Theater of Blood

Theatre of Blood

United Kingdom

1973

104 Min

Color

English

Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
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EXEC Gustave M. Berne, Sam Jaffe

SCR Anthony Greville-Bell, Stanley Mann, John Kohn, William Shakespeare

CAST Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne, Robert Coote, Jack Hawkins, Michael Hordern, Arthur Lowe, Robert Morley

A serial killer stalks London, targeting theater critics who he kills in methods inspired by Shakespeare plays. The police grow to suspect the killer is Edward Lionheart, an egotistical actor who leaped to his presumed death after being denied an important award, mainly due to his refusing to appear in any play not written by Shakespeare. The remaining critics and the police find themselves helpless to stop Lionheart’s increasingly baroque revenge, though they contact his daughter in a desperate attempt to find something they can use against him. Everything builds to a reenactment of King Lear in which Lionheart will succeed or die once and for all. –IMDb

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Greg S.

31Mar13

The film gets a little episodic but each murder sequence is so whimsical I was constantly entertained. The murders have a ritualistic Polanski vibe, much of it comes off more weird than outright horrifying. Many of critics are cliched but Price's relationship with his daughter is actually nicely done and really the film's finest homage to Shakespeare. I wonder how much of the character Price identified with.

Adam Eisentrout and Mark Garrett like this

Andhika Eka Buana

1Jan13

Lazy screenwriting disguised by it's oh-look-it's-serial-killer-with-Shakespearean-method! so that it'd appeared to be different.

DT

8Nov12

Headlined by horror doyen Price as an egocentric Shakespearean actor who decides to seek murderous vengeance on all the critics who gave him poor notices, it’s a decidedly whimsical, rather delicious romp, each gory killing modelled after a death scene from one of Shakespeare’s plays. Thus very reflexive, tongue-in-cheek, and genuinely well done in putting together the references strewn throughout into one workable, entertaining and lasting package. Jolly good.

Lights in the Dusk likes this

msmichel

10Apr12

Grand guignol tale that dares tackle a shakespearean serial killer acted with great gusto by Vincent Price. Idea becomes stale after awhile with Price having much more fun than the audience is. Some inventitive murders with special kudos to the Titus Andronicus inspired expiry of Robert Morley and the 'House of Wax' reference in the final scenes. Some films date well and others.....perhaps not so much.

HKFanatic likes this