|
|
|
The
House That Dripped Blood
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
7
|
|
 |
|
6 |
|
10
= Highest Rating |
|
Guest
Review by Lyle
Horowitz |
Being
a huge fan of Britain's long-defunct Amicus Studios, I was overjoyed
to hear that Lions Gate would be releasing this DVD. I had the
old Prism VHS of this film (which I paid a hefty $35 for at
the time!) and the new DVD greatly improves on that edition.
Often regarded as the best Amicus anthology film — an honor
I feel properly belongs to either Dr.
Terror's House Of Horrors or Tales
From The Crypt — 1970's The House
That Dripped Blood is an entertaining horror flick but
falls short towards the end. The problem with these anthology
films is that they often suffer from a bad segment or wraparound
story, a weak link that impacts the whole. This problem applies
to The
House That Dripped Blood.
If you'd have asked me this time last year I would've given
it 4 stars (out of 5). I certainly don't like the film as much
as I used to, and in retrospect, it was a mistake paying $35
for a full-screen VHS tape with no extras and bad picture/sound.
The script was written by Psycho author
Robert Bloch. The wraparound story concerns a police inspector
investigating the sudden disappearance of horror film actor
Paul Henderson. He is told of the ghastly history of the country
house that Henderson lived in. The first segment, Method
For Murder, stars Denholm Elliot; it's about a writer who
believes one of the characters in his book is real, lurking
about the house. Only he can see "Dominick" and he
fears that his wife will be the first victim. This was a good
way to start off the film. Watch this one with the lights out!
In the second story, Waxworks, Peter Cushing visits a
wax museum and sees a figure that shares a striking resemblance
to an old flame. A friend of Cushing's visits him, having to
see the resemblance for himself, since he also had a relationship
with the woman. They meet the museum's peculiar owner, and then
things really get interesting. This is my favorite segment
in the film. Wonderfully
atmospheric, with Cushing giving a marvelous performance.
In
Sweets To The Sweet, Christopher Lee plays a strict father
who lives is in fear of his own 6 year-old daughter. He hires
a nanny for the girl, refusing to let her play with dolls or
other children. Lee is great in this role, but in my opinion
this segment doesn't quite gel. Finally, the last tale, The
Cloak (a tie-in with the wraparound story since it concerns
Henderson), lets us in on the circumstances behind the actor's
disappearance. Henderson (Dr. Who's John Pertwee) is
ready to retire from horror films, feeling the low budget productions
he's typecast in aren't worthy of his talents. Dissatisfied
with his costume in the vampire movie he's currently filming,
he buys an 'authentic' cloak from an eccentric antique dealer.
At home he slips the cloak about his shoulders, only to discover
that it turns him into a real bloodsucking vampire whenever
he dons it! Paul's sexy film co-star Carla, played by The
Vampire Lover's Ingrid Pitt (lookin' fine!), wants him to
prove to her that the cloak can actually transform him into
a vampire... This was definitely the weakest story of the four
segments; the humor is out-of-date and it is much too short.
The only redeemable element is Ms. Pitt's ample cleavage.
Still, The
House That Dripped Blood
is a worthwhile Amicus horror anthology — a lot of fun and highly
enjoyable despite the flaws. Recommended.
|
|
|
Despite
previous reports, A/V quality of the House
DVD is good. The audio is clear and the picture is bright. There
is minor grain on the print but overall, it is very good. The
film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with
anamorphic enhancement. There is only one extra feature on the
disc, a short interview with 89-year old Amicus cofounder, Max
Rosenberg.
There
is a Region 2 release from Anchor Bay-U.K, which also features
a commentary from the director, and a featurette. These extras
are missing from Lions Gate DVD, so I'd recommend the British
release to die-hard fans with Region 2 capabilities. The disc
is cheap (retailing as low as $10 in some brick-and-mortar stores)
and the film more than worth the price. Check it out. 11/09/03 |
•
Home
| Reviews | Top
•
|
