The House That Dripped Blood (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Indifferent to it
Story	Very ordinary
Characters / Performances	Satisfactory
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Competent production
Disadvantages:	Dull, predictable, shoddy script

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Hammer's arch rivals Amicus hit the compendium trail again with this Robert Bloch penned 1970 outing. Filmed in 1969 under the guiding hand of Peter Duffell (Jewel in the Crown), Amicus found backing for the project from US giants Columbia.

Columbia Studios demanded the inclusion of horror hot property in the form of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The pressure was on producers MIlton Subotsky and Max J Rosenberg to secure the signatures of the two stars, with Lee deferring until he found a part he liked in the admittedly lacklustre screenplay.

Around Lee and Cushing, Duffell and the producers assembled an accomplished cast featuring Denholm Elliot, Joss Ackland, Ingrid Pitt, Nyree Dawn Porter, Jon Pertwee and Geoffrey Bayldon.

Duffell announced from the start that he wanted to give the finished production a real polish, and lift it up from the routine horrors doing the rounds. It's difficult to see this ambition in effect, and 'The House that Dripped Blood' wrestles with 'Vault of Horror' for the title of most dull Amicus anthology.

The linking device sees Police Inspector Holloway (the sunken cheeked John Bennett) investigating a series of disappearances from a rented property.

'Method for Murder' begins the story proper in telling the tale of novelist Charles Hillyer (Denholm Elliott). A celebrated horror writer, he has leased the house to start working on his latest manuscript, a potboiler about an escaped lunatic (Dominck) who has a penchant for strangling his vicitims. After a few uninspired days writing, things take a turn for the sinister when Hillyer starts seeing his maniac about the grounds of his house. Hillyers wife begs him to seek professional advice, and he spills out his fears to a psychiatrist. Hillyers wife is more than a little eager to help, and soon Dominick is cropping up everywhere, determined to drive Charles out of his mind.

'Waxworks' continues the bizarre legacy of the House that Dripped Blood. Retired financier Phillp Grayson (Cushing) moves into the house in a bid for peace and quiet, and to allow him to get over the grief of losing the love of his life. With boredom setting in, Grayson visits the local town and is intrigued by a waxworks. Inside, the Chamber of Horrors holds a shock for him. Salome stands behind a veil, with John the Baptists head neatly on a silver plate. Looking more closely her face is identical to his lost love. A creepy attendant tells him of her strange hold over visitors, and that she resembles whoever the viewer wishes to see. By chance, an old friend drops by, Rogers (Ackland) also happens to have been the rival in a love triangle. With differences set behind them, Rogers leaves, but cannot help but be drawn into the waxworks. Who will he see? And whose head will end up on the platter?

'Sweets for the Sweet' sees John Reid (Lee) move in with his 8 year old daughter. He is a single father, and searches for a suitable nanny for the angelic child. Ann Norton (Dawn Porter) answers his advertisment and takes up the post despite a chilly reception from both the girl and her father. Settling in, she is shocked to learn that young Jane is without toys or playmates. Instead the youngster buries her head in dusty old books, and does as her father commands. Norton attempts to get to the bottom of this mystery, but only enrages Reid while kindling odd behaviour in young Jane.

'The Cloak' brings us up to date, and to the subject of the Inspector's enquiries. A famous actor, Paul Henderson (Pertwee) is missing from the set of his latest vampire picture, and is only known to have been staying at the property with his girlfriend (Pitt). Striving for authenticity on his latest horror dud, Henderson had invested in a cloak to add class to his blood sucker role. Now he is nowhere to be found.

Four very ordinary sounding stories delivered in a largely pedestrian fashion. 'Method' is only enlivened by the playing of a twitchy unhinged Elliott. Duffell contributes a few creepy sequences, but the segment unfolds painfully slowly and predictably.

'Waxworks' is a real horror, and not in a good way. A truly bonkers tale hinged on wild coincidences and frankly laughable situations. Cushing and Ackland fight with idiotic dialogue and some distinctly over the top supporting performances. The direction is woefully shoddy, and 'Waxworks' plays like a junior school production..without the laughs.

'Sweets for the Sweet' is a relief, and features a nice turn from Lee, who is playing against type. A huge mention to youngster Chloe Franks who is utterly convincing as the young daughter. Duffell does contribute a few creepy set ups, but it is a good story only in comparison with it's bedfellows.

'The Cloak' is high camp, and tongue in cheek. Pertwee mugs for the camera, and the story is entertaining if not at all horrific. It is generally the best remembered segment, and a bonus is the low cleavage of the divine Miss Pitt.

'The House that Dripped Blood' is a bit of a slog, and the 80 or so minutes grind by. The twist is more of an arthritic turn, and the whole production is flatter than a flat thing. Tony Curtis as production designer dresses the house in gothic trappings which Duffell then proceeds to capture in an unimaginitive manner. The music by MIchael Dress is an instantly forgettable horror-by-numbers effort, church organs and the like, Cameraman Ray Parlow light everything like it's the middle of a scorching Mexican summer, and the menace is promptly dissipated.

It did moderate business in the UK, but cleaned up in the States, where this quaint number was later paired with the gruesome 'Last House on the Left'.

The DVD presents it well enough, nice menus, a featurette and a directors commentary. Naggingly though, all involved remember the picture like it's 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Plenty of back slapping and Duffell at times sounds like he's recalling an entirely different and far better movie.

Picturewise it's a good transfer, presented in it's original 1:85.1 ratio which translates as 4:3 and fullscreen. Sound is remixed semi-successfully into 5.1, but really provides little to trouble a surround set up. It's packaged nicely enough, and can be found slumming it HMV and Play.com sales for around the £6.00 mark.

It carries a frankly funny 15 certificate, and credit must go to Anchor Bay for the special edition status. If only the film were special.