It is set in 19th London , there a surgeon : Robert Fleming undergoes risked operations . He is the prestigious doctor Hitchock , but he bears a dark secret, he really turns out to be a necrophiliac who likes drug his spouse Margarettha : Maria Teresa Vianello for sexual funeral games ; one day things go awry while engaged in sexual antics and his wife dies . Some years later , he remarries to Barbara Steele who suddenly discovers the dark secrets her hubby . The candle of his lust burnt brightest in the shadow of the grave¡ .This is an Italian classic terror movie filled with chills , thrills , sinister atmosphere and scary events . A terrifying and mysterious tale of gothic horror and black madness in which a creepy secret was at a coffin named desire . Dealing with a mad doctor who remarries to bring the first wife missus back from the dead . This is one of the best films made by the craftsman Riccardo Freda who realized some good terror films such as Vampiri , this Horrible Dr Hitchcock and sequelled by " The ghost or Lo Spetto" , also starred by Barbara Steele . As Freda was a pioneer from Horror/Fantasy genre originated in Italy , along with Mario Bava who directed "Black Sabbath" and subsequently Dario Argento , all of them created the famous genre : Giallo . The movie is said by those involved to have hurriedly filmed. Nice acting by Robert Fleming as a sinister doctor with necroliphic tendences who accidentally administers an overdoses with fateful consequences , though she might be coming back from the tomb , as he attempts to heal and rejuvenate her by injecting new blood . Robert Fleming attempted to quit when to be aware the film involved necrophilia and he resulted to be a necrophiliac doctor . Barbara Steele is very good as the frightening wife whose husband tries to reborn the old spouse by use her blood , as she suffers torments and is really shatteted for the mysterious circumstances take place at the ghastly as well as horrifying mansion .This motion picture is strong on visual style and interesting script by prolific Ernest Gastaldi , being well shot by Riccardo Freda in only 14 days , including nimble direction assistants who filmed close-ups , rapid frames and cutaways to save time .It displays an atmospheric and extremely creepy score by Roman Vlad . Colorful cinematography full of lights and shadows by Raffaele Masciocchi , being photographed in Villa Peruchetti , Lacio , Rome , Italy . Compellingly made by Freda , his movies had popular appeal and were usually commercial hits . He often used psedonyms as Dick Jordan , George Lincoln and here Robert Hampton . Some reviewers have praised him as an exploitation stylist and present-day his movies have somewhat of cult following . He made various horror gothic movies , from there he went to spy , melodrama and even made one Western .Riccardo directed/ wrote all kinds of genres , such as adventures and Peplum : Dartagnan's daughter , Salamander of desert , Mongols , Magnificent adventurer , Black Eagle , Vendetta of Black Eagle , The mysterious Cavalier , Don Cesare Di Bazan , Il cavalier di San Marcos , Il Figlio di D'artagnan , Spartacus , Maciste in Inferno , Maciste in court of Great Khan, The giants of Thessaly ; Drama: Two orphans in Paris , Beatriz Cenzi , Genoneva Di Bravante , Lovers of Verona ; Giallo : Tragic ceremony in Villa Alexander , Murder obsession ; Eurospy : Agent Coplan FX18 ; Monster movie : Caltiki ; and Western : No killing with dollars .

Another Gothic chiller from early '60s Italy, this is one of the best. The reason being that no other film of the period had such a quietly sickening theme as this one: the main character is a necrophiliac, who gives his partners anaesthetics before making love to them and gets rather too close to the bodies in the morgue. Of course, the subject matter was (and still is) extremely disturbing, which resulted in this film getting banned in Britain. Nowadays the authorities see fit to let us watch it, although the film carries a hefty 18-certificate, even though there is no on-screen sex or violence involved.The film deftly sets up an atmospheric situation, by having the setting as an old mansion full of dust and decay. The weather outside is perpetually stormy, with lightning flashing all the time, and an old portrait fills one entire room with its presence. Of course no film of this period would be complete without a basement full of coffins, and sure enough we have one of those too, with creaking gates of iron surrounding it. However while there are flashes of the supernatural in the film (mainly at the ending), the concentration is on human horror: the perverse condition of the title character, whose necrophilia is openly hinted at. His quiet sickness is what makes the film so watchable - and, indeed, a classic in the genre.This is thanks to some excellent acting, especially on the part of Robert Flemyng (THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR), who plays Hichcock. Throughout the film he has a gradual breakdown, until he becomes openly villainous and murderous at the climax, and this is portrayed subtlety. He is a man torn between love for his new wife and love for his old, unable to keep his lust for the dead hidden and yet sickened by it at the same time. Flemyng is given some excellent support by scream queen Barbara Steele, who plays his new wife, and conveys the anxiety, confusion, and outright disgust at her husband's mysterious actions well. It wouldn't be the film it is without the presence of Steele, and her charisma makes the film what it is. On top of that, Medin and Glenn have solid supporting roles.THE TERROR OF DR HICHCOCK is that rare film; a controversial yet cerebral masterpiece of death and nostalgia which obeys the conventions of the genre (complete with burning house at the end, and climatic fight between hero and villain) and yet stays fresh and interesting throughout, because of the sheer talent involved. It's obvious that director Freda knew his stuff, and it shows, because this is a top notch horror film, even beating some of Bava's own work of the period.

THE TERROR OF DR.HICHCOCK (L'ORRIBILE SEGRETO DEL DR.HICHCOCK is a masterpiece! It seems I have come to appreciate this picture more with each viewing. Whereas NIGHTMARE CASTLE is focused on generating an atmosphere of ugliness and treachery capped with a satisfying supernatural pay-off, HICHCOCK goes for more and immerses the viewer in a suffocating fog of loathsomeness and horror. Robert Flemyng as Bernard Hichcock is marvelous. He perfectly calibrates his performance so as to expose his character's slow descent into unbridled derangement. The film opens with Hichcock practicing necrophilia, but we soon see that the Doctor, while obviously demented, is quite capable of protecting the secret of his awful desires. But, as the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that his abominable passions are slowly overtaking his intellect and his ability to maintain the appearance of normality. Much of the film's horror stems from this powerful presentation of the insidious and irresistibly intensifying nature of sexual psychosis. It also seems this film holds the ultimate moment of horror in Barbara Steele's exceptional career as a genre actress. The scene as her character, Cynthia, wakes from a drugged sleep is stunning. Cynthia finds herself strapped to a cot and watches as her husband materializes out of the darkness and menacingly advances upon her. To her full horror she stares wide-eyed as Hichcock's face distorts into a misshapen, glowing red mask of malignancy and evil. This magnificent shot was achieved with the use of surrealistic, nightmarish lighting and facial bladders attached to Flemyng's face, which, as they were slowly inflated, dreadfully perverted the actor's features.One of the major contributing factors to this film's impact is the sumptuous score by Roman Vlad. Vlad produced a lush tapestry of fully-formed themes and motifs. Most noticeable is the superb piano concerto elegantly performed by Hichcock's first wife, the ill-fated Margherita Hichcock. Simultaneously beautiful and unsettling, I have no qualms about favorably comparing Vlad's fine effort with that other exalted "gothic horror film" composition for solo piano, James Bernard's Vampire Rhapsody from KISS OF THE VAMPIRE. Vlad also composed what I will call Hichcock's Theme; a superlative example of emblematic impressionism. The piece effectively advances a fresh orchestral paraphrase for things dark and depraved, and does so without being prosaic or overwrought. Oddly, Vlad refrained from employing any of these principal themes in the opening titles. THE TERROR OF DR.HICHCOCK is just as shocking today as it was 40 years ago. Don't miss it!

This Gothic Italian horror flick features '60's Scream Queen Barbara Steele as the new bride of a respected physician who learns that her seemingly charming hubby is hiding a few fiendish secrets regarding his first wife's mysterious death. Suspenseful, creepy, and atmospheric, this is the kind of historical, nightmarish horror piece that Edgar Allan Poe could have written, and there is indeed a reference to PREMATURE BURIAL. Steele, usually cast as the cunning, plotting villainess, does well in a rare sympathetic role. Horror buffs shouldn't miss this!