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1971 - UK Directed By: Peter Duffell. Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliot, Jon Pertwee, John Bennett, Joss Ackland, Ingrid Pitt, Nyree Dawn Porter, John Malcolm, Chloe Franks, Wolfe Morris, Joanna Dunham, Tom Adams and Geoffrey Bayldon.
Current Availability
The best version at present is the UK R2 DVD from Anchor Bay UK which features some nice extras including a directors audio commentary and a brief "making of" featurette. The Anchor Bay UK release was released as both a standalone release and also as part of the limited edition coffin-shaped 5-disc Amicus Collection boxset, which also includes Dr Terror's House Of Horrors, ...And Now The Screaming Starts, Asylum and The Beast Must Die. While the standalone release is still available at the time of writing the aforementioned boxset (which was limited to 5000 copies) is now OOP. There is also a US R1 DVD release from Lions Gate which is not quite as extensive in the extras department as its UK counterpart.
Recommended?
Highly recommended to any fan of British horror films. The House That Dripped Blood is yet another highly entertaining and well put together installment in the justly revered horror anthology series from Amicus. Featuring four macabre and compelling short tales, The House That Drips Blood offers a winning blend of chills, understated black humour and an array of fine performances from its top drawer cast. Terrific stuff!
Review (Contains Spoilers)
During the domestic horror boom period of the sixties, British horror giants Hammer Studio's main rivals were undoubtedly Amicus Productions. Founded and run by the American dup of Max Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky, Amicus made numerous forays into the British horror genre, however today the company remains undoubtedly best known for its series of seven anthology format horror pictures released between 1964 and 1973. Taking their cue from the Ealing studio's classic Dead Of Night (1945) (which Milton Subotsky regarded as the finest horror film ever made), Amicus' fondly remembered anthology pictures would typically feature four or five short tales of macabre terror linked together by an equally sinister framing story.
The Amicus anthology run would begin in 1964 with the British horror classic Dr Terror's House Of Horrors which saw horror legend Peter Cushing star as a sinister tarot card reader who relates to five fellow passengers aboard a train the tales of their horrific, impending demises setting the scene for five short tales of horror. With its stellar cast which included Cushing, fellow horror legend Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland and its playful blend of macabre horrors, Dr Terror's House Of Horrors struck a chord with audiences and proved to be an international hit.
Over the next decade Amicus would go on to make the portmanteau format their own, starting in 1967 with Torture Garden. Scripted by celebrated Psycho author Robert Bloch and featuring another great ensemble cast Torture Garden was another success story for Rosenberg and Subotsky, leading to them producing a further five anthology pieces during the early seventies.
The first of these could be 1971's memorably titled The House That Dripped Blood. Featuring four tales of terror centring around the ominous residence of the title, The House That Dripped Blood was penned once again by Robert Bloch and also marked the first feature film assignment for highly rated British television director Peter Duffell. With a cast which includes prime talent such as Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Denholm Elliot, Jon Pertwee and Ingrid Pitt, The House That Dripped Blood was another hit for Amicus and paved the way for two further anthologies in 1972, Asylum and Tales From The Crypt which marked the creative zenith of the seven film Amicus cycle, before its popularity eventually waned with the less successful Vault Of Horror (1973) and the solid but overrated From Beyond The Grave (also 1973).
The House That Dripped Blood opens with cynical Detective Inspector Holloway (Bennett) arriving from Scotland Yard in order to investigate the mysterious and possibly suspicious disappearance of veteran horror film actor Paul Henderson. Holloway soon makes the acquaintance of estate agent A.J. Stoker (Bryans) who informs Holloway that the house in which Henderson was residing at the time of his disappearance is a house of evil and exhibits a malevolent, fatal influence over the lives of those that come to live in it. Stoker then proceeds to regale the scornful Detective Inspector with accounts of the macabre fates suffered by the houses previous occupants leading to four short tales of terror centring around the accursed property.
In the films first story Method For Murder famed horror author Charles Hillyer (Elliot) moves into the house together with his wife Alice (Dunham) and soon sets about penning a lurid new novel concerning the crimes of a psychotic strangler named Dominic. However, Hillyer's enthusiasm for his new project soon gives way to terror as he becomes convinced that the fictional Dominic really is out to get him. Is the writers imagination simply running away with itself? Or is foul play at work?
The second story Waxworks sees Philip Grayson (Cushing) suffer a traumatic experience in a horror themed waxwork museum when he comes across a waxwork of a startlingly beautiful young woman who bears a striking resemblance to his own lost love. Perturbed by both this and the creepy behaviour of the museums sinister owner (Morris), Hillyer beats a hasty retreat. However, terror awaits when shortly after Hillyer is visited by his old friend Neville Rogers (Ackland) who visits the museum with a reluctant Hillyer in tow and has a similar disquieting experience to that of his friend upon viewing the same female waxwork. Later when Rogers attempts to leave town he finds himself inexplicably compelled to return to the wax museum one last time...
In the third and penultimate story Sweets To The Sweet Ann Norton (Dawn Porter) is taken on as a full-time nanny by the stern John Reid (Lee) as assigned to look after his seemingly innocuous infant daughter Jane (Franks). Ann is soon shocked by Reid's cold, cruel approach to raising Jane, which includes forbidding her from mixing with other children and throwing her newly cherished toy doll into the fireplace in a seemingly irrational fit of rage. However, Ann soon discovers much to her horror that little Jane is not as innocent and harmless as she first appears.
Finally in The Cloak we get around to the fate of veteran horror star Paul Henderson (Pertwee) whose disappearance Detective Inspector Holloway in investigating. Disgusted by the poor production values behind the scenes of his latest horror film the disgruntled Henderson goes off in search of his own costume and winds up purchasing what is alleged to be an authentic Transylvanian cloak from a junk shop owned by the eccentric Theo von Hartmann (Bayldon). However, the conceited stars pleasure with his costume gives way to horror when he begins to display vampire-like behaviour, developing fangs, casting no reflection and even biting the neck of his beautiful female co-star Carla Lynde (Pitt). Is Henderson's newly purchased vampires cloak a little too authentic for comfort?
Although The House That Dripped Blood would be director Peter Duffell's first and only foray into screen horror, fortunately he acquits himself well, delivering yet another altogether excellent Amicus horror compendium which delivers much in the way of both entertainment and atmospheric chills. While none of the four stories contained in this particular collection strand out as exceptional, all are rock solid and typically splendid performances from the ever reliable likes of Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliot and Joss Ackland assure that the viewers attention never flags.
The films functional if rather uninspired framing device in which John Bennett's sceptical Detective Inspector is informed of the fates of the title properties previous residents soon leads into the quality opening yarn Method For Murder in which writer Charles Hillyer is menaced by the supposedly fictional serial murderer he is presently writing about. Denholm Elliot puts in a good performance as the amiable Hillyer who appears to lose his mind as he becomes convinced that his supposedly fictional maniac is in actual fact real and out for his blood. The subtle, escalating paranoia felt by Hillyer is chillingly conveyed as his wild-eyed psychopath is glimpsed lurking in the shadowy corners of the house, albeit with the ingenious catch that only Hillyer (and of course the viewer) can see him. Joanna Dunham is also good in her supporting role as Hillyer's seemingly supportive wife and the totally unexpected double twist ending is a real cracker, ending this engaging tale with a wonderfully spine-chilling flourish.
The same high standard is sustained in the films second story Waxworks in which old friends Peter Cushing and a slumming Joss Ackland are lured to their doom by an ominous waxwork which bears a striking resemblance to their mutual lost love. Cushing and Ackland both handle their roles commendably and veteran character actor Wolfe Morris also contributes a suitably twitchy turn as the waxwork museum's clearly insane owner. The real glory however is Robert Bloch's writing which weaves into this brief and seemingly straightforward tale some understated yet genuinely chilling undercurrents which make it almost a shame that the films brisk anthology format did not allow for them to be developed further. Indeed, touches such as the unspoken mutual fear and subconscious hold the waxwork inspires in Cushing and Ackland, coupled with Ackland's eerie, hapless - and ultimately fatal - inability to leave town without going for one final look inspire genuine shivers. By contrast the stories end (which clearly inspired the films memorably lurid poster image) is pure pulp horror, but nevertheless marks a satisfying conclusion to this unnerving yarn.
The films penultimate tale Sweets To The Sweet in which well meaning live in nanny Ann Norton discovers the horrific truth behind her employers harsh attitude towards his young daughter is slightly less effective than the first two stories. Whilst the gradual unfurling of the mystery is well handled the problem for this reviewer was that eleven year old child star Chloe Franks is simply too innocuous and angelic to convince as a conniving, evil infant witch. As a result the onus falls upon Christopher Lee to keep the story on an even keel. Fortunately the ever reliable British horror legend is more than up to the task, delivering an authoritive and engaging performance as the seemingly cruel, cold and loveless father who it ultimately turns out has very good reasons for his behaviour. The ravishing Nyree Dawn Porter also acquits herself well as the warm hearted nanny who unwittingly finds herself caught up in the horror.
The House That Dripped Blood then concludes an a triumphant high note with The Cloak, which sees Jon Pertwee's aloof horror star Paul Henderson exhibiting vampire-like tendencies after acquiring a mysterious old cloak. Much of the fun comes courtesy of Pertwee who is nothing short of a riot, chewing the scenery shamelessly as the self obsessed Henderson whose arrogance turns to terror as the ominous garment begins to exhibit its bloodthirsty influence. Whilst certainly hammy, Pertwee's performance compliments the dark yet playful and subtly humorous tone of tale well and as an added bonus Robert Bloch sneaks in some knowing humour, in particular a very funny aside at the expense of Christopher Lee. Meanwhile legendary horror babe Ingrid Pitt shows off her trademark plunging necklines as Henderson's voluptuous co-star Carla Lynde to whom there turns out to be a lot more than meets the eye. Finally the demise of Henderson is ingeniously linked into the fate of the snide Detective Inspector Holloway drawing a satisfying conclusion to the otherwise rather dry framing story and ending The House That Dripped Blood with a suitably bloodcurdling yet ever so slightly tongue in cheek flourish.
As with the earlier Amicus anthologies Dr Terror's House Of Horrors and Torture Garden which preceded it, The House That Dripped Blood is next to bloodless in its approach, presenting four tales which instead rely upon a subtle, chilling build-up leading to a macabre final denouement. With audiences becoming progressively more bloodthirsty with the onset of the seventies, this would be the last of the Amicus portmanteau's to be made in this style, with the four subsequent anthologies which followed all favouring a decidedly more visceral approach. While not on a par with either Asylum or Tales From The Crypt - easily the two best films of the Amicus run - The House That Dripped Blood nevertheless registers as a highly enjoyable affair, boasting four consistent tales which thanks principally to excellent writing from Robert Bloch and a host of spirited performances succeed in delivering a pleasing mixture of chills, ghoulish shocks and a welcome dash of humour. The collective results may fall just short of fully fledged classic status, but on the whole The House That Dripped Blood marks yet another extremely entertaining and worthy contribution from Amicus to the then still thriving British horror cycle.
Also Try... Dr Terror's House Of Horrors / Torture Garden / Asylum (1972, Roy Ward Baker) / Tales From The Crypt / Vault Of Horror / Tales That Witness Madness / The Vampire Lovers / Creepshow / Dead Of Night (1945, Alberto Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer and Charles Crichton) / Love At First Bite.
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