House That Dripped Blood

HOUSE OF FUN......
A creepy old house in the country proves to be deadly for anyone who rents it in this enjoyable quartet of horror tales. From the British Amicus output of anthologies in the 60's-70's, "House That Dripped Blood" boasts a superb cast and an interesting set-up of a Scotland Yard investigator looking for a horror film star who disappeared after being the last to rent the house. A cop and the strange Real Estate rep who rents the house tells the investigator the stories of the people who met their doom while living there. The tales include a horror writer whose latest murderous creation seemingly comes to life, Peter Cushing discovers that a weird Museum of Horrors has a Salome exhibit that seems to be still collecting heads, Christopher Lee's angelic young daughter turns out to be a voodoo practicing witch, and in the final tongue-in-cheek (or is that TOOTH in cheek) tale, the horror film star buys a vampire's cloak that still has chilling powers. Jon Pertwee is wonderful as...

Terror waits for you in every room...
Ahhh, another juicy Amicus film released by Lion's Gate Entertainment. With The House That Dripped Blood, we get five fearsome tales involving murder, voodoo, vampires, and generally bad mojo all around. The tales are centered on a large, old house located just outside of a small town in the English countryside. Seems a report filed on the disappearance of the most recent owner by the local constabulary has raised some questions within Scotland Yard, prompting a Yard investigator to make the trip for more clarification. On arriving, the investigator learns that the disappearance of the recent tenant was only the last in a long line of strangeness to come out of that house with regards to past tenants.

The first tale, Method For Murder, involves a horror writer, played by Denholm Elliot, whose most recent literary creation, a maniacal strangler, seems to have come to life, and is lurking in and around the house, being all troublesome and such.

The second...

Not A Drop In Sight.....
Don't be misled by the title. This is a movie that relies on atmospheric sets, solid acting, and mood-enhancing music to get the job done. As you would expect from a master of the genre such as Robert Bloch, all of the stories are well-crafted (unlike many anthologies, which toss at least one dud into the mix). I was very pleased with the transfer from VHS to DVD. The picture is bright and clear, and I was able to discover many details that were murky on tape. The sound is also crisp, which is especially important with this movie - the music and the odd sound effects are integral to maintaining the spooky atmosphere that permeates the film. The first three stories are serious in tone, but Mr. Bloch lightens-up the proceedings in the final story - where the rubber-faced Jon Pertwee and the buxom Ingrid Pitt are given a chance to camp things up a bit. This very enjoyable movie has thunderstorms, candlelight, creaking doors, shadows, and cobwebs.....but no blood. Let me provide some by...

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