Two on a Guillotine
Two on a Guillotine
NR | 13 January 1965 (USA)
Two on a Guillotine Trailers

The daughter of a dead magician who accidentally killed his wife, her mother, while performing a guillotine trick must spend the night in his house in order to collect her inheritance. Is the house haunted or is it all magic?

Reviews
Tedfoldol

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

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Neive Bellamy

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

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Zandra

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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Billy Ollie

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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GL84

Forced to stay in her father's mansion for an inheritance, a woman and her friend find the entire estate rigged to allow him the chance at performing the greatest illusion of all time and forcing him to save her from his clutches.Overall this one wasn't really all that bad but did have a few flaws. What really seems to lower this one is the rather blatant and obvious set-up this utilizes in dragging out the running time here far beyond necessary simply because of the set-up required. The first half here is basically built around the concept of her going out and spending the time here going around and inspecting the house, resulting in nothing but endless scenes of the two of them inspecting his mystical traps and holdings from his past but doesn't really generate anything in the form of highly suspenseful tactics. Likewise, the whole story is presented into the final act twist that doesn't really seem all that shocking or twisted at all but all seems built into such a logical conclusion that there's no suspense or shock to be derived from it, plays out exactly the way it's supposed to be and never comes off all that well anyway as it's so obvious from the start which seems to follow suit with the rest of the scenes here as this one tends to play through it's running time with really unsurprising and cliché motivations for everything within this. There's some rather fun times here still within this, which is mainly centered around the fun had here in the mansion waiting around for something to happen, which is quite elaborate, chilling and seemingly made for something like this and really provokes quite a dark air about itself that's quite appealing overall. As well, the final half here is fantastic with the plot twist bringing about more action in numerous chases and brawls around the house, a fantastically maniacal air about the different stage shows and really elevates this one by really playing with the twists logically throughout here into a fun and enjoyable part that makes the most of this one. While there's some flawed areas elsewhere that do lower this one, it's still enjoyable and highly watchable.Today's Rating-PG: Violence.

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lost-in-limbo

"Two on a Guillotine" is an effective little BW chiller when aiming for the scares, but when that's not the case it becomes ponderous (the budding romance between the leads) and it in end too long-winded when it finally reach it very foreseeable conclusion. Still it's entertainingly solid with able performances by the ever delightful Connie Stevens and a charming Dean Jones. They work off each other rather well and the script stays compelling within its mystery building or trivial exchanges. Some slow spots, but never that distracting.In order to inherit her recently deceased father's fortune, his only daughter (who hadn't seen her father in years after an incident during a magic trick featuring her mother in a guillotine) must stay seven nights in his mansion. If not, the fortune is split between his carer and manager. Things soon get weird, but it hard to tell if it's just games or the house is really haunted. Although he did promise to return from the dead.The plot is a typical haunted house mystery (as nothing seems quite like what it is), but it's well presented and exemplary photographed. Director William Conrad mixes successfully the playful elements (an acceptable light-hearted funny bone) with the creepy moments (where it can draw some intensity). Cesar Romero is quite good as the illusionist too. An earnest little spook drama.

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darklybrite

Like some others who've seen this film as children, I have fond memories of Two On a Guillotine when it played as a Friday night movie on network TV in the mid-1960s. The sight of a lifeless Cesar Romero being lowered into a grave in a glass coffin at the beginning sets the spooky tone for the rest of the story. His character, a famous magician, promised to one day perform his greatest feat of all by returning from the dead. His wife (identical to his daughter) died some years before when he botched the guillotine trick she was assisting with. Without giving anything away, a lot of the suspense is built on the anticipation of his re-materializing at any time, to the horror of his daughter. This is a movie which has many of the elements necessary for genuine horror. No spilled guts, no splatter. It works on a neater, more effective plane.

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mozart9895

Not bad, lots of fun. Nice job by Dean Jones. I give it 6 stars Connie Stevens is very good and she looks great. Good movie for late at night. Nice to see the Joker out of makeup. Not too long, smart ending. Enjoy it.

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