Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible
Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible
| 12 November 2001 (USA)

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SEASON & EPISODES
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  • Reviews
    ada the leading man is my tpye
    ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.
    Konterr Brilliant and touching
    Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
    Red-Barracuda When I first heard about Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible I remember being pretty excited. Not only was this the latest Steve Coogan vehicle but it also was basing itself around old British horror movies that I was very fond of. Unfortunately the idea was greater than the execution and the series didn't attract the predicted audience figures and was not recommissioned for a second season. It's a shame that the series wasn't better, as the potential in the idea is so obvious, while the cast used throughout is really very impressive. It also has pretty decent production values with some fine period detail in all the instalments. The biggest single issue is with the writing, as despite being a comedy it really isn't very funny too often and some of the story lines are handled in quite a clunky manner.The three studios synonymous with British horror of the 60's and 70's are spoofed, namely Hammer, Amicus and Tigon. The entries focusing on the latter two are probably the best instalments in the whole series. 'And Now the Fearing' mimics the horror anthology series specialised by Amicus and unlike the others is set in more modern times in the early 1970's, so it really stands out from the other instalments on that basis alone. 'Scream Satan Scream' is the final episode and it parodies the 17th century-set Tigon horror films, most obviously Witchfinder General (1968). In it, Coogan plays probably his most well-conceived character - the sleazy Captain Tobias Slater, Witch Locator. The remaining episodes, however, aren't as good as these and overall are at best somewhat middling. Overall, I enjoyed the series up to a point, in that I like the concept of it and it is certainly good in places but its not essential stuff really and would probably have been more enjoyable if more care had been taken with the writing.
    aczilla-1 Steve Coogan is a master of character acting, and I would not disagree with any comparisons made between him and the late Peter Sellers. As a writer, he has a cultured background from which to create comedy, and he does so with style in this movie spoof anthology. If you are like me and grew up watching the classic British horror of Hammer Studios, the European spy stories of Sax Rohmer, and the psychological terror tales of the 1970s from the likes of David Cronenberg, then you will be delighted to see all of those film genres and more showcased here. Coogan's tales gives a stunning visual appreciation to their strengths while he pokes fun at their flaws, and he makes multiple references to the old films and their creators that can be a challenge for movie buffs to catch in one viewing, weaving both highbrow humor and lowbrow innuendo together to create something that stands on even footing with Monty Python and Mel Brooks with its high degree of wit. Vampires, voodoo, megalomaniac super-villains, science gone wrong, nightmares, and devil worship all play a part in this series, and the only thing that keeps me from giving it a perfect ten is that it never lost its pace but only lasted six episodes. Even though ten years have passed since its inception, I would look forward with great anticipation to a second series that gives a good-natured ribbing to these great films.
    Thorsten-Krings I quite liked DHHT. I picks up motives from popular horror films and turns them into spoofs. So one has to bear in mind that it's a different concept from Allan Partridge and also a complete different kind of humour. It certainly beats Carry on Screaming. Anyway, the writers really have a very good knowledge of the classic English horror film and portray it very lovingly with a lot of detail. That clearly shows in the quality of the sets, the costumes etc. Although funny it's never disrespectful. The stories are absurd but they work quite well as opposed to being just a series of one liners. That's difficult to achieve with a genre parody. It's also quite comprehensive in taking on all aspects of the horror film. So if you're a Hammer fan you'll enjoy this. If you're looking for "typical" Coogan, forget it. BTW: Honor Blackmann still cuts a nice figure at well over 70.
    Robski Dr Terribles house of Horrible is a clever pastiche of tacky seventies horror movies. Each episode is introduced by the same character, the bald headed Dr Terrible, and the stories evolve from there. Steve Coogan plays the main character in each one.Especially memorable is the Fu Manchu spoof and the spoof of the early seventies horror movies, such as Tales from the Crypt, where several characters would tell a tale of doom.Coogan fans watched expecting Alan Partridge. To fans of horror this will be appreciated.