The House of 1,000 Dolls

Synopsis

Stephen Armstrong, vacationing with his wife Marie in Tangiers, runs into an old friend and learns he is searching for his missing girlfriend who was kidnapped by an international gang of white slavers.

The kidnappers are nightclub magician Manderville and his mentalist partner Rebecca. Under the guise of their nightclub performances they hypnotize and kidnap young women for the white slavers, and spirit them to the House of 1000 Dolls.

Stephen continues the investigation when his friend is murdered.

Cast

Production

The film originated with Harry Alan Towers, who shot the movie in Madrid and got Samuel Arkoff at AIP to contribute to finance.

At one stage Terence Fisher was announced as director. Vic Damone was mentioned as going to support Vincent Price and Martha Hyer, but he ended up being replaced by George Nader.

Filming began in November 1966. Knowing that local censors would prohibit filming, Towers gave them a copy of Abe Lincoln in Illinois and hired an actor to walk around the set dressed like Abraham Lincoln in case the censors dropped by.

According to Price in a 1984 interview, he had been signed on to the project without full knowledge of what the film would be about. After his scenes were shot, "Martha Hyer and I were led off ... so we went to visit on the set and we found that they were remaking all of the scenes we'd been in, but a pornographic version of it." He added, "I never got to see it".

Reception

The Chicago Tribune called the film "not even bad enough to be good... [a] bargain basement backfire that is strictly discount Price".

The New York Times described the film as containing "routine sleuthing, double-crossing and chasing".