Theater of Blood

R

1973

1 hr. 44 min.

Horror

Comedy

List

88%

40 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) is incensed that his last season of performances in Shakespearean plays did not win him a prestigious acting award from critics. After an unsuccessful attempt at suicide, Lionheart is rescued by a group of drug-addicted bums. He then sets out to murder all of his critics, each with a different style of death taken from a Shakespeare play. When Lionheart faces head critic Peregrine Devlin (Ian Hendry), he offers Devlin a second chance to bestow the award.

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Critics Consensus

Deliciously campy and wonderfully funny, Theater of Blood features Vincent Price at his melodramatic best.

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Alec B

Immense fun and a movie about an actor getting revenge on the critics who wronged him is an undeniably great idea. Easily the best of Vincent Price's horror performances as it has the right balance of camp/menace/pathos.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Matthew D

A Vincent Price classic with humor and murder! Director Douglas Hickox' British horror comedy Theater of Blood (1973) has a fun and spooky vibe. Writer Anthony Greville-Bell's concept of a frustrated actor seeking revenge on his brutal critics is hilarious. Hickox brings a charming ridiculousness to Theater of Blood. It's quite similar to The Abominable Dr. Phibes with its shocking kills. The campy performances and murders are quite silly. It's absurd and violent with increasingly funny humor. Editor Malcolm Cooke lets things play out pretty naturally in 70's fast and loose style. It's a bit strangely cut, but that's part of the charm. 104 minutes feels steadily paced, even if it starts slow. Cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky slow panning shots creep ghastly imagery into frame. Every shot of Vincent Price's grim Shakespeare performances are fiendish and striking. Michael Seymour's posh English sets and raw stage set is awesome. Ann Mollo's set decoration stuffs each apartment set with tons of movie posters and playbills. John Stears' bloody effects alongside Tutte Lemkow's deranged choreography make for some entertaining scenes. Vincent Price is captivating as disgruntled stage actor Edward Lionheart. His hatred of critics is quite fun to watch, especially as he annihilates his harshest of detractors. Diana Rigg is lovely and adventurous as Price's helpful daughter Edwina Lionheart. Ian Hendry is great as the snobbish theater critic Peregrine Devlin. Dennis Price is great as the entitled critic in denial of his crimes named Hector Snipe. Harry Andrews is excellent as the pompous critic Trevor Dickman. Arthur Lowe's plump critic Horace Sprout getting decapitated is eerie by Dr. Price. Milo O'Shea's tough and alarmed Inspector Boot is gripping. Composer Michael J. Lewis brings a bubbly and weird 70's score. Sound designers Simon Kaye, Les Wiggins, and Doug E. Turner could have recorded the voices more clearly with less noise. Costume designer Michael Baldwin's Shakespeare stage outfits are fun, especially for Vincent Price. Makeup artist George Blackler transforms Price every scene alongside hairstylist Pearl Tipaldi. Overall, Vincent Price killing off his critics in Shakespearean style is a delight!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/01/23

Full Review

Carlos S

Absolutely stunning, witty, funny, great cast, and the very best of Vincent Price and Diana Riggs, plus Robert Morley or Harry Andrews… saw it when I was 15. Now I'm 60, I think I've seen twice a year since then. The makeup and art direction is unsurpassed. This is a must.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

isla s

This is very camp and very much a b-movie, with a real comedy horror feel and coming across as a sort of a 1970s play adaptation. Its quite amusing how things play out, not everything is as it seems. Compared to modern day horror films, its somewhat tame in terms of graphic detail, although if your squeamish about seeing blood on screen then you'd still be best to avoid this. The plot, the idea, behind this film is the most interesting part to this, though the cast is pretty decent for the time it was made. I can only imagine how actors who feel they've been sorely 'done by' 'thanks' to 'sharp tongued critics' may lash out via social media and otherwise these days. There are some decent one liners and the brief scene involving fencing and a trampoline will likely stay in my mind for a while yet. If anything, I feel it may be regarded as a little too over the top these days in some ways but its still a pretty entertaining watch for the most part. A bit of fun. I suppose I'd recommend it as a British b-movie of its time, yes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

martin a

This is a wonderful film about an actor who is slated by his critics, who takes his own life and survives, he then returns to slay the critics one by one. and all to the theme of Shakespeare, The sad thing is that it was filmed in the Burbage Theatre which was destroyed, for houses, A total crime, it still should be there

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Immense fun and a movie about an actor getting revenge on the critics who wronged him is an undeniably great idea. Easily the best of Vincent Price's horror performances as it has the right balance of camp/menace/pathos.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Douglas Hickox

Director

Vincent Price

Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart

Diana Rigg

Edwina Lionheart

Robert Morley

Meredith Merridew

Ian Hendry

Peregrine Devlin

Harry Andrews

Trevor Dickman

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Colin Bennett

The Age (Australia)

A lot of fun, if you don't mind the gallons of ketchup.

Sep 28, 2022

Full Review

Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Isn't too bad at all.

Sep 27, 2022

Full Review

Eric Shorter

Daily Telegraph (UK)

A jokey horror film.

Sep 27, 2022

Full Review

Kristin Battestella

InSession Film

We enjoy seeing the pompous critics get their predictable comeuppance in these uninhibited seventies does Shakespeare deaths thanks to the sinful humor and wild thespian mayhem.

Apr 19, 2024

Full Review

R.H. Gardner

Baltimore Sun

All it really does is waste a lot of good talent.

Sep 27, 2022

Full Review

Joe Baltake

Philadelphia Daily News

It's modish, hip, and cleverly gruesome.

Sep 27, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) is incensed that his last season of performances in Shakespearean plays did not win him a prestigious acting award from critics. After an unsuccessful attempt at suicide, Lionheart is rescued by a group of drug-addicted bums. He then sets out to murder all of his critics, each with a different style of death taken from a Shakespeare play. When Lionheart faces head critic Peregrine Devlin (Ian Hendry), he offers Devlin a second chance to bestow the award.

Director: Douglas Hickox
Production Co: United Artists
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 19, 2017

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