This may very well be the greatest horror-comedy of all time. Theatre of Blood is essentially a film which reworks the same basic ideas that the earlier 'Dr. Phibes' movies had played around with. In all of these films we had an insane, eccentric genius seemingly return from the grave to enact a series of highly elaborate murders based on historical sources on a group of individuals who had wronged him in his earlier life. These films also shared a colourful, stylish and campy nature, which was quite unusual for British horror films; while they also shared a large ensemble cast of quality British actors with the unique American horror legend Vincent Price at the helm in over-the-top splendour. The 'Phibes' films are certainly classics but with Theatre of Blood the level is upped even further. The central idea of the film is fantastic. A stage actor returns from a presumed watery grave to carry out a series of theatrical and over-the-top murders on a series of theatre critics who refused to reward him with the best actor of the year award at the annual critics award ceremony. Given he had been mocked for never acting in anything other than William Shakespeare productions, he kills them all in the style of the Bard's famous plays. It is a brilliant, relatively simple idea which is executed to perfection, with Price on top form - in fact he was never better.It is unique among the vast majority of horror comedies in that both the horror and the humour work alongside each other perfectly without one compromising the other. It is a hard trick to pull off and it rarely works but in this one the comedy is genuinely hilarious and the horror not shy in being properly grotesque. It is a huge testament to the skills of Price in particular that this fine balancing act is navigated to perfection as he was an actor who uniquely understood the comedy in horror, and how to deliver it on screen. It has to also be said that the ensemble cast around him is really quite stellar, with a succession of quality British actors pitching up to be high calibre cannon fodder for the homicidal Price. We also have the great Diana Rigg appear as his embittered daughter, in a film which she still has extremely good memories and opinions of. I guess one of the problems with a film like this is that it feels like a bit of a shame that Price's character has to be defeated in the end, we sort of definitely want him to take out Ian Hendry as well to be perfectly honest! But really, the pacing and set-pieces in this one are truly of a fantastic standard. All of the murders an absolute riot with Price adorning all manner of ludicrous disguises on the way - a particular hilarious highlight being his afro sporting hairdresser Butch.I may even have to go as far as to suggest that this may well be the greatest British horror film ever made. Its uniquely successful combination of horror, wit, style, imagination, high-calibre acting, camp costuming and Grand Guignol excess, makes it a particularly satisfying movie which is endlessly re-watchable. A true cult classic and one of the high points of the horror genre in general. And to think I used to always think the theatre was pointless and boring!

Vincent Price was the king of horror in the early 60s having just successfully bringing Edgar Alan Poe to the screen with director Roger Corman. To this day those films are treasured by horror fans and used in English classes to demonstrate the transfer of the written word to the screen. After those films Price starred in several other horror films but nothing that was as popular and for a time he did little more than TV appearances.That changed in 1971 when he came back to the forefront in a small film called THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES. It was followed in 1972 with a sequel, DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN. So it only seemed natural that he would come out with another horror film the following year which is where this film comes into play.Using a theme that was found in the Phibes films we have another series of deaths at the hands of a madman. This time around the protagonist is Edward Lionheart (Price), a Shakespearean actor who supposedly committed suicide after being shamed by the critics circle. But death was not meant for him yet and he survives with the help of a group of vagrants who become his henchmen/women.The critics circle is still around and doing well. But suddenly they begin to be killed off one by one. And with each death is some cryptic message involving the plays of William Shakespeare. The initial suspect is Lionheart's daughter, Edwina (Diana Rigg). But top critic Peregrine Devlin (Ian Hendry) doesn't believe it. Of course the rest of us know she's involved in one way or another as we've witnessed her at each murder in disguise, a bit that tried to make the viewer unaware but which we can see through easily.Each of the deaths of the critics is played for both disgust and humor of the darkest sort. For example one critic, fond of his two tiny dogs, has them fed to him in meat pies. As with Phibes we have her examples of cleverly written murders that are involved in a countdown to the last one. The problem is it doesn't quite work as well this time around.The fault here doesn't lie in the performance of Price or of Rigg for that matter. Both do a great job here, Price especially. It's one thing to perform a role poorly but quite another to perform it as someone trying to do it justice but doing it over the top unintentionally. The movie just doesn't have the same feel that the Phibes films did even though you can see the obvious attempt to replicate those films.In the end the move remains a fun horror film to watch but moves along at a much slower pace than the aforementioned films. That does more damage than good here. Price fans will find this a must see if for no other reason than to see his performance. The same goes for fans of Rigg.The presentation lives up to the standards of all releases from Twilight Time with the best picture quality found. Extras include an isolated score track, an audio commentary track with film historians David Del Valle and Nick Redman and the original theatrical trailer. As with all Twilight Time releases they've limited it to just 3,000 copies so if you're interested in one order it today.

"Theater of Blood" (1973, Douglas Hickox), a comedic horror film about an insane theater actor who begins killing off a circle of theater critics by reenacting moments in Shakespeare, fails to reach its potential, despite a great concept and a talented, exciting cast. Two problems it has are: 1) showing almost all of gory violence; 2) Mediocre direction. It is still a cult film that is worth watching, but prepare for some disappointment.Vincent Price is splendid as the long-suffering Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart. After years of being abused by a smug group of reviewers, he recruits a small group of downtrodden people to participate in his murderous revenge. The monologues where Price is describing the crimes of the next critic to be killed off are one of the pleasures here. The flashback where Price interrupts the critics having a meal in a swanky restaurant to challenge their recognition of a rival actor with a prestigious year end (1970) theatrical award, is a great idea and is mostly amusing.Diana Rigg, playing the thespian's supportive daughter, is one the best reasons to stick this out. She looks fantastic; absolutely beautiful. While she is a direct accomplice in her father's killing spree, she is so photogenic and adept with her delivery that she counters the distaste of the gore. There is no doubt that Ms. Rigg would have been a very thrilling actress to watch on stage, as she is always entertaining just to listen to.Another cast member who is solid is Ian Hendry (Peregrine Devlin). Devlin is the theater critic that Lionheart hesitates to kill. The two have a prolonged sword fight in a gym with comedic touches. Devlin and Lionheart seem connected, particularly when Devlin asks for Lionheart to put him out of his misery. It seems reasonable to believe that Devlin is Lionheart's doppleganger.Too bad Rainer Werner Fassbinder did not direct this. Fassbinder would have hit it out the park. Hickox has great opportunities to make an impression but his imagery always fails to interest. Also, the quotient of violence is difficult to sit through.

...are just a couple of words originally coined by Shakespeare which might be used in describing this marvellous film. When it was shown for the first time on UK TV on 29th December 1978 I was expecting the usual late '60's early '70's dated swinging tripe, but from the start the credits told me this was going to be a different animal to the usual crop. I've now seen it many times and always enjoyed it and although it's obviously even more dated now it remains a weird mix of styles and emotions to go through – the visuals, acting, story and music can veer between impressive to derisory.Members of a highbrow critics circle are being butchered one by one by someone who doesn't have to brush up his Shakespeare to get some grisly vengeful laughs, always eagerly assisted by a strange hairy person and a gang of drunken tramps. And the murders are grisly if not graphic; nowadays the accent would be mainly on the gore, back then it was still the thought that counted more. The stellar cast apparently so richly deserving of possible Shakespeare-esque assassination included Dennis Price, Robert (What Ho) Coote, Arthur Lowe (who had an especially sentimental scene with Vincent Price), Coral Browne, Robert Morley, Harry Andrews, Michael Hordern, Jack Hawkins, Ian Hendry; Milo O'Shea and Eric Sykes were the obligatory pompous policemen. Diana Rigg is now sole survivor as the Grim Reaper has gone about his work relentlessly and silently since then. The film is indeterminate-brow melancholic black farce at its best with the masterful Price hamming it up for all he was worth in one of his best films – and he made many excellent "horror" and otherwise films over the years. It was much better than his previous similar films about Dr. Phibes – I can see this one repeatedly with the same old frisson unlike those efforts.If interested be prepared for a long strange trip: a black comedy, a wistful knockabout farce, an impressive melodrama, an inconsequential masterpiece, and although it's been badly dated for the last 30 years it's something you probably won't forget.