Cheap Theater of Blood (DVD) (Vincent Price, Diana Rigg) (Douglas Hickox) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Theater of Blood

Et Tu, Vincent?!
This is probably one of his weirdest films. Price plays Edward Lionheart, a 2nd rate actor who plots his revenge on the critics who snubbed him by killing them with ideas based on Shakespeare's plays. The 1st is killed like Julius Caesar, another from the Merchant of Venice (I know no one dies in the original but Lionheart makes a few changes), another is fed his children(actually his dogs) from Titus Adronicus, another is stabbed and dragged like Hector in Troilus and Cressida, etc. You get the picture. At the end, Lionheart and his dutiful daughter (Diana Rigg) are killed as the theatre burns down.
Price is wonderful is playing a terrible actor who thinks he is the best Shakespearean actor of the time. He is melodramatic, over-acting to the point of hamming, and in general Price gives a terrific performance. In his soliloquys, though, Price shines as he speaks the parts from the various plays with passion, clarity and intensity.
Probably the mosy enjoyable scene is the fencing duel, a la ROmero and Juliet, with one of the critics. The swordplay is great but the physical prowess displayed by Price is hilarious as he swings from a rope and bounces on a trampoline.
The film is filled with well-known British actors. I wonder how the director persuaded so many great actors to take part in a low budget slasher film. Rigg plays the dutiful daughter with intensity and dedication.
I really enjoyed this film.

---

Death Wins Not o'er Lionheart; 'Tis Curtains for His Critics
Hammy Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) has been relentlessly denounced and vilified in the reviews of his performances, so with help from his daughter Edwina (Diana Rigg), he fakes his death and then sets in motion his grisly plans for revenge. One by one, he murders his most vociferous critics, but his technique isn't that of a common street thug, oh no. Instead, Lionheart patterns each killing after one of the various murders described in The Bard's plays!

Many real-life critics have tried to minimize the importance or quality of 1973's THEATRE OF BLOOD by pointing out its similarities to Price's earlier flick THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971). While it is certainly true that both films seem to have been cast from the same mold--in the 1971 film, Dr. Phibes exacts revenge by patterning his homicides after the great plagues in the Bible--that doesn't detract in the least from overall enjoyment of watching this flick. The clever script contains tons of funeral-parlor puns and lots of gallows humor, and the stellar cast brings it all off wonderfully. Star Vincent Price is allowed to draw upon his Shakespearean stage experience and vigorously chew the scenery, but this is judiciously tempered with an excellent but more restrained supporting cast that includes the pretty Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Milo O' Shea, Eric Sykes, and countless other well-known British character actors.

The DVD from MGM--part of their excellent "Midnite Movie" series, which rescues lots of gems like this from the dungeon of late-night TV--offers a reasonably nice digital transfer of the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. Some buyers have complained that the picture is a bit washed and the sound a bit muffled, but the copy of the flick on this disc is light-years ahead of any copy previously available on VHS. The only extra is the original trailer. But this DVD is so reasonably priced that one can't complain too much--especially if one wants to avoid the wrath of Edward Lionheart, eh?

Okay, THEATRE OF BLOOD is admittedly a one-joke movie, but it's all carried out in such an amusing and clever way that viewers are NEVER bored. Watching it is a must for fans of campy horror and gallows humor, and it's a must-own for fans Vincent Price or Diana Rigg. In truth, genuine horror fans will have no regrets about adding this DVD to their collections.

---

Deliciously macabre and twisted....
I am a HUGE fan of horror, and Vincent Price is one of my favorite actors, so how can you go wrong with such a sadistic film? Its absolutely perfect for Price, he's flawless. But I will say, as much as I love horror, I had a HARD time watching this, though in a good way.

Being the masochist I am, I sat through the whole film. It was enjoyable, especially for Prices over-the-top super-campy performance. What made it hard to watch, was the deaths. I was empathizing with the victims to much boviously because everytime someone died had a large knot in my stomache. And I can't even think of one death which happens in a kitchen without getting sad... :(

This movie just has some of the most twisted death scenes I've ever scene. Diana Rigg was very good as Vincent's daughter as well. I rather wanted to shoot her, she was that convincing. :D

Anyways, I really, really reccomend 'Theater of Blood' to fans of horror, black comedy, or Vincent Price, even better yet if you're a fan of ALL THREE, like me.! :D

God Bless & *enjoy* ~Amy