Theatre Of Blood (1973) - Film Review - British Horror

So little to watch on TV this morning to get excited about so I tried to find a film and hit the jackpot with the British war film, “The Long and the Short and the Tall” (1961) and needs a review. However, I wanted more and literally fell on a follow up film thanks to it being mentioned on the radio, Theatre of Blood (1973) starring Vincent Price.

I couldn’t remember watching it for a while so took to Google to see if I could find a copy of the full film free. A couple of clicks later I had found what I was looking for and I settle back to watch it.

The plot is simple but ingenious. Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) is a dreadful ham Shakespearean actor who committed suicide having failed to win a coveted Critics' Circle award he expected to win. Two years later, he reappears with vengeance in mind for each member of the Circle of Critics with a unique and bizarre murder based on his performances in Shakespeare plays.

The chief critic, Ian Hendry, soon figures out it’s Lionheart but the police are unable to find the supposedly dead man, and the murders continue as ordained.

Although nominally a horror film - and a very effective and funny one it is - 'Blood' brings together three genres very popular in the early 70s. There is the police procedural, in which inspector Milo O'Shea and his sidekick Eric Sykes start reading books in order to catch a killer. There is the all-star British cast in the film all set up and slaughtered with the opening slaughter of Michael Hordern by knife-slashing tramps, and the brilliant scene where his funeral is interrupted by a galloping horse dragging a corpse.

There are some great scenes, and for me none more memorable than Price's disguise as Butch, the effeminate hairdresser. In general, the whole idea of hippies, homeless slaves (who seem to like big moustaches and afros) is just plain silly, but works in this case.

This was easily one of Price's best roles, second only perhaps to Don Medina from Pit and the Pendulum. He essentially plays an exaggerated version of himself, which makes for some fine subtle humour. In fact, dark comedy pervades this film, making for some very uncomfortable scenes. The gore and deaths are especially well done; all look very realistic and bloody. The writing was phenomenal, I love how they incorporated so many of Shakespeare's works into the film, even his lesser-known works such as Cymbeline, play important roles. To sum up, this is one of the all-time great horror films and is essential viewing for any horror fan.

My Rating