Theatre of Blood (1973)

Disturbing yet enthralling

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

After several top movie critics are viciously killed, the police discover it is the followers of a celebrated Shakespearean actor thought dead and ordering them to assist in his revenge on critics who savaged his work and race to stop him before his revenge is complete.This is one of the finest and most enjoyable efforts in his career. First and foremost, it must be said that this is Vincent Price's movie. Here, he delivers one of his finest performances to date, and it's simply a joy to see Price perform so splendidly in what was obviously a role written specifically for him. That makes his performance all the more watchable, as he's supposed to be acting ham which is due to the way the film carries itself out. The way the plot dictates matters makes it all the more watchable as it's quite fun to see how ham Price can be this involving a Shakespearean actor seeking revenge on movie critics for harmful reviews is a role Price was born to play, and in here it really works for the film. Besides the greatness of Price's role, the film is memorable for the method of murder as being one of the most creative and imaginative in horror cinema. Because of the way Price's character is written, basing the deaths on the movie the critic bashed, this is further proof of Price's genius in the role as the deaths are so much fun to watch, yet require a large amount of intelligence on the viewer to deduce what is going on with the deaths. That is quite a change and one that is quite welcomed in the film by giving this the kind of atmosphere to allow for quite an impressive time here. There are a couple of great action pieces in here that are quite entertaining going off of that, featuring a duel at a fencing school which is inventive and exhilarating going back and forth between the fighters, a stellar series of gruesome deaths as well as the opening attack in the theater which is an effective way to get the movie rolling and delivers lots of chills. The other big plus here comes from one of the best finales in a long while which includes a spectacular gathering and the overall burning-down-the-building finish that offers a rather touching finish. These make this one a blast to watch while not really offering up too many flaws. It's biggest problem is that this is a little bit more intelligent than what most of the usual horror fans are used to since the viewer is required to know Shakespeare and his works, for that drives most of the horror in here. Knowing that will increase the level of involvement in the script as well since the large amount of detail in here is not something for those that have very little experience with the works of Shakespeare to just get into. Otherwise, this is a great film.Today's Rating/R: Graphic Violence and Language.

Released in 1973 and directed by Douglas Hickox, "Theater of Blood" stars Vincent Price as a bitter Shakespearean actor in modern London who is thought to be dead due to suicide. Actually, he's alive-and-not-well and murdering his unrelenting highbrow critics. Diana Rigg plays his understanding daughter while Milo O'Shea is on hand as the inspector. The score is excellent, even moving, and the first act is quite serious. But then Price's hammy approach and the increasingly unbelievable murder scenarios thrust the movie into black comedy territory. Still, it's just serious enough to (sort of) suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride. It's another take on the basic plot of "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" (1971) and its sequel (1972). It's also reminiscent of "House of Wax" (1953), although I give that one the edge. The jaw-dropping Madeline Smith is on hand on the babe front, but she's unfortunately underused as a decidedly peripheral character. There's Rigg, of course, if you find her attractive. I don't, but she's likable enough. The movie's colorful like Hammer flicks, albeit with a slightly bigger budget and the corresponding location shooting. Fans of Vincent Price horror and, especially, the three movies noted above should eat this up while others might find it too talky, one-dimensional and overlong. The movie runs 104 minutes and was shot in London, Brentford & Windsor, England. WRITER: Anthony Greville-Bell. GRADE: B-

When an actor takes themselves as seriously as Vincent Price's Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart, the worst thing a critic can do is pan their performances or refer to him as the biggest ham since Porky Pig. In the case of "worst thing", that goes for the critics, not for Price, because after years of being rejected for London's top theater honors, he plots out a grand exit that would make Hamlet, King Lear, MacBeth and Othello applaud. You see, Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart does nothing but Shakespeare, and he overdoes it so much in the eyes of the critics, they have no choice but to condemn him. Confronting them at their annual committee meeting, Price curses them all out then makes his exit, through their skyscraper window to his supposed death.As time passes, several critics begin to meet their doom from extremely bizarre methods. The remaining begin to think there is some plot against them, and of course, they are right. If only they knew the truth, which is too funny in a macabre manner in which to describe here. This is a dark and funny grand guignol where the American born Price (still seeming very British, which I'm sure many of his fans thought he was anyway...) takes similar trails as he did in "Dr. Philbes", going from the medical profession into the theatrical. Decapitation, electrocution, suffocation and other brutal slayings, all done through Shakespeare's best plays, some grotesque, others hysterically funny, are presented in full bloody detail here, and are played with some of Britain's greatest character performers, including real-life future wife Coral Browne who really gives a hair raising performance here. Robert Morley gets a bit stuffed here too, and others such as Jack Hawkins and Michael Hordern have memorable demises as well. Milo O'Shea is properly confused as the detective, and Diana Rigg goes from lovely to looney as Price's grieving daughter. Think of this as "Sweeney Todd" on acid.

Horror and Gore Fans are often criticized for being Low Brow, so here's one to put a fly in the ointment. Combining early Seventies new found Bloodletting and Shakespeare, it plays out like an unlikely alliance between the profane and the sublime.It is a highly regarded Movie that has the ability to persuade Critics to like it (ha ha). It is a full Movie to be sure with loads of Costumes, stylized murders, WS, and Vincent Price parodying Vincent Price in His many Horror Movie roles. He is in Seventh Heaven here literally winking at the Camera and changing His look with every Scene.The Story is inspired but the Production has a claustrophobic feel and a frenzied attitude that if pulled back a little would have made this Good Movie even better. A solid Professional Cast is mixed with a gang of hooligans that are more irritating than threatening. The Cinematography is pedestrian and a few Scenes are hardly more than acceptable.But there is enough here to sustain its rather long length, just enough. It is a bit overrated but so gutsy and daring that it cannot be ignored.