- Directed by: Sidney Hayers
- Written by: George Baxt
- Stars: Anton Diffring, Erika Remberg, Yvonne Monlaur
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 28 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwnb0m0MUhs
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
A plastic surgeon on the run after a surgery gone bad changes his own face and goes on the run with a couple sidekicks. When they take over a circus as a hiding place with new identities, we continue to see what a bad guy the surgeon is. The horror elements are low-key, it’s much more of a crime drama thriller, but it’s well made. And we thought it was entertaining.
Spoilery Synopsis
We’re in England, 1947, and a woman screams as she smashes the mirrors in her room. Two men in a car talk about one of their fiances has gone missing, probably to the cottage after plastic surgery, which is where they are headed. Dr. Rossiter may have experimented on Evelyn. The men break inside as the woman yells “Rossiter” and giggles insanely over her badly mangled face.
Next, we see Dr. Rossiter run down some men on the road who have set up a police blockade and then goes over a cliff. At another cottage, Martin opens the door and badly wounded Rossiter staggers in. He says the operation on Evelyn wasn’t botched, there should have been a sequence of operations, but she panicked and took off her bandages too soon. Still, the law is after him now. He recovers and says he wants to move to France to escape the law. He’s built himself a new face with Martin’s help, and he now calls himself Dr. Bernard Schuler.
“Bernard,” along with Angela and Martin (who are brother and sister), move to France and look for a place to hide out. They stop to ask directions at a circus. The little girl he talks to is all scarred up from a bomb. Bernard talks to Vanet, the owner of the circus, and offers to fix the man’s daughter’s face.
The operation on Vanet’s daughter Nicole proceeds quickly. Bernard removes the bandages, and she looks great. For his next trick, he wants to buy the circus for Vanet; the circus is worthless, and Bernard just wants to use it as a front. Very drunk Vanet signs the contract and then goes outside to abuse the dancing bear who promptly mauls him to death. Bernard didn’t cause it, but he didn’t help rescue him either.
Bernard goes to town and watches as a prostitute stabs and robs a man. She’s got a big scar on her face, and he offers to help her look good again. She’s Elissa, and Angela does not approve of fixing her up. Bernard wants to change criminals’ faces and employ them at the circus. “A circus of criminals? No, a circus of beauty!” he exclaims.
Ten years later, the circus has become very successful. Angela and Martin are still Bernard’s tagalong minions helping run things. Little Nicole has grown up to be one of the star performers, as has Elissa. Elissa complains that she deserves top billing, more so than Magda. Magda, on the other hand, plans to leave at the end of the week and let Nicole replace her. Bernard doesn’t want Magda to leave, since he “made” her.
Tonight is going to be Magda’s “farewell performance,” and Angela warns Bernard that he has to let her go. She gets involved in a knife-throwing, spinning-wheel act. The knives start flying, and at one point, Martin pulls the plug on the spinning wheel, which messes up the speed at just the wrong place; she dies.
The police inspector says this place is known as “The Jinx Circus” since there have been so many deaths among the performers. A new woman comes to see the doctor; her face has been burned up with acid. He says she’s going to be his masterpiece.
The whole circus packs up and goes back to England. Crime reporter Desmond immediately takes a liking to Nicole. He wants to write a big expose story about the circus and seems surprised that Bernard and his sidekicks aren’t on board with it. He’s done a lot of research on the many deaths, and he’s starting to catch on. He starts making out with Elissa, and she might tell him what he wants to know.
Desmond learns that all the dead performers had had plastic surgery at some point. He remembers Rossiter, the criminal plastic surgeon from ten years ago. He then talks to Scotland Yard.
Elissa is angry when she sees that Melina, the new girl, has gotten top billing for the show. She threatens to leave if she’s not the star and then she learns about “Rossiter” by eavesdropping on Desmond and Nicole. She threatens Bernard with exposing the secret, which seems like a bad idea when she knows how many “accidents” there have been.
Soon after, someone sneaks a snake into Elissa’s room. She screams, but she’s all right. She knows who did it and threatens to talk to Desmond after the show tonight. Bernard tells Martin to take care of it. During Elissa’s act, Martin messes with the rope, and she falls to her death.
Desmond and the chief know that Bernard is Rossiter, but they can’t prove it. Desmond suggests bringing in Evelyn from the opening scene.
That night, Bernard himself is attacked by a gorilla and gets some deep scratches on his face. He wants Martin and Angela to repair his face like before. He also announces that he’s marrying Melina, which really angers Angela.
Evelyn comes to the circus and looks at Bernard, whose face is half covered in a bandage. She recognizes his ring, which we hadn’t seen before. He knows who she is as well, and he knows that she knows. Martin and Angela want out, but he won’t allow that.
Tonight is Melina’s big act; she’s his masterpiece, and she’ll be in the lion’s cage. The lions, of course, will be sedated by Martin, who very well might double-cross his boss. As Melina goes into the cage for the act, Martin pulls Angela aside; they’re leaving. The lions are frisky because Martin didn’t sedate them properly, and she quickly figures that out. When she falls down, the lions are all over her.
Bernard/Rossiter catches Martin and Angela leaving and fights with them. He stabs Angela, but Martin releases the angry gorilla who hates Bernard. The police nab Martin, and the gorilla nabs Rossiter.
Meanwhile, crazy Evelyn steals a car and goes back to the circus. Injured Rossiter attacks Desmond as Nicole watches. As he makes his escape, Evelyn runs over him with her car. He dies.
Brian’s Commentary
Apparently, plastic surgery could be done on a coffee table in the 60s. The special effects for the various characters’ scars are very good. A lot of the plot itself doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it’s entertaining throughout.
It’s… alright. Not great.
Kevin’s Commentary
I thought the Elissa and Nicole actresses look too much alike. Then they brought in Melina for further confusion.
It’s really a suspenseful crime drama and barely horror. The doctor is a bad guy with a giant sized ego that lets him think he can get away with anything, which is his downfall.
All that aside, I thought the movie was well put together and entertaining.
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