Two on a Guillotine (1965)

Two on a Guillotine Poster

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?

Film Overview
"Two on a Guillotine" is a psychological horror film launched in 1965, directed by William Conrad and produced by Warner Bros. The movie includes Sandra Warner, Connie Stevens, Dean Jones, and Cesar Romero, leveraging thriller, fear, and secret. Its movie script is grounded on the story written by John Kneubuhl and Henry Slesar.

Plot
The movie opens with a renowned magician and mentalist Duke Duquesne (played by Cesar Romero), who is well-known for his dangerous and spine-chilling tricks. In one of his stunts, he relatively decapitates his better half and assistant Melinda (played by Connie Stevens) using a guillotine. The scene modifications to twenty years later on, where Duke satisfies his death and leaves his estate to his estranged daughter, Cassie (likewise played by Connie Stevens).

Duke's will states that Cassie should invest a week in his spooky, haunted mansion to acquire his wealth, to which she hesitantly concurs. Hence, the movie spirals into a journey into the scary mansion filled with Duke's resident animals and spine-chilling magic techniques. Meanwhile, she's signed up with by a handsome reporter, Val Henderson (played by Dean Jones), who aims to compose a story about her ordeal, though it's revealed that he covertly desires the estate's worth.

Tension Build-Up
As the plot unfolds, odd events and scary events occur, such as restive noises, unusual movements, and ghostly phantoms. Cassie comes to think that the apparitions may be her dad's ghost, trying to eliminate her using his tricks. The estate's astonishing environment, in addition to Duke's family pet baboon and a menacing raven, contributes to the increasing thriller.

Climax
The movie's climax is a high-stakes sequence including the notorious guillotine technique. Cassie, persuaded that her dad's ghost wants to decapitate her, ultimately discovers herself strapped to the deathly device. All at once, it is revealed that the ghost Cassie formerly communicated with is her daddy's assistant and enthusiast, Dolly Bast (played by Virginia Gregg), who has actually been impersonating Duke while preparing to kill Cassie to acquire the estate.

In a tense and remarkable turn of occasions, Val combat Dolly while concurrently having a hard time to conserve Cassie from the descending blade of the guillotine.

Conclusion
The motion picture concludes with Dolly's death and Cassie being conserved in the nick of time. Val's bravery and quick action conserve Cassie from the lethal guillotine, unmasking Dolly's sinister intentions. Exhausted and relieved, Cassie and Val leave the estate, causing an unsure but confident future free from terror.

The movie's story, along with its apt exploration of Duke's macabre and hazardous world, make it a suspenseful watch. It masterfully integrates aspects of mental, supernatural, and physical scary, with an inheritance plot, improving its engagement value. Despite its age, 'Two on a Guillotine' continues to be remembered as an excellent and suspenseful horror film from the 1960s period.

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