The House that Dripped Blood

Note: This is the final of my Amicus reviews (at least for now). I’ve saved the best for last.

Synopsis: This is a collection of 4 short horror films that take place in the same house and covers four different tenants. The first story introduces us to a horror writer who is haunted by one of his fictional creations. It starts Denholm Eliot (Indiana Jones series) as the writer and is the weakest of the shorts. The second and far more enjoyable entry stars Peter Cushing as a man obsessed with a wax figure that bears an uncanny resemblance to a woman he was once involved with. The third entry stars Christopher Lee as the father to a little girl that is up to no good. The final entry is a departure from the first three. It tells the story of an actor who specializes in playing characters in bad horror films. Unlike the first three entries this one is clearly played for laughs. Ironically enough I kind of felt that they were poking a bit of fun at Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Dracula in the Hammer films.

The Good: Like every other movie I’ve seen from Amicus the cast for this film is top notch. Genre favorites like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee do bang up jobs in their roles, as one would expect from them. I was especially interested in Christopher Lee’s portrayal, as I believe that this is the first time I’ve seen him in a role other than a villain. Sci-fi geeks may be interested to know that Dr. Who veteran John Pertwee portrays the actor in the final entry and is really good in his comedic role. Combine these actors with a great script from Robert Bloch and you have pure magic. The script is tight, with excellent dialog and pacing. Not only are the individual stories great but also all four of the entries are brought together rather brilliantly with the “evil” house wraparound story. Finally the production values are top notch for a film from the early 70s.

The Bad: This is a great film that has no flaws.

The Score: 4 out of 4

I’ll tell you right now that I love this movie. You can’t go wrong with this classic.

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