The House That Dripped Blood (1971)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Peter Duffell

Writer:

Robert Bloch (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

February 1971 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Vampires! Voodoo! Vixens! Victims!

Plot:

A Scotland Yard investigator looks into four mysterious cases involving an unoccupied house: 1) A writer encounters a strangler of his own creation...

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Witchcraft | Vampire | Anthology | Waxfigure

Cast

John Bennett	...	Det. Insp. Holloway
John Bryans	...	A.J. Stoker
John Malcolm	...	Sgt. Martin
Denholm Elliott	...	Charles Hillyer (segment "Method for Murder")
Joanna Dunham	...	Alice Hillyer (segment "Method for Murder")
Tom Adams	...	Richard / Dominic (segment "Method for Murder")
Robert Lang	...	Dr. Andrews (segment "Method for Murder")
Peter Cushing	...	Philip Grayson (segment "Waxworks")
Joss Ackland	...	Neville Rogers (segment "Waxworks")
Wolfe Morris	...	Waxworks Proprietor (segment "Waxworks")
Christopher Lee	...	John Reid (segment "Sweets to the Sweet")
Nyree Dawn Porter	...	Ann Norton (segment "Sweets to the Sweet")
Chloe Franks	...	Jane Reid (segment "Sweets to the Sweet")
Jon Pertwee	...	Paul Henderson (segment "The Cloak")
Ingrid Pitt	...	Carla Lynde (segment "The Cloak")
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Theo von Hartmann (segment "The Clock")
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Coe	...	Film Director (segment "The Cloak") (uncredited)
Roy Evans	...	Hunchback (segment "The Cloak") (uncredited)
Carleton Hobbs	...	Doctor (segment "Sweets to the Sweet") (uncredited)
Bernard Hopkins	...	Film Crewmember (segment "The Cloak") (uncredited)
Joanna Lumley	...	Film Crew Girl (uncredited)
Jonathan Lynn	...	Set Designer (segment "The Cloak") (uncredited)
Hugh Manning	...	Psychiatrist (segment "Method for Murder") (uncredited)
Winifred Sabine	...	Tea Trolley Woman (segment "The Cloak") (uncredited)

Directed by
Peter Duffell

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Bloch		written by
Russ Jones		segment "Waxworks" (uncredited)

Produced by
Paul Ellisworth	....	executive producer
Max Rosenberg	....	producer (as Max J. Rosenberg)
Milton Subotsky	....	producer
Gordon Wescourt	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Michael Dress

Cinematography by
Ray Parslow		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Tanner

Casting by
Ronnie Curtis		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Tony Curtis

Makeup Department
Harry Frampton	....	makeup artist
Joyce James	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Teresa Bolland	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Beale	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Fred Carter	....	set dresser
Thomas Goswell	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Peter Wood	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Michael P. Redbourn	....	dubbing editor (as Michael Redbourn)
Ken Ritchie	....	sound mixer
Nolan Roberts	....	dubbing mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerry Anstiss	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laurel Staffell	....	wardrobe (as Laurel Staffel)

Music Department
Michael Dress	....	conductor

Other crew
Phyllis Townshend	....	continuity (as Phyllis Townsend)

Production Companies

• Amicus Productions (as An Amicus Production)

Distributors

• Cinerama Releasing UK (1970) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cinerama Releasing Corporation (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Étoile Distribution (1971) (France) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Koch Media (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (VHS)
• Prism Entertainment Corporation (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Videoville (1981) (Canada) (VHS)

Other Companies

• GSE  titles

MPAA:

Rated PG for scary images. (2002 re-rating)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | Norway:16 | UK:12 (video rating) (2003) | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (2002) | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Community Hall, Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Amicus Productions

Trivia:

Peter Cushing tried to get out of his contract so that he was not away from his sick wife, but he had to carry on.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The ax the waxworks owner uses to kill Philip Grayson binds like it is cardboard or a fake ax.

Quotes:

Paul Henderson: That's what's wrong with the present day horrorfilms. There's no realism. Not like the old ones, the great ones. Frankenstein. Phantom of the Opera. Dracula - the one with Bela Lugosi of course, not this new fellow.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Stephen King's World of Horror (1986) (TV)

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (Peter Duffell, 1970) ***

Linking story: another first-time viewing for me and, again, this is one of the most popular of the Amicus anthologies - and it's easy to see why, though I realize how the film's rather meaningless title could be misleading for some; I certainly fancied director Peter Duffell's choice - DEATH AND THE MAIDEN (which, incidentally, is a classical piece by Schubert that is heard in the film during the Peter Cushing episode) - a great deal more. Though the linking device itself is not all that great, the episodes are all equally compelling and enjoyable. Production values come off as very respectable indeed for the budget Duffell had to work with. The latter infuses the film with a great deal of style which is not so common with this type of film and, frankly, it makes one regret the fact that he wished to distance himself from the genre (though more so as not to be typecast rather than because he felt it was beneath him).

Now to the individual stories themselves:

"Method For Murder": the opening segment does not offer any real surprises but, to make up for this, it's quietly suspenseful and appropriately creepy at times (Tom Adams' 'fictitious' villain looking like the long-lost brother of Boris Karloff from THE OLD DARK HOUSE [1932]); also, it ends with a satisfactory DIABOLIQUE-type twist, and features a fairly intense role for Denholm Elliott in the lead. That's all we need out of it, really.

"Waxworks": for the second story we are introduced to a curiously romantic mood which is quite unusual for this type of film; Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland are both excellent (as well as impeccably dressed) in their roles of two jilted lovers of a woman who continues to obsess them even after such a long time, and whose friendly rivalry can only lead them blindly and inexorably to a fate that is literally worse than death; an ominous hallucination scene with Peter Cushing is quite well done in view of the limited resources at hand, and Ackland's inexplicable inability - or unwillingness - to leave town somewhat recalls the house-trapped aristocrats of Bunuel's THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (1962).

"Sweets To The Sweet": this is perhaps the finest episode of all - with his ambiguous role here, Christopher Lee continues to demonstrate his versatility and he is matched by an understanding Nyree Dawn Porter and the deceptive innocence of Chloe Franks (who appears as Lee's daughter). The film's treatment of the occult here is both subtle and mature, culminating in a powerful and extremely chilling 'curtain'. Trivia Note: Chloe Franks appears as a grown-up in the featurette included on the disc, and when I saw her I felt an immediate familiarity with her face but couldn't quite put my finger on it. Later, on reading her filmography, it was revealed to me that she had played one of the leads in the long-running stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" in London's West End, which my brother and I were fortunate enough to catch while we there on holiday in the Summer of 2002! Needless to say, we had no idea then that she had once created such a delicate - and delicious - portrayal in sheer evil, mainly by virtue of her peculiar look and a devilish smile!!

"The Cloak": a wacky but oddly reverent vampire tale (that still manages to debunk many of the myths attached to the subgenre, while inventing some new ones!) which takes in some wonderful digs at exploitation cinema and, at one point, Christopher Lee himself!; Jon Pertwee is marvelous as the campy horror star who gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to bring a measure of authenticity to his work; Ingrid Pitt sends up her image nicely though her role is somewhat subsidiary to the proceedings; Geoffrey Bayldon (made up to look like Ernest Thesiger) also has a memorably quirky bit; the 'silent-cinema' style of the ending was a pretty audacious one to pull on an audience, I suppose - and, while some of the humor comes off as heavy-handed a' la THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (1967) or THEATRE OF BLOOD (1973), it's also rather infectious and certainly ends the film on a high (and highly unusual) note!

Video and audio quality are relatively satisfactory, considering I had no other version to compare it with; the main culprit is some noticeable print damage but this is never so nasty as to affect one's enjoyment of the film. As for the extras, beginning with the Audio Commentary: frankly, this is one of the finest chats about a genre film that I can remember listening to; Jonathan Rigby gets to butt in with his opinion more than is usual for a moderator but his effort certainly allows director Peter Duffell to touch on every aspect of the production (whereas with some other films, you're left rather expecting there to be more!) and, as such, it's an extremely pleasant track that complements the main feature very nicely indeed. The featurette "A-Rated Horror Film" is a worthwhile effort with Peter Duffell again at center-stage but this time backed up with valid, if all-too-brief, contributions from producer Max J. Rosenberg and stars Chloe Franks, Ingrid Pitt and Geoffrey Bayldon. We also get film notes, reviews, bios and a poster/stills gallery which, again, are wonderfully assembled (with the contemporary reviews being something of a novelty - and a welcome one at that).