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''Madhouse'' is a 1974 British horror film directed by Jim Clark for Amicus Productions in association with American International Pictures.〔Ed. Allan Bryce, ''Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood'', Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 118-125〕 It stars Vincent Price, Natasha Pyne, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri and Linda Hayden.〔(New York Times )〕〔(DVD Talk )〕〔(Cinefantastique )〕 ==Plot== Paul Toombes (Vincent Price) is a successful horror actor whose trademark role was Dr. Death, a skull-faced sadist. During a party in Hollywood showing off his fifth ''Dr. Death'' film, he announces his engagement to Ellen Mason (Julie Crosthwait), who gives him an engraved watch as an engagement gift; later that evening, however, adult film producer Oliver Quayle (Robert Quarry) reveals Ellen had worked for him previously. Distraught at Toombes' reaction, Ellen returns to her room, where a masked man in dark garb, similar to Dr. Death's attire, approaches her with a knife. An apologetic Toombes comes in shortly after, only for her decapitated head to fall from her shoulders. Though he is acquitted of the crime, Toombes' career is destroyed as he spends several years in a mental hospital, where even he is not sure whether he killed Ellen or not. After his release, Toombes is called to London by his friend Herbert Flay (Peter Cushing), the writer of the ''Dr. Death'' films, who has joined with Quayle to produce a ''Dr. Death'' television series for the BBC. While on the cruise ship en route to England, he encounters a persistent young actress (Linda Hayden), who takes his watch from his cabin and follows him through London, and eventually to Flay's house. In the spider-infested basement, Toombes discovers Faye Carstairs (Adrienne Corri), the female lead in one of the ''Dr. Death'' movies and now Flay's reluctant wife, driven mad after being disfigured in a car accident. Outside Flay's house, the young actress discovers the masked man walking the grounds; believing it to be Toombes, she approaches him, only to be killed with a pitchfork. When her body is discovered, Scotland Yard suspects Toombes, as the killing resembles a scene from one of his films. Toombes experiences difficulties while working on set, publicly berating his female co-star; later that evening, she is found hanged by her own hair, another scene from a ''Dr. Death'' film. Scotland Yard questions him, but finds no conclusive evidence. While returning to Flay's house on several occasions, Toombes is harassed by the parents of the young actress, who recovered his watch and threaten to deliver it to the police unless he pays them a ransom. But the masked man strikes again by luring them into the house and impaling them both with a broadsword. On the set, the director is crushed by a descending bed canopy, suspected to be the intended fate for Toombes himself; Toombes is chased through the BBC studio later that evening by the masked man while on his way to an interview. Julia Wilson (Natasha Pyne), Quayle's public relations chief, discovers a contract in Quayle's files, but is killed by the masked man; Toombes discovers her lifeless body and suffers a nervous breakdown, reliving Ellen's death and his own doubt as to his role in it. Taking Julia's body onto the set, he locks himself inside and sets it ablaze. Believing Toombes to have died in the fire, Flay signs a contract to take his place as Dr. Death, and watches the reel of film from Toombes' apparent death in his home - only to see Toombes himself, burn-scarred but very much alive, walk towards him. When Toombes demands why Flay wishes to destroy him, Flay rages that he had written the Dr. Death role for himself, but was passed over in favor of Toombes; he murdered Ellen to frame Toombes in the hopes of destroying his career, but was not given the role. He then reveals that the contract that Julia had discovered stipulated that if Toombes died, Flay would take over as Dr. Death. The two struggle into the basement, where Flay is stabbed and killed by Faye and fed to her spiders. Toombes applies makeup to his burn-scarred face, now looking similar to Flay, and sits down to dinner with Faye. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Madhouse (1974 film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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