The House of a Thousand Dolls Movie Review 227

The House of a Thousand Dolls is a 1967 thriller starring Vincent Price,George Nader and Maria Rohm.

It is directed by Jeremy Summers who directed loads of TV stuff including the brilliant Randall and Hopkirk(Deceased) original series.

The movie begins with a funeral. There is a young woman in the coffin and it is brought to a large house. It is brought into a room where Felix Manderville(Price) and his wife Rebecca(Martha Hyer) are standing. Felix snaps his fingers and the girl in coffin awakens and screams. Cut to a man called Fernando(Sancho Gracia) who is looking for his girlfriend, Diana(Maria Rohm). He talks to friends of his, Stephen Armstrong(Nader) and his wife Marie(Ann Smyrner) and tells them that he is going to investigate it himself. They tell him to go to the cops, but he won't. Meanwhile a woman called Madame Viera tells them that the King of Hearts is very pleased with them for their part in getting the young girl to the house which is called House of a Thousand Dolls. Fernando goes to a nightclub and meets some sleazy guy. They chat and Fernando tells him that he is looking for a 'special' girl. The guy gives him a little doll and tells him to show it at the front door of a house that he will take Fernando to.

They reach the House of a Thousand Dolls and he sees the girls that have been taken and kept prisoner there.

He sees Diana and he chooses her. They talk and Diana tells him what happened to her. She is a prisoner and she has no choice but to do what they say. Fernando wants to get her out. Unfortunately, Madame Viera has been listening to their chat and she tells the heavies to kill Fernando which they do. Meanwhile, Felix and Rebecca are discussing their magic act. Felix lured young girls into his glass box and makes them disappear and then they are taken to the House of a Thousand Dolls to become prostitutes. Stephen is asked by the local cops to identify Fernando's body and he does. He is suspicious now and he wants to find out what happened to his pal. At the house, Diana and another girl try to escape from their prison,but they are caught and brought back.

Felix decides that Stephen is getting too nosy and he finds out that Marie will be in the audience at the magic show. He and Rebecca decide to take her. They do the trick and she is taken but they are unaware that Stephen was meeting his wife and he comes looking for her and he is very angry. Rebecca makes up some story about her being faint and that is why it took so long for him to find her. Stephen is a bit suspicious.He tells Felix about Fernando and Felix offers to help him to look for some clues. A local photographer offers information to Stephen,but he is killed before he can say anything. The next day, Marie is contacted by Rebecca who tells her that Stephen needs her and she will take her to him. Marie is overpowered and taken to the House of a Thousand Dolls.

Stephen gets a note telling him to meet Rebecca after the show. He calls the cops and tells them what happened. They tell Stephen to meet her and see what happens. He does. He tries to bargain with her and she agrees to get his wife out in return for help in escaping. Felix finds out about this and he tries to stop it. All hell breaks loose at the house and Stephen and Felix fight. Felix falls to his death and it is discovered that Rebecca is the fictional King of Hearts and this was all her operation. The cops come and the girls are free and the baddies are shipped off to prison.

This is a really cheap movie, but it isn't that bad. I enjoyed it and it had an interesting story. Vincent Price was just doing it for the money, I would say. It is worth a watch, though as it isn't as bad as you would think. It gets a 5/10.