The House That Dripped Blood (1971)

Robert Bloch concocted this very agreeable horror omnibus tale for Amicus, the company that specialized in that sort of thing for several years. While it may be short on genuine scares, and doesn't have a lot of surprises in store, it's so engagingly performed that Amicus fans will have a fair bit to celebrate. The stories are comparable in length, and vary in execution. It's mostly played straight, with the majority of the laughs saved for the final segment. As could be expected, some segments have more punch than others, but at least director Peter Duffell and company have some fun with the material. Use of special effects and gore are minimal, although there is some sex appeal (in the form of some gorgeous female cast members), giving this a fairly old-fashioned feel.The stories are framed by the exploits of a cynical and weary Scotland Yard detective (John Bennett) investigating the disappearance of a film star. He is told that bad ends often come to those people who rent the property where the actor was staying. He is told of four of these tales, with the last one recalling the actors' fate."Method for Murder" stars Denholm Elliott as Charles, a writer of murder mysteries who retires to the mansion to work on his latest piece. He frets as he begins to imagine seeing his fictional villain in reality. Elliott is excellent as he comes unglued, in this yarn that hinges on its plot twists, especially the final one.Peter Cushing is Philip, a former stockbroker in "Waxworks", who comes to the property to stay. He and his friend Rogers (Joss Ackland) head to the local town to check out the waxworks exhibit where they obsess over the image of an executed murderess who resembles someone they had known. This is the most stylish segment of the movie, with Duffell pulling out all the stops."Sweets to the Sweet" has dapper gentleman Reid (Sir Christopher Lee) hiring an in-house teacher (Nyree Dawn Porter) for his little girl (adorable Chloe Franks), only for the teacher to find out that Reid actually lives in terror of his child. This is very well performed by all, but ultimately predictable."The Cloak" is the most fun, so it's good that the filmmakers saved the best for last. Jon Pertwee is a hoot as a very experienced horror actor who has no patience for the crew on his latest project. Yearning for authenticity, he purchases an ancient cloak from an old man (Geoffrey Bayldon), not knowing that the garment has the power to turn the wearer into a vampire.The first rate cast also includes John Bryans as the aptly named realtor Stoker, who breaks the fourth wall at the end, lovely ladies Joanna Dunham and Ingrid Pitt (the sight of a vampiric Pitt soaring through the air is memorable), Tom Adams, Wolfe Morris, Richard Coe, Joanna Lumley, and future director Jonathan Lynn ("Clue", "My Cousin Vinny"). "The House That Dripped Blood" may be similar to a lot of anthologies in that it is somewhat uneven (this viewer liked "Waxworks" (thanks to Cushing) and "Cloak" the most), but it's well-made overall, and pacing is fairly good up until the coda where Bennett comes face to face with terror.If you dig other Amicus portmanteau pictures, you will likely find this to your satisfaction as well.Seven out of 10.

"The House That Dripped Blood" is one of the defining Amicus horror films.In spite of its rather trashy title, there isn't a single drop of blood to be seen anywhere in the films 97 minutes.This film works in the way it is directed and photographed. As the director Peter Duffell explained in an interview, the budget was very tight and also the filming schedule. As a result, the director aimed to shoot the sets in the house in various ways and angles so as to allow for variety.From the opening credits where the camera is roaming around the house, I got a strong sense of imagining someone having once lived there and also there being incidents involving the paranormal.Each story offers something different and they are all excellent. The framework story and epilogue are also very well done and the latter is decidedly creepy!

Another anthology from horror studio Amicus, The House That Dripped Blood features four macabre tales written by Psycho author Robert Bloch, with a wraparound story in which Detective Inspector Holloway (John Bennett) investigates the mysterious disappearance of a famous horror movie-star and learns of several other cases all linked to a creepy old house.The first case is that of Charles Hillyer (Denholm Elliott), a horror novelist who moves into the house to write his next novel, Dominick the Strangler. As Hillyer gets stuck into his work, he becomes convinced that the titular character from his latest book is stalking him. It's a solid way to kick off the film, with Elliot putting in a fine performance, and director Peter Duffell delivering plenty of suspense and chills, helped no end by Tom Adams as grinning loon Dominick, who looks convincingly deranged as he lurks in the shadows.Tale number two, Waxworks, is my least favourite, which I find surprising since it stars Peter Cushing, one of my all-time favourite horror actors. Cushing plays retired businessman Philip Grayson, one of a pair of old love rivals who lose their heads after paying a visit to a Museum of Horror, where one of the exhibits bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman they both loved. Duffell does his best to make something of the weak material, using strong red and green lighting to add a sense of the unreal, but the result is still rather forgettable.Another horror legend—Christopher Lee—turns up for tale number three, but like Cushing, he is unable to turn what is a rather predictable tale into anything special. If you can't guess how this one is going to end by the halfway mark, then you clearly haven't seen enough horror films. Lee plays the frightened father of a young girl with a secret; Nyree Dawn Porter is the teacher who cannot understand what he is so scared of.For my money, the final story offers the most entertainment value, and here's why: a) the story is fun and delivers quite a few genuinely amusing moments (with a couple of neat in-jokes for horror fans), b) Ingrid Pitt's cleavage is fantastic, and c) it stars both Worzel Gummidge and The Crowman (Jon Pertwee and Geoffrey Bayldon AKA Catweazle). Pertwee is wonderful as pompous horror actor Paul Henderson, who buys a cape from Bayldon for his latest role as a vampire; the only problem is that whenever he wears the cape, he becomes a vampire for real.Pertwee and Pitt pop up again as vampires in the last part of the wraparound tale to attack Holloway, who has payed a visit to the house against the advice of estate agent A.J. Stoker (John Bryans). Stoker closes the film by finally revealing the secret of the creepy property, but the explanation for the supernatural occurrences is something of a damp squib.5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for Pertwee and Pitt.

A fun horror anthology film from Amicus. I love these types of movies and this one is especially good, thanks in large part to the terrific cast. It begins with a wraparound story about a Scotland Yard inspector investigating the disappearance of a movie star renting an old country house. The inspector hears stories about the house's history from a real estate agent and those stories are the different segments of the film."Method for Murder" is the first one. It's about a horror novelist (Denholm Elliott) who overcomes writer's block while staying at the house. He creates a strangler character that will be the focus of his next book. Things get crazy when it appears the strangler has come to life and is trying to torment the author. A good story to start with. It has a fine performance by Elliott, some nice atmosphere, and a creepy makeup job on the strangler. The ending is great. In the second story, "Waxworks," Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland play friends who become obsessed with a figure in a wax museum that resembles the woman they both loved years before. This is the weakest segment in the movie, despite nice performances from Cushing and Ackland. The story builds to a disappointing ending. The third story, "Sweets to the Sweet," has Christopher Lee hiring a private teacher for his young daughter. The teacher (Nyree Dawn Porter) disapproves of the harsh way Lee treats the girl. But soon she comes to realize there's more to this little girl than it appears. This is a good segment. Lee's always enjoyable to watch and Chloe Franks does a great job as the daughter. "The Cloak" is the final and best story. It ties back into the wraparound directly, telling the story of the missing horror movie actor (Jon Pertwee) that the inspector is searching for. The actor buys a black cloak from a strange shop to wear in his next movie, where he plays a vampire. Turns out the cloak has a dark power over its wearer. Jon Pertwee is terrific and sexy Ingrid Pitt is easy on the eyes. This story is lots of fun with a nice amount of humor throughout. On the whole, it's a good movie. The music score is especially nice. It's not the best horror anthology movie Amicus put out but it's entertaining enough. If you enjoy these types of movie I'm pretty sure you will like this one.