उपयोगकर्ता समीक्षाएं

* Some mild spoilers ahead *

Vincent Price, the star of countless B-Movies from the fifties to the seventies, in his perhaps best role ever. This movie is wicked fun; a failed Shakespeare-actor brutally settles the score with all his critics - but they all meet their demise by having to "act" a part in the plays of the great bard. Very creative death scenes, gory and funny - and absolutely beautifully acted by Price and an ensemble of many greats of British cinema and theatre.

Funny enough, there are many parallels between Price's own career and his character's (maybe that's exactly why the director chose him for this part), for Price also failed to get the recognition he deserved until very late in his life and felt unfairly treated by critics. Although many of his films are now regarded as classics, for the most part of his life his films and his (indeed rather Shakespearian) approach to his roles was often ridiculed. Around the time of this film though, critics started to take Price seriously (probably out of fear, LOL).

But this film is also interesting for another reason: despite the obvious black comedy it looks almost like a blueprint for a certain category of horror films to come, and films like 'Seven' and 'Saw' owe perhaps a little debt to 'Theatre of Blood'. Highly recommended. 8 stars out of 10.

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Vincent Price plays Lionheart, an actor who specializes in Shakespeare. But he's been getting bad reviews, and did not receive the Critics Circle award. There's only one thing to do: kill off each of the critics in a style modeled after a Shakespearean death.

Although not a Phibes film, this is clearly in the same grouping as "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" and its sequel, coming only one year later, and following much the same formula: a man who was thought dead goes after those who wronged him in a methodical manner (here, Shakespeare) and with a female assistant. They also asked Robert Fuest to direct, clearly trying to make the picture as similar as possible.

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

Price is alleged to have loved this role, and Diana Rigg (who plays his daughter) is said to find this her favorite role. I have to say I prefer "Phibes", but there's never a bad time for Vincent Price, especially when he's on killing spree.

Vincent Price is at his extravagant best in this splendidly black comedy in which some complacent critics receive a cunning come-uppance from the dreadful actor who they drove to suicide. Some brilliantly staged imaginative deaths are the icing on the cake, making this a bit like a very camp "Friday The 13th". But who wouldn't rather watch Vincent at his best than boring old Jason ?

I loved this movie. It had equal parts gore and humour. The kills were creative and price was at his best. All the cast brought their own unique ness and the prop department I commend for the visuals of prices costumes throughout. I thought the plot was well constructed and brought to life. Overall an enjoyable and humorous in places film.

Vincent Price is one of the best actors of all time, and this is a SUPERB film! Theatre of Blood follows much the same plot formula as Price's earlier success, The Abominable Dr Phibes, only this time instead of playing a deranged madman; Price plays a self-parody of himself. Edward Lionheart is an over the top version of Price in all but name, and it's clear that the great Vincent Price is the only man that could have lead this film. This macabre film depicts what, I'm sure, many actors would like to engage in; the brutal punishment of less than impressed critics. And these punishments aren't just brutal - Price murders his victims in the style of the Shakespeare plays that they lambasted, and the result is a high camp and very fun little horror comedy. The deaths are all violent, but also very playful and inventive. We see people being drowned in a vat of wine, waking up next to their dead husband, being electrocuted, eating their pets and more! And it's all done with such a big sly grin that the result is practically impossible not to go along with.

Being a British made film, Theatre of Blood utilises that great British style that the Hammer films did so well, and this massively adds to the fun camp element of the movie. We've got all sorts of things from everyone speaking in a thick London accents to the bumbling policed force that made The Abominable Dr Phibes so hilarious. The movie starts of ridiculously, with Price hamming it up to the max, and then it just continues to get more and more ridiculous; with the final two death scenes being beyond the stupidity of anything else Price ever did. Being a self-parody, the impact of this film increases ten fold if you've seen a lot of Price's other work. It's all good though, and despite being knowingly hammy; Price really shows his worth as an actor as he dons all sorts of different disguises. It's hard to mask the Vincent Price persona, but the great thespian manages it a few times in this film. Films of this nature; i.e. ones where a bunch of people get murdered in a certain way, tend to be quite monotonous; but thanks to the superior handling, this one is never dull. Far from it, in fact! Overall, Theatre of Blood, despite often being overlooked, is a great film and one of the best Price ever made. HIGHLY recommended!

This film begins with a stage critic by the name of "George Maxwell" (Michael Hordern) being asked by police to come to a property he owns to help them evict some squatters. Obviously, wanting to protect his financial interests he does as requested only to be set upon by the squatters and slowly murdered while the police watch impassively from a short distance away. It is then revealed that this entire event was planned by a Shakespearean actor named "Edward Lionheart" (Vincent Price) who had previously suffered from insults and poor reviews at the hands of George and who he had thought had died a couple of years earlier. Not long after that, another stage critic named "Hector Snipe" (Dennis Price) is also murdered in a gruesome manner and his body is tied to a riderless horse and dragged through the cemetery where George Maxwell is being laid to rest. What follows is a series of ghastly murders involving one stage critic after another which leaves Scotland Yard totally baffled--especially since Edward Lionheart is considered dead. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I initially saw this movie when it first came out and vividly remember the scene involving "Meredith Merridew" (Robert Morley) and his rather strange meal supposedly prepared in his honor. Be that as it may, even though I thought the film could have used a bit more suspense or mystery, I still liked it to a certain extent and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

A very stylish comedy/thriller along the lines of "The Avengers," a popular TV series at the time. Vincent Price is an actor who has survived a suicide attempt and secretly takes revenge on half a dozen critics who savaged his performances in various plays of Shakespeare. With the aid of his daughter, Diana Rigg (who was Emma Peel in "The Avengers" and one of the mean daughters in Olivier's TV production of "King Lear"), seeks out his critics and offs them in ways appropriately derived from WS. It's murder allright. And WS could be very imaginative when it comes to that. I once wrote out a list of the violent acts that take place in "Titus Andronicus," the closest WS ever came to Grand Guignol, and it was as long and even more gruesome than a similar list I drew up for "Dirty Harry." "Titus" has one of the funniest stage directions I've ever seen -- "Enter messenger with hands." It doesn't mean the messenger HAS hands; it means the messenger is carrying a pair of someone else's amputated hands! At that, they had to tame the Bard down for this movie. Instead of Queen Tamara having to eat her own children baked in a pie, the gay critic played by Robert Morley is force fed (to death!) a Cornish pasty made from his two beloved poodles.

Back to this movie, though. What a cast! Vincent Price plays it for laughs, disguised as a gay hairdresser, a Scottish masseur, a French chef, and so forth. His half-hearted, mostly losing struggle with the various accents is enough to break anyone up. The others don't have as much screen time but they make the most of it -- Harry Andrews, Dennis Price, Robert Morley, Jack Hawkins, Coral Browne, Milo O'Shea. Diana Rigg is a sight to see, I should mention. Every movement is like flowing silk. Her figure is unimpeachable and her zygomatic arches should be left to the British Museum.

It's a well-done movie from start to finish. Vincent Price gets to do a lot of Shakespeare. He's no Olivier or Branaugh, but it's okay because the performance ought NOT to be very good. The cinematography is glossy and polished, the score unobtrusive. The actual look of the film is appealing -- the British now how to dress in a way that most Americans don't (but many urban Canadians do). And the writer should get some sort of special award himself. The bits in between the murders are almost as amusing as the story itself. We get to hear snippets of the reviews that torpedoed Price's career. One of them goes something like, "I was fortunate enough to fall asleep at the beginning of Lionheart's performance and awoke much refreshed, not having had to listen to this aging matinee idol's rantings and posturings." (Was the writer ripping off John Simon?) The story line is made clear, whether or not the viewer knows any of the plays. The correlations with the plays are made simply enough for an average reviewer to understand and appreciate the similarities. And the murders themselves are funny -- excuse me. One critic gets drowned in a butt of malmsy -- a barrel of wine -- and the police establish the exact vintage afterward.

I don't want to imply that this movie is a barrel of laughs. There is some physical comedy, including one of the sword fights from Romeo and Juliet, but most of the humor lies less in slapstick and jumping around than in situations and dialogue. Price and his assistant dressed in hospital scrubs, wearing surgical gloves, and setting a bedroom up as an operating room in order to saw off some guy's head. The parody is played straight. You will probably not double over with laughter but I found myself laughing aloud during some scenes. To give you some perspective, I didn't find "The Abominable Doctor Phibes" so hot. I recommend this flick. It is, as I say, stylish in every respect.

"Theatre of Blood" has a masterful plot that probably attracted the high caliber of actors it has for a horror film. It's a story of revenge. Each method of killing is taken from a different Shakespeare play. A couple have novel twists on the play sources. The plot is very novel and clever, and it holds one's interest. Even those who don't particularly enjoy gore should find this film quite intriguing.

But it is definitely a gore-fest of blood and guts horror. It's what one would expect from the master of the macabre, Vincent Price. He has the lead role and is at his gruesome best in this color film that's set in London. The film was shot entirely in England and it has a tremendous cast with prominent British actors of the day.

Price plays long-time Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart and Diana Rigg plays his daughter, Edwina. Among the rest of the cast are Harry Andrews, Jack Hawkins, Robert Morley, Dennis Price, Michael Hordern, Arthur Lowe, Robert Coote and Ian Hendry.

This is a well-written, very well-acted and well-shot horror film. Besides diehard fans of the genre, Shakespeare fans may especially find it interesting, if not entertaining, for its parodies of Shakespearean plays throughout.

Vincent Price plays Edward Lionheart, a Shakesprean actor that the critics hate (one calls him a "ham sandwich"). Enraged by their reviews of his works he commits suicide. But, unknown to everybody else, he survives and decides to kill off his critics one by one using methods described in Shakespeare's plays.

A lot of people have called this "The Abominable Dr. Phibes Part 3". They're not too off the mark--the plot lines are very similar. Still this is better than the Phibes films. It moves quickly, has a large cast of excellent British actors (unknown over here) and some of the deaths are much gorier (this has an R rating--Phibes was PG). If you look very closely at the plot there are huge loopholes and some unlikely situations but it still is a huge amount of fun. There's also a truly incredible saber fight between two men.

This must have been a dream role for Price--he gets to preform Shakespeare and wear a variety of disguises to become different characters. He's just great (as always). Diana Rigg pops up as his daughter--she's not given much to do but looks fantastic. The critics are all well-played by a very talented roster of British actors--I really do wonder how they got some of them to do this (it's pretty bloody). The most outlandish portrayal is by Robert Morley as a gay critic with (sigh) two poodles. It might be offensive if this were a serious movie. Also Price met Coral Browne here and married her in 1974--and stayed married till she passed away.

This, oddly, remains unknown even to Price fans. That's a shame--it's one of his best. Horror, humor and Shakespeare--what more do you need? A 10 all the way.

I liked this one and there were a few roles in this film that really, I mean really cracked me up. The part of Vincent playing a hairdresser was wild, I just died laughing and the way he would get up on that stage and perform in front of those street bumbs was amusing. This movie was about a Shakespearian actor that apparently was unamused by the critics when they bombed his acting ability and downplayed his roles saying how awful he was as an actor. Years later, the actor gets revenge by killing the critics one by one in the same fasion as the plays of Shakespear. This movie is funny, serious, chilling and worth watching.

One of Vincent Price's best films is a black comedy that stars a whole slew of talented British players about a classical ham actor who is taking revenge on the critics who have panned his performances for years. It's really the kind of role any player would sell his soul to have, one where he can lose all restraints and feed on a winter's supply of scenery.

Price is the only American in the cast in this film set in London, but with his classical training and magnificent speaking voice it's not anything even a critic might find fault with.

One thing I do love are the names of the characters, you would think that Charles Dickens might have collaborated with Edgar Allan Poe had this been done a century earlier.

Price has saved each bad review he's gotten and dispatches the critics with a method from the play. Some of the Bard's work used are Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, Titus Andronicus, and King Lear and others.

Diana Rigg plays Price's daughter and such worthy people as Jack Hawkins, Dennis Price, and Robert Morley are some of the critics. Morley's performance and method of shuffling off this mortal coil are the best in the film.

For those who like seeing the light side of Vincent Price, do not miss Theater of Blood.

A funny script but from a pretty predictable story about a sensitive actor gone mad who devises ingenious methods (based on Shakespeare's verses) to kill the critics he thinks have ruined his career. Price is always hammy, but this director, though very good, lets him go ALL the way, and the results are mixed but fun. It's all fun, actually, and should be seen by all who enjoy a good laugh at gory death.

Shakespearean thespian Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) strikes back at the stuffy critics who've skewered him in print and plots an elaborate death for each one. A delicious idea for a black farce is unfortunately hampered by a direction that takes things too far (did Douglas Hickox forget this was supposed to be funny?). Price is in the proper spirit, but such grisly deeds turn the film and his performance into gross, gory camp. Fans of perverse, queasy dark comedies will undoubtedly find the morbid humor here quite amusing, but it's rather a shoddy, brackish looking picture, one with the sour aftertaste of nasty exploitation. *1/2 from ****

There's a lot of commentary on this film here; however, I want to draw attention to the use of dream structure in this movie. People that appeared normal to the victims at first are suddenly balding, idiotic savages. A man looks to a policeman for aid and the audience suddenly notices that his face is not entirely real. The experiences of the victim of Lionheart (Price's character in this movie) each resemble a dream suddenly turned nightmare. It was a very effective device for a horror movie.

Shakespearean Ham actor Edward Lionheart is heartbroken when a critic's choice circle awards a bratty newcomer as Best Actor of the Year and plots bloody revenge on the stuffy journalists who denied him his cherished accolade with a series of gruesome, ironic deaths.

Vincent Price is allowed to dial-up the drama here and goes OTT without being ridiculous. Lionheart is a sympathetic anti-hero with a diabolical mind. There's no doubt in my mind that this movie inspired future horror juggernauts such as Se7en and Saw, only with a very dark sense of humor and a glorious musical score.

As a time capsule of lost London this film offers a priceless glimpse into locations long-gone. Not one scene of Theatre of Blood was shot in a studio with every single location being a once-tangible place, most notably the old Puntney Hippodrome which Lionheart makes into his secret lair (now a block of council flats...why?). But, man, am I glad I was not yet alive to witness those grisly fashions.

There's a rugged urgency to Theatre of Blood that disconnects it from the more grand horror productions of Vincent Price's career, however it makes for a fitting bookend to a solid 20-year run.

1973's "Theater of Blood" carries a rather generic title for a Shakespearean horror first conceived as "Much Ado About Murder," the ultimate tribute to Vincent Price, a trained stage performer who had great love for The Bard (like frequent costar John Carradine) but not much luck on the screen. Similar in structure to his previous two AIP vehicles, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" and "Dr. Phibes Rises Again," but going even further with a more appropriately gruesome demise for each victim, damning critics the bane of every actor's existence, here dispatched by methods devised after Shakespeare plays. The role of Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart could not have been played by anyone other than Price, rejoicing in a multitude of costumes to deliver soliloquys to an audience of misfits, and in Diana Rigg a daughter solely devoted to her father's legacy. The greatest transgression of the Theater Critics Guild is not so much their slagging of Lionheart's 'vigorous' adaptations, but the denial of his rightful achievement, the Critics Circle Award going to a relative newcomer suggested to be from the Marlon Brando school of mumbling. A grand cast of veteran thespians familiar with Shakespeare share in the glory by dying in suitably gory fashion: Michael Hordern is slain like Julius Caesar on the Ides of March: Dennis Price (no relation to Vincent) has his body dragged by a horse to a funeral ("he's supposed to be one of the mourners!"), Arthur Lowe is decapitated next to his sleeping wife, Harry Andrews loses 'a pound of flesh' in a twist on "The Merchant of Venice," Robert Coote suffers the same drowning fate as Vincent Price in "Tower of London." The police, much like in the Phibes films, are humorously ineffective, all the better to allow Lionheart to continue vengeful pursuits on Jack Hawkins (strangling his supposedly faithless wife Diana Dors in a rage of jealousy), Coral Browne granted the same fiery fate as Joan of Arc (electrocution by hair rollers!), Robert Morley enduring the indignity of "Titus Andronicus," like the queen served her children baked in a pie (his 'doggie woggies' the canine equivalent). The viewing audience gets to share in the fun, done with a nod and a wink in the flamboyant style that Price was famous for, joined by fellow Avengers Diana Rigg and Ian Hendry. This kind of literate mayhem would sadly be dumbed down by the following decade, faceless killers stalking bubbleheaded teens in repetitive fashion, not an ounce of wit or style in the rush to count pennies, no meat for name actors to sink their teeth into.

"Theatre of Blood" is another horror product with Vincent Price seeking revenge against those that mistreated him; "House of Wax" and both "Dr. Phibes" films are clear examples. However, though inferior to the first one, this movie is much more enjoyable than the other two.

This time Price plays Edward Lionheart a mediocre shakespearean actor demolished by the members of the Circle of Theatre Critics that after surviving a suicide intent goes insane and starts killing his detractors in different ways suggested by Shakespeare's plays.

Tough perhaps a bit too slow the film stands well mainly due to Price's performance; audiences always loved the actor's conscious overacting in this genre and he knew it perfectly. He is at his best in the different characters he plays according to Shakespeare's creations. The victims are a qualified supporting cast that includes such important names as those of Jack Hawkins, Harry Andrews, Ian Hendry, Coral Browne and a brilliant Robert Morley. Former blond sex symbol Diana Dors is there too.

The atmosphere is very well achieved with a sort of a not too bright color as well as a sort of Gothic settings in some scenes (mainly in the abandoned theatre where Lionheart has established his headquarters. Good action and originality in the murder sequences also help the picture.

If you consider "Theatre of Blood" a horror film or a thriller it is a more than acceptable product and if you take it as a horror Price movie its even better. Somehow this fine actor has always managed to gain the audience's sympathy no matter how mean and cruel his character could be.

This film is at least a 7 out of 10 mark for me.

It is so obvious that this authentic masterpiece has blood lines with THE AVENGERS series and also Robert Fuest's atmosphere, especially his two DR PHIBES movies. And if I speak of THE AVENGERS TV show, that's not because of the presence of Diana Rigg, no folks; You have here the same scheme as in DR PHIBES movies, every one has noticed. And I am not surprised that Bob Fuest was inspired to direct this one. But if you permit, I would like to add something, Robert Morley played five years later in Ted Kotcheff's WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHIEFS OF EUROPE? speaking of the nearly same scheme, but instead of stage atmosphere, or medical and surgery one - Dr PHIBES - it is question of gastronomy and restaurants, chiefs and gourmets, a film where is it question of awards and Guild for the king of the eating table. And no one will be surprised to have Robert Morley in such a atmosphere. Where he plays a close character. Just enjoy this one!!!

The late John Nathan Turner , the most controversial producer of DOCTOR WHO came up with the expression " The memory cheats " . What he meant by that is memory can play tricks on you , a fondly remembered DOCTOR WHO story with the production values of LORD OF THE RINGS ( Or so it seemed at the time ) can be severely disappointing when you re-watch after a gap of 20 years . A battle scene of The Brigadier leading his men against an alien invasion might have seemed like the 1973 eqivulent of BLACK HAWK DOWN but less so when watched 30 years later . I do disagree with what JNT said about the memory cheating but not totally

Unfortunately when watching THEATRE OF BLOOD after a gap of many , many years my memory has cheated more than slightly . I remember enjoying this movie one helluva lot but couldn`t remember why and after seeing it again tonight I was slightly puzzled why I had so many loving memories about it . Okay it`s not a bad movie but it`s not a great one either . Check out this sample of dialogue :

" Are you saying someone in the theatre is trying to kill us ? "

" I would say that`s a distinct possiblity "

What is it about the above ? Is the dialogue written in a flat manner or are the actors giving a flat performance ? It should also be pointed out that the fatal punishments inflicted upon the critics were someting I once remembered as being grotesque and funny but now seem rather silly especially when you stop to consider the plot holes involved such as how did Lionheart and his posse manage to hire a hair salon and TV van ? I also find it difficult to believe that no one guessed the identity of the hippy geezer with the moustache . Even if I had never seen this movie before I would have known who was Lionheart`s right hand man , it`s so obvious it`s laughable

To be fair this isn`t a movie that takes itself seriously and is all the better for being devoid of the post modernist humour of SCREAM and JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK ( Did you know the most popular plot for a Hollywood horror movie nowadays involves internet film critics getting murdered ? It`s true you know ) and Vincent Price is very well cast as the mincing thespian luvvie who is hell bent on revenge and the camp hairdresser called " Butch " did make me smile . Oh and I did love the way policeman are portrayed as being both useless and stupid . I actually thought those bits were taken from a documentary

Not as good as I remembered , but I thought it was a masterpiece when I saw it as a child and nothing is that good in the cold light of adulthood so I give THEATRE OF BLOOD six out of ten in 2004

I better be generous and praising in my comments on Theathre of Blood here…you never know the spirit of the late Vincent Price resurrects from the grave to annihilate me! J Oh, I'll be sleeping peacefully tonight…I have no intentions of bashing the master and his role here. Price personifies Edward Lionheart, a classical actor who put his heart and soul in a series of Shakespeare plays and expected to be honored for it. But…instead of that, respected critics mocked him and eventually drove him into committing suicide. Yet, Lionheart survived and the group of critics who denied his talent starts to die in peculiar ways. Each of them is found murdered, like Shakespeare described it in his plays… Plot sounds more or less familiar? Well, it should be because Theathre of Blood is nothing more then a propagation of Dr. Phibes' success! The settings and Price's background are different, but the structure and creativity indicate that this film simply is `The Abominable Dr. Phibes part 3'.

Hey, I'll be the last person to complain for this…Even though not very original, Theathre of Blood is extremely amusing and yet another comedy-horror triumph in Price's career. Following the tradition, this film contains some highly exiting killing scenes, including a decapitation, a drowning and 6 more ravishing methods. No need to say Vincent Price is brilliantly grotesque as the obsessed `punisher' and he receives good feedback from other well-appreciated actors, such as Ian Hendry (Repulsion, Children of the Damned) and Diana Rigg (known from the good James Bond episode On her Majesty's Secret Service). The endless amount of Shakespeare references are a must for fans of historical drama and the sequences with Price as a devoted ‘Shakespearean-actor' make you long to see a long-feature event… I'd pay good money to see Vincent Price star in Richard III or King Lear, for example. Theathre of Blood is terrific entertainment and gets forgotten too easily. Therefore, I recommend it to all horror fans and hopefully, it's status will be jacked up a little

In 1972, in London, the Shakespearean ham actor Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price), who is presumed dead, kills each one of the critics who denied to him the award of Best Actor, accusing him of not being creative. He uses the plays of Shakespeare to elaborate his revenge against his detractors and prove they were wrong. "Theater of Blood" is a very black comedy mixed with horror, which has Vincent Price in a great performance as a lunatic frustrated actor looking for revenge, a very dark and gore atmosphere, great photography and an original story that hooks the attention until the last scene. I do not like Shakespeare, so I found the dialogs in many parts very boring. But fans of Shakespeare will certainly love the lines based on his plays. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "As Sete Máscaras da Morte" ("The Seven Masks of the Death")

There's plenty of gore to go around in this 1973 Vincent Price thriller. Theater of Blood uses a blend of horror and mystery, combined with a strange sense of humor to produce a highly entertaining film. Just a warning for the faint of heart, this film does have many gruesome and graphic murder scenes. That's basically what this movie is about. It's a bit more graphic then I remember movies being in 1973. I thought that the acting was very good. The film was well made but the plot did have a few holes in it. Everything considered, I think 'Theater of Blood' is a very interesting and entertaining movie. Vincent Price was great. You even get to see him doing bits of Shakespearean acting. For Vincent Price fans, you've got to see this one.

No spoilers.

Before I begin, let me give you the basic premise of one of my favourite films, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes".

A mad man thought to be dead, played by Vincent Price, is actually alive and well and has decided to exact revenge on nine doctors who he deems to have committed a huge crime. The doctors are all killed in a variety of staggeringly odd and increasingly bizarre ways, Price rigidly following the plagues detailed in the Curse of the Pharoahs. By the fourth death the local police inspector has twigged that there's something strange going on, and susses the link thanks to somebody in the know giving him the details, but it makes little difference in the long run. Oh, and after each death, Price likes to return to his big, theatrical looking house and play loud music.

And now let me give you the basic premise of "Theatre of Blood".

A mad man thought to be dead, played by Vincent Price, is actually alive and well and has decided to exact revenge on nine theatre critics who he deems to have committed a huge crime. The critics are all killed in a variety of staggeringly odd and increasingly bizarre ways, Price rigidly following the deaths detailed by Shakespeare plays he performed in during his last season. By the fourth death the local police inspector has twigged that there's something strange going on, and susses the link thanks to somebody in the know giving him the details, but it makes little difference in the long run. Oh, and after each death, Price likes to return to his big, theatrical looking theatre and quote the Bard.

Ahem.

Despite having a different writer and director, "Theatre of Blood" bears so many similarities to the former horror classic (made only two years earlier) it's untrue! As a result, this review might not be hugely subjective as all the way through I was comparing it to "Dr. Phibes" as I just felt as if I was watching the same film anyway. Now, this wouldn't necessarily have been a bad thing - after all, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" is one of my favourite films, so another version with some different actors in it wouldn't have automatically have got a thumbs-down from me. Unfortunately, "Theatre of Blood" is nowhere near as well plotted nor as funny. Whereas "Dr. Phibes" wowed me with its novel deaths that really stretched the imagination, and some superbly dark humour (as well as having Peter Jeffrey and Terry-Thomas in it), this film just uses gore and bad puns. It's nowhere near as good.

Perhaps it's a backlash against the hype. "Theatre of Blood" seems to be held up as one of the best horror films of all time, a dark masterpiece, so maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe the names of so many top notch comic actors in the cast list - Dennis Price, Arthur Lowe, Robert Morley, Eric Sykes etc. - put me in the wrong mindset. I don't know.

One thing different is that Price's character seems nowhere near as ingenious or cunning. Whereas in the two Phibes films he did most of the work himself, occasionally assisted by one beautiful maiden, here he's got a gang of about twenty tramps and down-and-outs (don't ask) to do his bidding. The deaths themselves are also just plain revolting, and not amusing at all - impalings, suffocations, electrocutions, decapitations etc. - and don't even get any humorous pay offs. In fact, only one death was even remotely amusing, and that wasn't even given to one of the nine critics but to a police sergeant! "I think I can hear a train... Yes, it's definitely a train! T - R - A -" *BANG* Amongst the unpleasantness there's nothing driving the plot forward, and most of the comic talent on display is wasted - Dennis Price is one of the first to get killed and Arthur Lowe gets about four lines and a weary glance. It's surprising how little humour there is, with most of it being left to the two main police inspectors, played marvellously by Milo O'Shea and Eric Sykes, though neither appear as often as they should. "Dr. Phibes" got away with some of its more gruesome deaths by immediately counterbalancing them with scenes of immediate contrast (Phibes dancing to 1920s jazz) or comedy. That only happens once here -

Price: "Officer, officer! I do believe that Mr. Psaltery is murdering his wife!"

Policeman: "Oh. Thank you."

This is the funniest bit in the film. Trust me. Oh go on. I've got nice eyes.

Anyway, I'm afraid I just didn't like this film much, despite its reputation. It's just too gory and too unpleasant, and has little point to exist when there are better films (one in particular) that do exactly the same things but press all the right buttons. Ironic me saying all this really as the film's about an actor killing off people who give him bad reviews. There's satire in there somewhere.

Oh, and if you're still wondering about seeing this film, may I give an additional warning to people who like animals, pies, sleeping, fencing, back massages, going to the theatre, joining dramatics societies and to women who have their hair permed, dyed or generally seen to by a hair stylist. If you fall into one, more, or all of the above categories then this film may give you supreme paranoia and prevent you from wanting to indulge in the above activities or interests ever again.

I warned you.

4/10