“Circus of Horrors” (殺人鬼登場), Original Japanese B2 Movie Poster 1961, B2 Size (c. 51 × 73 cm) O580
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the 1961 Japanese release of Circus of Horrors, the notorious 1960 British horror‑thriller directed by Sidney Hayers and produced by Julian Wintle and Leslie Parkyn. The film stars Anton Diffring as deranged plastic surgeon Dr. Rossiter/Schüler, with Erika Remberg and Yvonne Monlaur as two of his “remade” circus stars, alongside Donald Pleasence and Yvonne Romain. A lurid blend of surgical horror, crime melodrama and big‑top spectacle, it has become a cult favourite and is often cited as part of Anglo‑Amalgamated’s sadistic cycle of early‑’60s shockers.
Film background
After a disastrous operation leaves a socialite hideously disfigured, brilliant but unhinged plastic surgeon Dr. Rossiter goes on the run, fleeing England for France and assuming a new identity. Falling in with a failing travelling circus, he restores the scarred face of the owner’s young daughter and, through a mix of charm and murder, takes over the show. Over the next decade he recruits disfigured criminals and outcasts, using radical plastic surgery to transform them into glamorous performers in his personal “temple of beauty”. Anyone who grows restless or threatens to expose his past, however, suffers a spectacular “accident” in the ring, drawing morbid crowds and eventually the attention of the police. Set amid roaring lions, high‑wire acts and dangerous stunts, the film mixes murder mystery, grotesque medical set‑pieces and twisted romance, all underscored by the haunting pop theme “Look for a Star.”
Poster design
This Japanese B2 is a superbly lurid composition that captures the film’s clash of glamour and horror. The upper left is dominated by a huge painted close‑up of Diffring’s surgeon, his face criss‑crossed with jagged scars that stand out against a rich blue circus night. To his right, an acrobat in a pink costume tumbles upside‑down from the high wire, surrounded by tiny aerialists and spotlights that give the layout a dizzy, off‑balance energy. Cutting across the middle is the explosive Japanese title 殺人鬼登場 in thick, brush‑stroked red kanji with white outline, reading like a blood‑red circus banner announcing “The Killer Appears!”. Below, a collage of film stills delivers maximum sensation: a blonde showgirl bound to a spinning knife‑throwing wheel, a lion‑tamer facing down roaring beasts, and a fringed “native” performer in mid‑gesture, while at the far right a glamorous ringmaster in a white and gold uniform anchors the composition. In the lower left corner, an intimate close‑up of a couple in an embrace, cigarette poised between them, hints at the film’s adult tone, with the English logo “Circus of Horrors – Eastman Colour” printed beneath. Japanese studio credits, cast names and a side column promoting the hit theme song complete a dynamic, colourful design that stands among the boldest international posters for this title.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent overall for its age. Light edge wear, tiny nicks and a few short tears around the borders. Colours on the front remain strong and vivid. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
This is an original early‑1960s Japanese theatrical B2 poster, not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
It is over 64 years old!
