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Circus of Horrors

Play trailer Poster for Circus of Horrors 1960 1h 29m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 7 Reviews 42% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
When one of his operations results in disfigurement, plastic surgeon Dr. Schuler flees to France. After he successfully operates on young Nicole, her father, Vanet, lets him join the circus he owns. Vanet dies and Schuler takes over, expanding his roster of performers with female criminals he operates on. If the girls try to flee, Schuler arranges for their seemingly accidental deaths during performances, drawing large, morbid crowds.

Critics Reviews

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Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Mar 19, 2026
3/5
‘…an eccentric, quaint and yet effective slice of Grand Guignol…’ Go to Full Review
Sharai Bohannon A Nightmare On Fierce Street Podcast Dec 30, 2024
3/5
'Circus of Horrors' had a lot of interesting ingredients, but never figured out how to make them work together. This leads to a movie that is "fun" to watch for the wrong reasons. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 30, 2024
2.5/4
A mostly effective horror yarn. Go to Full Review
Chris Alexander Alexander On Film Sep 22, 2018
The movie really works primarily because of Diffring's truly magnetic performance, a complicated turn that sees his Rossiter/Schuler veer between sympathetic and sociopathic. Go to Full Review
MFB Critics Monthly Film Bulletin Jan 26, 2018
A plot that only a very simple-minded sadist would take seriously sustains an anthology of gory killings and maimings. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Sep 6, 2015
B
Has some brilliant gory Grand Guignol moments during its circus sequences. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Albus P Mar 23, 2017 Deliciously perverse film about a quack plastic surgeon who finds a cover in an old circus.. and hires deformed women, makes them beautiful, and forces them to work for him! It's ridiculous, bizarre, very colorful, and oh so much fun. See more
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Circus of Horrors

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Sidney Hayers

Director

Anton Diffring

Dr. Schuler

Erika Remberg

Elissa Caro

Yvonne Monlaur

Nicole Vanet

Donald Pleasence

Vanet

Jane Hylton

Angela

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Circus of Horrors

Circus of Horrors (1960) Circus of Horrors (1960) Circus of Horrors (1960) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When one of his operations results in disfigurement, plastic surgeon Dr. Schuler flees to France. After he successfully operates on young Nicole, her father, Vanet, lets him join the circus he owns. Vanet dies and Schuler takes over, expanding his roster of performers with female criminals he operates on. If the girls try to flee, Schuler arranges for their seemingly accidental deaths during performances, drawing large, morbid crowds.
Director
Sidney Hayers
Producer
Samuel Z. Arkoff
Screenwriter
George Baxt
Production Co
Lynx Films
Genre
Horror
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2018
Runtime
1h 29m
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