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[tab title="Movie Review"]
Doctor Who’s John Pertwee as an actor possessed by a vampires’ cape? Sign me up!
From Amicus Productions comes one of the very best anthology tales to ever appear on the terror scene. Spooky and atmospheric, The House that Dripped Blood is a classy affair. Director Peter Duffell pilots horror icons Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Ingrid Pitt in a new wave of four horror titles.
The creepy house at this movie’s center links this four-story collection of horror. Same location. Different vibe. Lots of thrills and kills. It is an inexplicable place where the truly macabre can manifest night after night. And thanks to Scream Factory, you get the chance to stay the night again and again and again.
Based on the twisted writings of Psycho’s Robert Bloch, this anthology of horror amps up the suspense from the very start. It doesn’t wait for you to get comfortable either; there’s something very strange about this place. And it is all framed by Inspector Holloway (John Bennett) of the Scotland Party search for comprehendible reasons for all the new death surrounding an old country house.
Beginning with Denholm Elliot seeing faces and hearing laughter in the house, the movie surprises us with great and teisted visuals. Elliot, playing a writer, becomes, all too soon convinced that his own murderous character has come to life and is after him and everything he loves. There’s a great twist here, though. I won’t spoil it.
In the second story, Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland become bizarrely fascinated by a wax museum with the figure of a girl that they both know from somewhere in their past. Featuring great shots of Peter Cushing with a fisheye lens camera, the second tale is just as warped as the first.
Christopher Lee as a widower and Nyree Dawn Porter as a teacher come together in the third tale of twisted mesmerism. And it’s all because Lee won’t allow his daughter, Chloe Franks, to play with baby dolls. There’s a reason, though, because there is something “different” about her daughter.
In the fourth and final tale, horror film actor Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee) is supplied with a cape from shopkeeper, played by Geoffrey Bayldon, and – because he is playing a vampire – suddenly ACTUALLY becomes one. And Paul’s co-star, the sexy Ingrid Pitt, is having none of it.
All connected to the same house, there is much more here than meets the eye in each of these stories. It is indeed a haunting affair. You just have to be brave enough to look through the open windows in The House that Dripped Blood.
Naturalistic horror has a place to dwell within the walls and halls of The House that Dripped Blood. It is now on blu-ray thanks to Scream Factory. Also included is the DVD audio commentary With Director Peter Duffell And Author Jonathan Rigby.
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[tab title="Details"]
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 102 mins
Director: Peter Duffell
Writer: Robert Bloch
Cast: John Bryans, John Bennett, John Malcolm
Genre: Horror
Tagline: TERROR waits for you in every room in The House That Dripped Blood.
Memorable Movie Quote: "That's what's wrong with the present day horror films. There's no realism."
Theatrical Distributor: Cinerama Releasing Corporation
Official Site:
Release Date: April 2, 1972
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 8, 2018
Synopsis: A Scotland Yard inspector's search for a missing film star leads him to a haunted house. The house sets the framework for four separate tales of terror written by the author of Psycho, Robert Bloch, and starring horror icons Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt. All four stories center on the mysterious fates of tenants who have leased the mansion over the years.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - May 8, 2018
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
With great mood comes great responsibility. And Scream Factory’s 1:85.1 handling of this horror gem does not disappoint. Skin tones and colors are well-saturated and shadows are strong. There is a nice grain to the look of the film and textures in the house are more than perceptible. The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix keeps us in the picture with mood effects and clean dialogue.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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Included with the release is a NEW Audio Commentary By Film Historian/Author Troy Howarth.
Special Features:
This release is actually loaded with quality supplemental material. First up are the two commentaries, next we have a new interview with Second Assistant Director Mike Higgins, and finally there are some archival gems, featuring interviews with director Peter Duffell, actors Geoffrey Bayldon, Ingrid Pitt, and Chloe Franks.
- Vintage Featurette: A-Rated Horror Film
- Theatrical Trailers
- Radio Spots
- The Amicus Radio Spots Collection
- Still Gallery
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