The Horrible Dr. Hichcock

"The candle of his lust burnt brightest in the shadow of the grave!"

1962 1h 28m IT

😐

5.9

MID

🍅

83%

FRESH

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 73🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes★6.3IMDB · 2,078

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In late 19th century London, a woman weds a necrophiliac doctor whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances - and who might be returning from the grave to torment her successor.

“The candle of his lust burnt brightest in the shadow of the grave!”

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Cast

Barbara Steele
Cynthia Hichcock
Robert Flemyng
Prof. Bernard Hichcock
Silvano Tranquilli
Dr. Kurt Lowe
Maria Teresa Vianello
Margherita Hichcock
Harriet Medin
Martha, the maid
Spencer Williams
Al Christianson
Evaristo Signorini
Inspector Scott

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Riccardo Freda
Writers: Ernesto Gastaldi, Ernesto Gastaldi
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

64 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Riccardo Freda, shot by Raffaele Masciocchi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roman Vlad. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ornella Micheli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barbara Steele and Robert Flemyng and Silvano Tranquilli carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The candle of his lust burnt brightest in the shadow of the grave!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Riccardo Freda directs. Raffaele Masciocchi behind the camera. Roman Vlad scores. Ornella Micheli cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
264 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Riccardo Freda, shot by Raffaele Masciocchi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Roman Vlad. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ornella Micheli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Barbara Steele and Robert Flemyng and Silvano Tranquilli carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The candle of his lust burnt brightest in the shadow of the grave!".
9IMDB entry: tt0056315 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 73 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Raffaele Masciocchi
Original score: Roman Vlad
Editing: Ornella Micheli
Production design: Franco Fumagalli
Costume design: Italia Scandariato
Makeup / hair: Euclide Santoli
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Status: Released
Original language: IT
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 2,078 votes

Also by

Riccardo Freda

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-17
★ 6/10
There are definitely shades of Daphne du Maurier in this slightly hysterical telling of a supernatural tale. Robert Flemyng is an eminent surgeon who has a penchant for necrophilia - he drugs them first then has his fun; they awaken none the wiser some hours later. However, when he overdoses his first wife and she dies he is bereft and departs for twelve years. When he returns to his home with a new wife (not entirely dissimilar to her predecessor) he picks up where he left off - not just with his wife, but with the cadavers in his hospital mortuary too. When wife No. 2 (Barbara Steele) starts hallucinating and gets suspicious, she confides in her husband's colleague (Silvano Tranquilli) and instead of finding a ghost, they find something altogether more sinister. It's certainly formulaic, but the film has a good look about it and the two stars keep it eerie and suspenseful for most of it.

Production companies