray of CIRCUS OF HORRORS with this domestic release, presenting the film in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio (though the packaging lists it at 1.78:1) in 1080p HD. The lush colors are healthy and properly saturated, and the overall image is outstanding. Contrast levels are stable throughout with accurate flesh tones and excellent textural details – especially in the close-ups of those made-up mutilated faces – and black levels are deep. There is no debris or any other noticeable age-related imperfections, making for a clean organic transfer with evenly proper grain levels. Audio is offered in an English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio mono track, with dialogue being crisp and clear without any detectable distortions and the score by Franz Reizenstein and Muir Mathieson comes through nicely. Optional English SDH subtitles are also provided.