La maison qui tue

Another anthology from horror studio Amicus, The House That Dripped Blood features four macabre tales written by Psycho author Robert Bloch, with a wraparound story in which Detective Inspector Holloway (John Bennett) investigates the mysterious disappearance of a famous horror movie-star and learns of several other cases all linked to a creepy old house.

The first case is that of Charles Hillyer (Denholm Elliott), a horror novelist who moves into the house to write his next novel, Dominick the Strangler. As Hillyer gets stuck into his work, he becomes convinced that the titular character from his latest book is stalking him. It's a solid way to kick off the film, with Elliot putting in a fine performance, and director Peter Duffell delivering plenty of suspense and chills, helped no end by Tom Adams as grinning loon Dominick, who looks convincingly deranged as he lurks in the shadows.

Tale number two, Waxworks, is my least favourite, which I find surprising since it stars Peter Cushing, one of my all-time favourite horror actors. Cushing plays retired businessman Philip Grayson, one of a pair of old love rivals who lose their heads after paying a visit to a Museum of Horror, where one of the exhibits bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman they both loved. Duffell does his best to make something of the weak material, using strong red and green lighting to add a sense of the unreal, but the result is still rather forgettable.

Another horror legend—Christopher Lee—turns up for tale number three, but like Cushing, he is unable to turn what is a rather predictable tale into anything special. If you can't guess how this one is going to end by the halfway mark, then you clearly haven't seen enough horror films. Lee plays the frightened father of a young girl with a secret; Nyree Dawn Porter is the teacher who cannot understand what he is so scared of.

For my money, the final story offers the most entertainment value, and here's why: a) the story is fun and delivers quite a few genuinely amusing moments (with a couple of neat in-jokes for horror fans), b) Ingrid Pitt's cleavage is fantastic, and c) it stars both Worzel Gummidge and The Crowman (Jon Pertwee and Geoffrey Bayldon AKA Catweazle). Pertwee is wonderful as pompous horror actor Paul Henderson, who buys a cape from Bayldon for his latest role as a vampire; the only problem is that whenever he wears the cape, he becomes a vampire for real.

Pertwee and Pitt pop up again as vampires in the last part of the wraparound tale to attack Holloway, who has payed a visit to the house against the advice of estate agent A.J. Stoker (John Bryans). Stoker closes the film by finally revealing the secret of the creepy property, but the explanation for the supernatural occurrences is something of a damp squib.

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for Pertwee and Pitt.

Four stories written by Robert Bloch about various people who live in a beautiful, old mansion and what happens to them. The first has Denholm Elliott as a novelist who sees the killer he's writing about come to life. Some spooky moments and the twist at the end was good. The second has Peter Cushing becoming obsessed with a wax figure resembling his dead wife. The third has Christopher Lee who has a child (Chloe Franks) and is scared of her. It all leads up to a pretty scary ending (although the ending in the story was MUCH worse). The last is an out and out comedy with Jon Petwee and Ingrid Pitt (both chewing the scenery) and a cape that turns people into vampires! There's also a cute line about Christopher Lee playing Dracula.

This is a good horror anthology--nothing terrifying but the first one and the ending of the third gave me a few pleasurable little chills. Also the fourth one is actually very funny and Pitt makes a VERY sexy vampire! Also the house itself looks beautiful...and very creepy. It's well-directed with some nice atmospheric touches. A very good and unusual movie score too. All in all a good little horror anthology well worth seeking out. Try to see it on DVD--the Lions Gate one looks fantastic with strong colors and great sound.

*contains very minor spoilers* (I'm sure the back of the box gives away more!)

Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Joss Ackland, Jon Pertwee...hey, this is one heck of a B-movie cast! All my British friends, together in the same horror anthology. Bliss. Mind you, I'm generally not too crazy about Amicus films; they're more screwed-up and cynical than their charming Hammer counterparts. But this time, Amicus got it just about right. The quality of the stories is uneven, but each has merit.

Story #1 is a pretty dull tale about a horror writer (played by Indiana Jones' buddy Denholm Elliot) who is haunted by one of his fictional creations, a strangler called Dominick. There are some interesting twists, yeah, but the characters are such stereotypes that it's hard to care much about them. And there's really nothing more tedious than writers writing about themselves! Stick with it, though, there's better stuff to come.

Story #2 is probably my favorite. The newly-retired Peter Cushing is haunted by a waxwork figure in a horror museum; it bears a striking resemblance to the late love of his life. An old friend, played by Joss Ackland (a very natural and likable performance), arrives and also falls under the wax girl's spell. I didn't really understand this story when I was ten, probably because I had not yet learned to pine for inaccessible women. However, since then I've been convinced that a wooden figure in a playground was modeled on an ex of mine, so suddenly this really resonates! A wonderfully sad, lonely tale.

Story #3 is also great. Christopher Lee gets to play a sort-of good guy, a rare treat for his fans; his daughter, as it turns out, is a little sorceress. The contrast between her sweet appearance and evil aims works rather well.

Story #4 is...ahem...rather silly, actually. It stars Jon "Doctor Who" Pertwee as a flamboyant horror film star. There's a lot of metahumor in this one; for example, Pertwee's character complains about having to star in cheap horror movies within the context of...a cheap horror movie called "The House that Dripped Blood"! "Doctor Who" was cheap, too, so one wonders if Pertwee was secretly complaining about his own career. But, apparently, he was actually spoofing Christopher Lee. The humor is this segment works, but it's strange to end such a dark movie with a goofy installment. I also don't know quite how to feel about seeing Jon get hoisted up on clearly visible wires during a "flying" segment.

After a somewhat dodgy epilogue with more Pertwee facing-making, the whole thing wraps up nicely with some cryptic remarks from an estate agent. On to the next British horror cheapie!

By their very nature, these anthology movies are mixed bags, but this is definitely one of the strongest. It's worth a look for the cast alone, and the middle two installments are definitely superior horror shorts.

Don't let the title fool you, there is no blood in this film. THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD is a rather tame, four part anthology film about an old manor, and the untimely deaths of its occupants.

First, Denholm Elliot is a horror writer who moves into the house seeking inspiration for his next book. He no sooner dreams up a creepy character, than it appears to have come alive!

Next, Peter Cushing visits a wax museum, only to find something quite unexpected concerning one of the figures.

In the third segment, Christopher Lee is either a heartless father to his young daughter, or she is far more than she appears to be.

Finally, John Pertwee is a jaded horror actor, who stumbles upon a certain, very familiar cape in an occult shop. Lighthearted terror and mirth ensue. Co-stars Ingrid Pitt!

The wraparound story has a Scotland Yard detective trying to solve these cases. Entertaining, though not very frightening, it's still good to see Cushing and Lee in anything!...

The British production company Amicus is generally known as the specialist for horror anthologies, and this great omnibus called "The House That Dripped Blood" is doubtlessly the finest Amicus production I've seen so far (admittedly, there are quite a few that I have yet to see, though). "The House That Dripped Blood" consists of four delightfully macabre tales, all set in the same eerie mansion. These four stories are brought to you in a wonderfully Gothic atmosphere, and with one of the finest ensemble casts imaginable. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee (Cushing and Lee are two of my favorite actors ever), as well as Denholm Elliott and the ravishing Ingrid Pitt star in this film - so which true Horror fan could possibly afford to miss it? No one, of course, and the film has much more to offer than just a great cast. "The House That Dripped Blood" revolves around an eerie rural mansion, in which strange things are happening. In four parts, the film tells the tales of four different heirs.

The first tale, "Method For Murder", tells the story of Horror novelist Charles Hyller (Denholm Elliott), who moves into the House with his wife. After moving in, the writer suddenly feels haunted by a maniac of his own creation... The first segment is a great kickoff to the film. The story is creepy and macabre throughout and the performances are entirelly very good.

In the second story, "Waxworks", retired businessman Phillip Grayson (Peter Cushing) moves into the house, and suddenly feels drawn to a mysterious Wax Museum in the nearby town... The great Peter Cushing once again delivers a sublime performance in this, and the rest of the performances are also very good. The tale is delightfully weird, and the second-best of the film, after the third.

The third tale, "Sweets To The Sweet" is by far the creepiest and most brilliant of the four. John Reed (Christopher Lee) moves in with his little daughter. The private teacher and nanny Mrs. Norton, whom Mr. Reed has employed to instruct his daughter, is appalled about her employer's strictness towards his daughter, and is eager to find out what reason the overprotective father's views on upbringing may have... This best segment maintains a very creepy atmosphere and a genuinely scary plot. Christopher Lee is, as always, superb in his role. Nyree Dawn Porter is also very good as the nanny, and my special praise goes to then 11-year-old Chloe Franks. This ingenious segment alone makes the film a must-see for every true Horror-fan.

In the fourth segment, Horror-actor Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee) moves into the house with his sexy mistress/co-star Carla (Ingrid Pitt). This fourth story is satire, more than it is actually Horror. It is a highly amusing satire, however, and there are many allusions to other Horror films. At one point Henderson indirectly refers to Christopher Lee, who stars in the previous, third segment...

All four segments have a delightfully macabre sense of humor and a great atmosphere. As stated above, the third segment is by far the creepiest and greatest, but the other three are also atmospheric and often macabrely humorous Horror tales that every Horror lover should appreciate. An igenious atmosphere, a macabre sense of humor, genuine eerieness and a brilliant cast make this one a must-see. In Short: "The House That Dripped Blood" is an excellent Horror-omnibus that no lover of British Horror could possibly afford to miss. Highly Recommended!