Unveiling the Cinematic Intrigue: House of 1,000 Dolls
I’ve told y’all before, it’s odd things about films that often grab my watch time. However, in the case of House of 1,000 Dolls, it was the poster art and that the lead role belonged to Vincent Price that got me. I love that old-school poster art. You know there was an oil painter somewhere that was commissioned to paint each one of them. That would be a dream job for sure. I wasn’t 100% sure of this film going in but, it quickly grabbed my attention, and held it. The first few frames immediately stood out from any film I’ve watched thus far.
Vintage Glamour on Wheels
First things first, this film included one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen on the screen! Additionally, the opening sequence has a very clear and extensive scene featuring an early 1900s Hearse. From what I have found, Studebaker made it roughly in 1920. You can learn more about the cars in this movie, including this one, here. I found some stellar pictures of one restored on Reddit that you can find here and here. From the Reddit articles, these were in Spain which is where House of 1,000 Dolls was filmed so the math makes sense. According to Reddit, these were hand-carved – whoa! Also, you see the casket door functioning. It is one piece and swings upward like an old garage door. I realize this is somewhat morbid but, it is such a rare site.
In addition to the hearse, you see some ambulances, VWs, and other cars too. Aside from the Studebaker Big Six Funeral Coach, there is a 1956 black Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special that you see often. Wow, this is a beautiful car. It has flat fins and curtains on the inside with a chrome grill and distinctive hood decorations. There’s an old shipyard full of ships to view. Some of them are on stands and are being cleaned. An abandoned train graveyard complete with a rusting steam engine is part of the set. A lot of Spanish countryside and architecture can be seen when you watch House of 1,000 Dolls. Although filmed in Spain, the story takes place in Tangier. In the clubs, you see a lot of foreign movie posters and dancing that is not Spanish. The sets add to the fun factor in House of 1,000 Dolls.
Unveiling Modern Realities: House of 1,000 Dolls
It’s 2024 and a modern concern is the current dilemma of human trafficking. I’m sure this has been going on for as long as time has existed but, it’s a big deal today. House of 1,000 Dolls is essentially about human trafficking in essence but has a playful mysterious ‘60s flair to it. While this movie uses it creatively for a storyline, unfortunately, today it is a reality for many. Recent films like Sound of Freedom, which I have not and likely will not watch, suggest some of the schemes used to capture folks. House of 1,000 Dolls uses a magician, played by the late Vincent Price (IMDB Info), to capture ladies to work at a brothel. The magician makes them disappear only to reappear in the service of a madam who rules through fear and punishment. This sounds graphic but honestly, this film wasn’t rough at all.
The Enigmatic Felix Manderville
The Vincent Price character, Felix Manderville, is an interesting one. In a classic calm and naturally horror-voiced fashion, Mandeville is classy and mysterious. He has a cane that is like that of the Penguin in the Batman stories. It has a blade that extends from the end of it much like a switchblade. This cane will also shoot small caliber bullets as our hero learns near the end. I must say too that Manderville had an awesome fashion sense. If wardrobe were my choice in life, I would like Rollo Lawson often, Kurt Cobain others, probably Fred Sanford some, and certainly the early Rolling Stones but, Mandeville dressed cool. He wore the class black tuxedo but in addition to it and his pimp cane, he had a cape that the inner lining was white. This made for a great addition to the tux and a great contrast.
Action Unleashed: House of 1,000 Dolls
I didn’t expect House of 1,000 Dolls to have a lot of good action but, surprisingly, it did. There are several fight scenes, and they are decently done. At least the hand-to-hand stuff. When blunt weapons get involved, things quickly become clearly staged. One of the kidnapped girls seems to be a Judo practitioner though and has the escape attitude. It gets her on the business end of bullwhip but, she pulls some good moves on the henchman. I consider Judo to be a real martial art and one that is certainly applicable in real-life scenarios. Think Rhonda Rousey – she was a world champion in Judo. That’s the kind of thing this chick was doing to these henchman – it felt real.
A Twisty Tale: House of 1,000 Dolls
House of 1,000 Dolls has a cool story. This was 1967 when studios were still making original movies and this piece of cinema fell right in line with the trend. It held my attention the entire time and I had no issue watching the film in one sitting. For the entire movie, characters were talking about a mysterious “King of Hearts” who was a puppet master for everything happening. Plot leads you to think one thing and then another. I was let down with a less-than-climactic ending. The writers tried to throw in a twist that had shifted the “King of Hearts” to Mandeville’s assistant Rebecca, who had become the “Queen of Hearts.” In the end, we see that a playing card in the hand of Mandeville’s corpse which was supposed to reveal this. Honestly, the ending just didn’t make any sense.
Vintage Charm in Every Detail: House of 1,000 Dolls
Another strikingly cool piece of this movie was the ransom note left by some henchman. Do you remember the old notes people would create using individual letters from magazine articles to spell words? Yeah, one of these is left on the chest of an unconscious man. I don’t recall the last time I saw a letter like this. I want to write my wife a love letter like this one day. Anyway, if you like Vincent Price, cool old cars, and just genuinely good old movies, you will enjoy House of 1,000 Dolls. At least watch the first 3 minuets to see this hand-carved coach. Is there anyone reading this that has ever seen one of these cars in person? While you’re here, read more blogs here, check out my craft here, and link up with me on all social media and by my original art here. Peace.