Theatre of Death (1967)

This little thriller plays more like an Italian giallo than your typical British horror film along the lines of Hammer, Amicus and the rest. Gone are the atmospheric locations and supernatural overtones; instead, we have a black-gloved killer murdering girls with a spring-loaded knife and a dedicated police surgeon hunting him down. Much of the film takes place in the theatre of the title, which, as Michele Soavi found twenty years later in his STAGE FRIGHT, makes for an unsettling, atmospheric location.The film benefits from some excellent sets, the design is really artistic. There is also some great camera-work and the colours flow off the screen. The film is thus very arty and nice to look at, and the murder-mystery type plot keeps you guessing until the very end. There are also some good set pieces, with the witch burning being the most arresting, while at the end a half-naked woman indulges in some voodoo dancing.The acting is uniformly good, with Julian Glover a strong, if not likable, hero type, and with extra attention being paid to the female characters in the film, which is unusual and pleasingly different (frankly I'm fed up of the girls being just the victims or the romantic interests). However, as you might have guessed, it's Christopher Lee who deserves the acting honours here, although he only appears in roughly half of the film before disappearing. His arrogant, patronising, self-obsessed director is typical of the actor's roles and one of the best that he's played. If not likable, he is totally believable and invokes a sense of awe when he appears on screen. The film is not particularly gory, with a few splashes of blood here and there to liven things up, but then again it doesn't need to be. It's a pleasing, intelligent horror thriller which retains the interest throughout. There are better films and there are worse, but this is at least nicely crafted.

This is a suspenseful murder mystery set in Paris. Christopher Lee plays Philippe Darvas, the director of a playhouse named The Theater of Death. Charles Marquis(Julian Glover)is a crime center physician that becomes overly concerned with a series of murders, each bearing evidence that hints at vampirism. Charles feels that his lady friend Dani(Lelia Goldini)and her roommate Nicole(Jenny Till)may be in immediate danger, because they work for Darvas and suspicions make him a prime suspect. Afterall he directs plays that specialize in death. Very creepy atmosphere and music make this one fun to watch. Lee doesn't seem to have much screen time; but just the thought of his presence holds the story together. There is an erotic voodoo dance sequence that is sometimes cut. Other players featured: Joseph Furst, Ivor Dean and Evelyn Laye.

I can`t say I`ve ever thought of Christopher Lee as much of an actor . There`s just something about him that makes he think that he`s a sort of British William Shatner in that he`s both totally over the top and very hammy at the same time , and his performances aren`t helped by the fact he`s played a lot of bad guys in very bad movies . Mind you he was an absolute revelation in THE LORD OF THE RINGS and he was also very good in ATTACK OF THE CLONES And to be honest Lee does give one of his better performances in THEATRE OF DEATH . Remember when you were at school and there would be this really nasty teacher with an university degree in sarcasm ? That`s the sort of role Lee plays here as an acting teacher with lines like " Look at you . You`re about as frightening as a baby with a rattle " THEATRE OF DEATH also contains the ironically biting line " Acting in the true sense of the word - in my sense of the word ... " where you can insert your own punchline about Lee`s acting style if you want to be cruel Of all the cast Christopher Lee probably gives the best performance since the rest of the actors are very disappointing especially Julian Glover . It`s also impossible not to notice this but since all the characters are French and the story takes place in Paris there is absolutely no sense of time and place . The audience are only reminded the film is set in France when one of the characters mentions it on screen A word of warning - If you`re going to watch THEATRE OF DEATH expecting a horror film you`re probably going to be disappointed since it`s far more of a murder mystery / whodunnit rather than a straight horror movie

The most interesting thing about this O.K. programer is the presence of Leina Goldina in the lead. She had a someone odd career, appearing in the lead in a Casavettes film, doing a bit of T.V. doing two Hammer films right in the middle of a ten hear lay off, then comming back in some big mid seventies films (small parts) and occasional appearences after that. I used to see ads for her acting workshop in the trades.