Circus of Horrors 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Circus of Horrors 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 9, 2025

Sidney Hayers' "Circus of Horrors" (1960) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by critic David Del Valle and vintage trailer and TV spots. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The masterpiece

Had the great Federico Fellini directed a horror thriller, it seems reasonable to speculate that it would have looked a lot like Sidney Hayers’ Circus of Horrors. This film has all of Fellini’s obsessions – gorgeous women, clowns, loopy characters, and, of course, a big circus. Like most of Fellini’s films, it occasionally veers off into the surreal as well. Believe it or not, it even does some pretty interesting things with color and light, which feel very Fellini-esque too.

After botching a complex surgery that instantly transforms a famous patient into a violent lunatic, British plastic surgeon Dr. Rossiter (Anton Diffring) and his two assistants (Jane Hylton and Kenneth Griffith) flee to France, where he repairs the face of a badly scarred girl and inherits a small circus that her father (Donald Pleasance), a disillusioned drunkard, has ruined. Dr. Rossiter then gives himself a new face and name, Dr. Schuler, and begins rebuilding the circus. However, instead of hiring talented but underappreciated performers, Dr. Schuler gathers various outcasts and criminals with disfigured faces and dark secrets, and, in exchange for their loyalty, begins remodeling them into future stars. The circus quickly acquires a tremendous reputation, just as Dr. Schuler had envisioned. However, its biggest stars, all gorgeous women, encouraged by their success and the massive opportunities for an even better life away from it, inevitably begin questioning the terms of their arrangement with Dr. Schuler. Soon after, usually while dazzling their fans, they die in terrible ‘accidents’.

Hayers worked with an original screenplay by George Baxt, an American writer, whose specialty was Gothic horror. It is difficult to tell how closely Hayers followed the screenplay, but it is not difficult to conclude that very little of what makes Circus of Horrors effective has something to do with it. There are a couple of reasons for this.

The visuals generate the heavy dark atmosphere permeating the narrative, not the supposedly carefully scripted developments or character transformations at the center of them. For example, the camera very effectively approaches and captures the scarred faces of Dr. Schuler’s patients and future stars. All of the ‘accidents’ in which the rebellious stars die are shot similarly, too. Furthermore, color and light are managed in ways that produce visuals whose qualities are equally suitable for contemporary and Gothic horror films, which is the reason Circus of Horrors quickly acquires an interesting identity. It has undeniable Gothic qualities but does not evolve into a conventional Gothic horror film, and while its characters spend plenty of time in the present, it routinely feels like the present becomes a surreal playground. (Fellini did plenty of this exact bending in his best films).

Then there is the sexual innuendo. It charges Circus of Horrors with an energy that just about neutralizes the creepiness behind the heavy dark atmosphere. Hayers must have been fully aware and appreciative of this development because it is the only justification for the existence of the striking footage with Yvonne Monlaur.

*Fernando Di Leo's Slaughter Hotel does a lot of the same bending and is infused with even greater sexual innuendo, so it can be a great companion piece.

Circus of Horrors 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Circus of Horrors is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

The release introduces a recent 4K restoration of the film, completed on behalf of StudioCanal. In native 4K, the 4K restoration cannot be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR grades. I viewed the film in its entirety in native 4K and later spent time with the 1080p presentation of it on the Blu-ray. (A separate Blu-ray release is available as well).

The entire film looks healthy, and most viewers' initial impression will be that the 4K restoration is outstanding. The 4K restoration is good, but I do not think that the film looks as convincing as it should. For example, while in most nicely-lit areas of the film delineation, clarity, and depth are pleasing, several dark segments have unconvincing gamma levels and dynamic range. I am unsure why, but select supporting nuances, all darker ones, are destabilized. Finer darker nuances are unconvincing, too, so in these segments there is unnatural flatness. You can see examples here and here. Fortunately, there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, so elsewhere there is still plenty to like. Color reproduction and balance are stable. However, more vibrancy and punchiness are needed to declare that both are as convincing as they need to be. Image stability is great. I noticed a few very small scratches, but the surface of the visuals is still very healthy.

I compared various segments in native 4K and 1080p. On my system, the native 4K presentation excelled in only one area. It revealed marginally tighter and sharper visuals. However, at the same time, it made the inconsistencies in the less than convincing darker areas more obvious as well. The rest looked more or less identical.

Circus of Horrors 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Plenty of music can be heard throughout the film. While all of it sounds great, dynamic contrasts, especially during the circus performances, are unimpressive. However, this is how the soundtrack was finalized, so it is how it is reproduced by the lossless track. All exchanges are clear, sharp, and stable. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Circus of Horrors 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, critic David Del Valle recalls his first encounter with Circus of Horrors (which at the time was apparently paired with The Angry Red Planet) and explains why it is "the gold standard" for circus horror films. Also, there are various interesting observations about the maniac Anton Diffring plays and his power/romantic relationship with his female assistant, the overlapping of erotica and horror, and the Gothic overtones that permeate the narrative.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, critic David Del Valle recalls his first encounter with Circus of Horrors (which at the time was apparently paired with The Angry Red Planet) and explains why it is "the gold standard" for circus horror films. Also, there are various interesting observations about the maniac Anton Diffring plays and his power/romantic relationship with his female assistant, the overlapping of erotica and horror, and the Gothic overtones that permeate the narrative.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Circus of Horrors. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage TV spots for Circus of Horrors. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

Circus of Horrors 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Had an Italian directed Circus of Horrors, and embellished it a bit more, its reputation as a godfather of the classic giallo would have been ensured. But in its current form, with a strong sexual innuendo permeating its narrative, Circus of Horrors looks and feels like a secret project the great Federico Fellini might have worked on and abandoned. It is a small but good film. It has a great male lead and several truly stunning female stars that sell its drama in the best possible way. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces a recent 4K restoration, completed on behalf of StudioCanal. A separate Blu-ray release is available for purchase as well. RECOMMENDED.