Circus of Horrors

After his surgery on a girl goes hideously wrong, Dr. Rossiter, along with two assistants, flees England, taking temporary refuge in France, where he calls himself Dr. Schüler. Convinced he’s a brilliant surgeon (blaming the earlier operation’s bad outcome on the woman’s negligent conduct), the doctor wastes no time picking up his surgical instruments once again to operate on a little girl with a disfigured face.

This time the result is so exceptional that the girl’s father, the owner of a dilapidated circus, declares his willingness to do anything to demonstrate his gratitude. Schüler takes advantage of the situation, and convinced that the circus environment is ideal for diverting the authorities’ suspicions, completely takes over the business a short time later. Under this new management, the circus makes a complete turnaround, quickly becoming the most famous in all Europe.

In reality, beneath a shroud of apparent normality, a horrific truth lies hidden. The performers who work for him are really former mobsters who find themselves in the doctor’s debt after he uses his surgical gifts to alter their faces. He maintains a stranglehold on them, blackmailing them whenever they threaten to leave. In extreme cases, he even resorts to murder, dutifully disguising the crime as a freak accident.

Certainly not the best way to avoid attracting the attention of the police…