Theatre of Blood (released as Theater of Blood in the United States) is a 1973 British horror comedy film directed by Douglas Hickox. It stars Vincent Price as a deranged Shakespearean actor who takes revenge on his critics, using methods inspired by death scenes from the Bard's plays. Diana Rigg co-stars as his daughter and confidant. Theatre of Blood is well-regarded by fans of Vincent Price, A stage adaptation was produced at the Royal National Theatre in 2005. The screenplay was written by Anthony Greville-Bell, based on a story by producers Stanley Mann and John Kohn.

Casting

Director Douglas Hickox said: "The cast was so good that all I had to do as director was open the dressing room door and let the cameras roll."

Diana Rigg introduced Vincent Price to his future wife Coral Browne during the making of the film. Browne recalled in a television documentary Caviar to the General in 1990 that she had not wanted to make "one of those scary Vincent Price movies", but she was persuaded to take the part of Chloe Moon by her friends Robert Morley and Michael Hordern, acknowledging that the film thus had a very strong cast. Rigg was unaware that Price was married.

When pre-production commenced, Coral Browne insisted that she would wear only clothing designed by Jean Muir. The film's costume designer, Michael Baldwin, informed Browne that the budget could not possibly stretch to designer clothing for any of the cast. Baldwin was surprised and angered to get a call from Douglas Hickox after he had had a meeting with Browne, telling him that she could have the dresses she requested, increasing the budget solely to accommodate her demands. Baldwin was further infuriated to discover that Browne kept all the dresses after filming wrapped. At the time of filming, the property belonged to the actor and film producer Stanley Baker. It is now the London home of novelist and disgraced politician Jeffrey Archer.

"Young Man Among Roses", the miniature featured in the introduction and used as the model for the Critics' Award Statuette, is by the Elizabethan portraitist Nicholas Hilliard.

The gymnasium where Lionheart and Devlin fence is located at the American School in London in St. John's Wood.

Release

The film premiered in Toronto on March 16, 1973. It opened to a wide release in the United States on April 5, and in the United Kingdom on June 7.[[File:Nicholas Hilliard - Young Man Among Roses - V&A P.163-1910.jpg|thumb|left|Young Man Among Roses, c. 1585–1595, Victoria and Albert Museum. It is believed to be a portrait of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.]]

Critical reception

Theatre of Blood maintains an 88% "fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 40 reviews with the critics' consensus being: "Deliciously campy and wonderfully funny, Theater of Blood features Vincent Price at his melodramatic best."

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Although his schematic vengeance invites comparison with that of the Abominable Dr. Phibes, ... Edward Lionheart happily turns out to be a villain of infinitely higher calibre. ... Douglas Hickox's direction is fairly adroit: he makes effective use of locations, and a constantly moving camera prevents the brazen theatricality of the whole scheme becoming too overt. He also sustains a reasonable amount of tension by keeping the murders on the level of grand guignol rather than farce; but in order to sustain our interest, it would have been necessary to reserve some surprises for the last third of the film, and here both script and direction begin to flag. The killing of Meredith Merridrew (Robert Morley) by forcing him to eat his pet poodles remains merely unpleasant, though Lionheart has by this time become such a generally sympathetic character that the conventional denouement is both tedious and irritating. Indeed, Price's superb antics have so effectively upstaged the other performers that the last remaining critic's refusal to alter his original judgment emerges as an act of crass stupidity rather than courage."

The Los Angeles Times called it "quite possibly the best horror film Vincent Price has ever made. Certainly it affords him the best role he has ever had in the genre. A triumph of witty, stylish Grand Guignol, it allows Price to range richly between humour and pathos."

The film is sometimes considered to be a spoof or homage of The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Similarities with the earlier film include a protagonist who is presumed dead and is seeking revenge; nine intended victims, one of whom works directly with Scotland Yard and survives; themed murders rooted in literature; and a young female sidekick.

Stage adaptation

The film was adapted for the stage by the British company Improbable, with Jim Broadbent playing Edward Lionheart and Rachael Stirling (Diana Rigg's daughter), playing Lionheart's daughter. The play differs from the film in that the critics are from British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Times, and the only set is an abandoned theatre. The play is again set in the 1970s, rather than being updated. Most of the secondary characters were excised,<!-- including the meths vagrants?? --> including police, and the number of deaths reduced. The killings based on Othello and Cymbeline are omitted as they would have to take place outside the theatre and rely on secondary characters, such as the critics' wives. The name of Lionheart's daughter is changed from Edwina to Miranda to enhance the Shakespearean influence. The adaptation ran in London at the National Theatre between May and September 2005 and received mixed reviews.

References

  • Theatre of Blood at Letterbox DVD
  • 2005 National Theatre Production
  • Putney Hippodrome at Cinema Treasures
  • Photo of Putney Hippodrome