The House That Dripped Blood

PG

Released Mar 10, 1971

1h 41m

Horror

List

92%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A Scotland Yard inspector (John Bennett) learns how four tenants of a country house met macabre fates.

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nick s

A reasonable production and good acting. This was a collection of stories occurring in one house over time. I wasn't enthralled by them though as the plot twists weren't surprising or intriguing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/25/23

Full Review

DanTheMan 2

The first thing that should be noted about The House That Dripped Blood is that no blood is dripped. The only Amicus production I'm watching this Spooky Season, The House That Dripped Blood had been on my radar for a while, primarily because it starred, amongst a myriad of other class acts, Jon Pertwee in the midst of his first two seasons as Doctor Who. It's a fun little anthology even if Robert Bloch's writing is rather uninspired and enjoyable enough in a rough-and-ready kind of way. The film's focus on psychological terror grants the segments their own sense of unease, although the first two don't really capitalise on this, the third story is the one that really stands out focusing on a child's loneliness, the father's hapless cruelty, and the governess' well-meaning failure to understand; while the fourth with a vampire Jon Pertwee is simply a riot. Each of them could very well be their own thing, the latter two especially, as they are too short to fully stick that landing. That being said, the cast is outstanding, Lee, Cushing, Pertwee and other noteworthy Brits all deliver great performances even if the writing doesn't do them much justice. Richly atmospheric settings, muted colour photography and competent direction by Peter Duffell, The House That Dripped Blood marks a peak of 1970s horror flamboyance and although not dripping in blood, it oozes with camp.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/19/23

Full Review

Monsol E

I've heard the odd term "Cozy-Horror" a lot recently, this would probably fit that label. An anthology of several stories, none of which are particularly gruesome or disturbing, headed by a bunch of beloved actors. It's very 70s, and has a very "british TV" vibe...so instead of being terrifying it ended up feeling...weirdly charming? I especially enjoyed Jon Pertwee's segment [ and his joke about "the original Dracula, not that NEW GUY!" ], the first segment was the weakest, but they were all entertaining. If you want something horrific to make you soil your shorts, this won't do that...but if you want to see Grand Moff Tarkin, pining over a lost love, and grappling with an axe murderer...I'd be surprised if you can anywhere else!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/10/23

Full Review

ellis f

Good for an undiscriminating afternoon watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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marco b

Horror anthology about a house.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD is an excellent and classic 1970's horror film with an outstanding cast. (Lee, Cushing, Elliott and Pertwee?! COME ON!!) It is a neat little four story anthology that wraps up quite nicely in the end and is fun every time that you watch it. This one proves that in the 1970's, British horror still had a TON to offer even as Hammer and Amicus were beginning to fade! It is arguably the finest of the Amicus horror anthology style offerings!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Peter Duffell

Director

John Bennett

Detective Inspector Holloway

Denholm Elliott

Charles Hillyer

Peter Cushing

Philip Grayson

John Bryans

A.J. Stoker

Joanna Dunham

Alice Hillyer

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Tom Milne

Time Out

Three of the episodes are rough-and-ready but vigorous Grand Guignol fun.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Roger Greenspun

New York Times

The latter two stories, though necessarily too short and too schematic, generate some interest, and humor, and even a bit of characterization.

Rated: 2.5/5

May 9, 2005

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, uses the framework of a haunted house to connect four stories involving (as the original tagline blared) "Vampires! Voodoo! Vixens! Victims!"

Rated: 3/4

Oct 28, 2020

Full Review

Tom Beasley

VultureHound

The peak of 1970s horror flamboyance, dripping in camp and executing Bloch's narrative flourishes with the sort of ludicrous excess that characterises the best of Amicus.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 16, 2020

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

A fun and frightening omnibus.

Jul 24, 2019

Full Review

Brian Collins

Birth.Movies.Death.

What I liked most about this last segment is how it directly tied into the wraparounds, as opposed to being "just another story".

May 17, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

A Scotland Yard inspector (John Bennett) learns how four tenants of a country house met macabre fates.

Director: Peter Duffell
Screenwriter: Robert Bloch, Milton Subotsky
Production Co: Amicus Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 10, 1971, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2018
Runtime: 1h 41m

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