DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS

BASIL RUYSDAEL - "DOCTOR TERROR"
? - "GHOSTLY BALLYHOO"

"Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" is a 1943 fantasy / horror anthology movie, where a man of mystery known only as Doctor Terror (Basil Ruysdael) recounts seven stories from his casebook of personal encounters with evil and the supernatural. The seven stories were edited excerpts from the following movies, using the narration by Doctor Terror as bookends / wraparound: The Flaming Signal (1932) The Golem: The Legend of Prague (1936) The Living Dead (1932) The Return of Chandu (1934) Vampyr (1932) White Zombie (1932) To help promote the movie, an actor was dressed in a white sheet - "Ghostly Ballyhoo", who would roam the city's streets, pointing out highlights of the display to patrons as they entered the theatre the week before the movie's opening. From the New York Achives: This is a strange story - a story unlike anything you have ever heard. It is a story of madness - of cruel and unforgettable death - fantastic, unreal and horrible. Through the ages, man has beheld the fear of death. From the moment life enters the human body until the last earthly flicker of his soul, fear holds him in its icy grip - the hopes, the future; yes, his very life. There have been many tales of fear - legends of Frankenstein, of Dracula, of monsters and werewolves. But in all history, no one person has seen or witnessed more of the many strange deaths of humans than a man we shall call - Doctor Terror. BASIL RUYSDAEL From IMDB: Basil Ruysdael was born as Basil Spaulding Millspaugh on 24 July 1878 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA, and passed away on 10 October 1960 in Hollywood, California, USA. He official changed his name to Basil Ruysdael on 8 February 1915. Before becoming a busy character actor on stage, films, and radio, he was a star bass-baritone with the Metropolitan Opera Company between 1910 and 1918. Although his most frequent role was as the King in Verdi's "Aida", the majority of his roles were in the German repertory, particularly the operas of Richard Wagner. As a voice teacher and coach, his students included Lawrence Tibbett. In the 1930's, Ruysdael was a radio announcer. After the end of the second world war, Ruysdael moved to Hollywood to become a movie actor. His acting credits include - Pinky (1949), Broken Arrow (1950) and Colorado Territory (1949). Ruysdael married three times - Eleanor Mason Manierre (1915-1923), Rose Swettenham (1925-1944), Kathleen Dobbyn (1945-1960). There are no known clips from the movie,

LINKS

Internet Movie Data Base "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors"	AV Club "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors"	Internet Movie Data Base "Basil Ruysdael"
Letterboxd "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors"	The Classic Horror Film Board "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors"	The Classic Horror Film Board "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors"

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