Watch The Horrible Dr. Hichcock For Free

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Riccardo Freda's L'ORRIBILE SEGRETO DELL DR. HICHCOCK aka. THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK(1962) was only the third Gothic Horror film starring the wonderful genre-goddess Barbara Steele, the first two being two masterpieces, Mario Bava's LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO (BLACK Sunday/THE MASK OF Satan) of 1960 and Roger Corman's PIT AND THE PENDULUM in which she starred alongside fellow Horror-deity Vincent Price. While this is not one of the most notable among the nine Italian Horror films starring the divine Miss Steele it is yet another creepy must-see for fans of Italian Gothic Horror and Barbara Steele in particular.In 1885, Doctor Hichcock (Robert Flemyng) leaves London after accidentally killing his wife with an overdose of an anesthetic. He returns several years later with his new wife Cynthia (Barbara Steele). It soon becomes clear that the Doctor has necrophiliac tendencies and that his weakness for anesthetics has to do with his own perverted desires...Director Riccardo Freda was one of the pioneers of Italian Horror cinema, having directed the first post-WW2 Italian Gothic Horror film I VAMPIRI (1956), which was, in fact, finished by the ultimate Italian Horror director Mario Bava (my personal choice for the greatest Horror director of all-time). While Freda's Gothic Horror films are very good they don't quite reach the quality of those by the incomparable Mario Bava and Antonio Margheriti, in my opinion.The most convincing reason to watch the film is, of course, Barbara Steele, who simply is the greatest Horror actress of all time in the humble opinion of yours truly. It is regrettable, however, that her role is restricted to that of the damsel in distress here. She played double-roles in many of her Italian Horror films (LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO, I LUNGHI CAPPELLI DELLA MORTE, AMANTI D'OLTRETOMBA, UN ANGELO PER SATANA) in which she combined the innocent and pure evil, and was always brilliant in doing so. In some other Italian Horror films her characters always had something mysterious and eerie about them. Not so in L'ORRIBILE DR. HICHCOCK, in which she has the role of a pure scream-queen. Personally I would have rather seen her as the villainess. However, she is still great and stunningly beautiful and her performance alone makes the film worthwhile.Another great aspect is the thick Gothic atmosphere which is created by the typically great use of camera-angles, darkness and shadows, the superbly creepy set pieces in an eerie old mansion and a nice, eerie score. Cinema does not get more elegant than Italian Gothic Horror from the 60s, and this film is yet another example for that. The film's theme of perversion and necrophilia is typical for early 60s Italian Gothic Horror, which wasn't yet quite as explicit as the Gialli and Horror films of the late 60s and 70s but was already thematically exploring the perverse and controversial.For quite some time, DR. HICHCOCK was the last Italian Horror film with Barbara Steele that I had yet to see. Freda made a sort-of sequel to this film one year later with LO SPETTRO (1963), which easily surpasses this one as it is even more atmospheric and Barbara Steele's role is way more sinister and macabre. Overall L'ORRIBILE SEGRETO DEL DR. HICHCOCK is not one of the highlights of Italian Gothic Horror but it is definitely a must-see for my fellow fans of the Genre and the wonderful Barbara Steele. For absolutely essential Italian Gothic Horror masterpieces starring Barbara Steele, watch Bava's LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO and Antonio Margheriti's DANZA MACABRA (CASTLE OF BLOOD, 1964).

Enticing, beautiful and absorbingly atmospheric Italian Gothic horror film from the absolute golden period, the early 60's, and starring one of the world's most radiantly gorgeous female creatures; Barbara Steele. "The Terrible Secret of Dr. Hichcock" - notice there's no "T" in the name to avoid lawsuits against the master of suspense himself – takes place in London in the year 1885, at the peak of the Victorian era in other words, and certainly contains all the necessary ingredients of a delicious Gothic cocktail, but unfortunately the film is a bit slow-moving and it takes slightly too long before something really substantial occurs. Director Riccardo Freda generates a compelling and ultra-macabre Gothic atmosphere, with numerous thunderstorms and dark château passageways, but he doesn't have a fascinating enough plot to go with the ambiance. Usually writer Ernesto Gastaldi punctually delivers engaging and superb scenarios, but maybe this time he seemingly had a bit of an off-day. After his wife dies from a mysterious condition, which he may or may not have inflicted himself, Dr. Hichcock promptly leaves his mansion and prominent job at the hospital. He returns twelve years later with an even lovelier new wife (Mrs. Steele!) Cynthia and reprises his profession. During her many dull days alone in the mansion, Cynthia notices a sinister presence and it doesn't take too long before she starts losing her mind further on. She suffers from horribly nightmarish hallucinations in which she hears disturbing screams and spots Dr. Hichcock's previous wife meander through the house and nearby woods completely covered in a white ghostly nightgown. Is her mental condition really deteriorating or could it be that the good Doctor's first wife never really passed away? I think the title alone already answers this haunting question. Overall a very derivative and forgettable story but, as said, it are the spooky atmosphere and Victorian elements that'll keep you alert in this movie. The decors are stunning and the black-and-white photography is stylishly elegant. If you've never seen this type of movie before, "The Terrible Secret of Dr. Hichchock" perhaps isn't the ideal place to start, but experienced horror fanatics will certainly appreciate spotting all the luscious trademarks.Riccardo Freda actually was the mentor of the greatest Italian horror director who ever lived; Mario Bava. Freda took a step sideways on the film sets of "I, Vampire" and "Caltiki"; offering Bava a chance to complete his first films as director as well next to being the cinematographer. I always wondered whether or not Freda ever regretted this initiative, because from the very first moment the acolyte surpassed his mentor in terms of pure and genuine craftsmanship. For example this "The Terrible Secret of Dr. Hichckock" is a nice and worthwhile Gothic horror installment, but it undeniably can't hold a candle to Bava's "Black Sunday" (also starring Barbara Steele) or "The Whip and the Body".

L' Orribile Segreto del Dr. Hichcock, or The Terror of Dr. Hichcock, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock or The Secret of Dr. Hichcock as it's also known amongst English speaking audiences, starts in 'London, 1885' where Professor Bernard Hichcock (Robert Flemyng) likes to have sex with his wife Margaret (Maria Teresa Vianello) while she is drugged to appear dead because he's a necrophiliac. However when his wife does die in reality Professor Hichcock decides to leave London, jump forward 12 years later & Professor Hichcock returns to London with his new wife Cynthia (Barbara Steele). Unfortunately things take a downward spiral for Cynthia as she becomes convinced the house is haunted by Maragret's ghost & matters aren't much better for professor Hichcock as every time he's about to do the dirty with a corpse in the hospital morgue someone walks in on him...This Italian production was directed by Riccardo Freda & didn't really do anything for me at all, I should also point out that I think I saw the 85 odd minute uncut version as opposed to the heavily edited by 12 minutes version that was released in the US although I don't know whether it has subsequently been re-released uncut. The script by Ernesto Gastaldi is the culprit here, it's a mess that doesn't explain anything & is frankly extremely dull with an extremely thin plot which takes a backseat anyway. It's never made clear why Hichcock wants to drive Cynthia mad, I mean if your trying to kill someone just do it! It's never explained whether it was the ghost of Margaret or if she was still alive & why they needed to kill Cynthia either. The character of Martha (Harriet Medin) the housekeeper was never explained to any degree either & she simply 'leaves' just before the end for no apparent reason. What I'm trying to get across here is that every major plot point that could have turned L' Orribile Segreto del Dr. Hichcock into a classic Gothic horror mystery have holes in them you could drive a tank through, nothing is explained to any satisfaction & once 'The End' credit comes up your not entirely sure what the preceding 90 odd minutes were all about, or 75 if you've got the cut US version & I can only begin to imagine what a mess that cut is. One more thing which annoyed me, even though the films title refers to him as Dr. Hichcock he is never referred to that way in the film itself & is always called Professor Hichcock. It's slow going as well, 90% of the films run time takes place on the same set of stairs & I don't really get all the positive reviews for this lame & rather dull film.Director Freda does a great job here, sure I didn't like the mess of a story but L' Orribile Segreto del Dr. Hichcock sure does look good. It has some terrific 19th century production design, the sets, costumes & props all go to create a visually great film with plenty of stylish lighting as well. It's just a shame the story is so thin & weak. Forget about any gore as there isn't a single drop of blood in the entire film & Dr. Hichcock's necropilious activities amount to nothing more than a kiss, by todays standards this is PG rated stuff all the way.Technically the film is very good with decent production values although there are only a few locations they are used to good effect. It's always hard to judge the acting when watching a dubbed film & a badly dubbed film at that.L' Orribile Segreto del Dr. Hichcock is a pretty poor film, sure it has a great visual style about it but is that enough? I'd say no as I'd take a good strong story over flashy visuals any-day of the week, it's just my opinion of course but I think this is a pretty poor film.

Actually what I have on VHS (recorded off the TV) is the full-length version of the film, released in the U.K. as THE TERROR OF DR. HICHCOCK (in the U.S. it was cut by 10 mins. and retitled). From the little I have watched of 'Euro Horror', this is definitely one of the highlights; most critics place it at the top of Freda's canon and it's easy to see why. Visually the film is stunning (even if the print I have watched has seen better days) with any number of striking images that are not easily forgotten.Still, the film's greatest coup, perhaps, is its unabashed (but not sensationalistic) treatment of necrophilia, a theme that was pretty much taboo at the time - and probably still is! (I urge you all to read Glenn M. Erickson's excellent and highly perceptive essay on the film on the 'Images Journal' website - incidentally, you will find a whole section here devoted to Italian horror films.) In this respect, THE TERROR OF DR. HICHCOCK would make a fine companion piece to Mario Bava's LA FRUSTA E IL CORPO/THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963), another unhinged (and extremely personal) Gothic masterwork!The exemplary cast is headed by Barbara Steele and Robert Flemyng. Steele is pretty good in what she has to do (though never quite scaling the heights of LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO/THE MASK OF Satan [1960]) but is overshadowed by Flemyng as Dr. Bernard Hichcock (an inspired choice for a name!) who is utterly credible in all the various facets of manic lust his character has to go through. Indeed, this doctor would not have been amiss in a Poe story and, much as I love Vincent Price in the AIP/Corman adaptations, Flemyng here emerges a far more sinister figure - without ever resorting to camp!Finally, I wonder how this film's follow-up LO SPETTRO/THE GHOST (1963), which I have never watched, compares with the original. Hopefully both films will one day be adequately represented on DVD, possibly released as a double-feature.