Madhouse

Basically an actor's revenge plot in the wake of Theatre of Blood, but reasonably witty in its use of inter-penetrating fantasies born of the Dream Factory. The film has its faults, not least a tendency to allow things to go over the top; but the interweaving of the character of Paul Toombes, fictional veteran star of the Doctor Death series who is no longer able to tell fantasy and reality apart (he is glimpsed roaming Sunset Boulevard in his Doctor Death costume), with the real-life career of Vincent Price (who plays the part), is quite inspired and lends the film some sharp moments. Sequences from The Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven and other Price movies add a deeper piquancy to the mixture. A number of small parts are nicely filled, and in-jokes include the total dispensability of the TV series director: his death goes all but unnoticed.