Evento

Theatre of Blood screening at Vincentennial

Theatre of Blood
Douglas Hickox, 1973, 104 min.; presented in 35mm, with print supplied by MGM
Vincent Price declared this theatrical piece of high camp his personal favorite of his many horror films, and it's easy to see why. Price was clearly born to play Edward Lionheart. A pompous classical actor, Lionheart is driven to perform a series of elaborate murders in which eight drama critics who humiliated him are dispatched in manners inspired by Shakespeare's plays. As he takes his artful revenge, Lionheart is accompanied by his daughter (Diana Rigg of "The Avengers") and a group of ragged street people who provide the audience for each murder. As bloody as the climax of "Hamlet" but mostly played for laughs, "Theatre of Blood" features Price at his hammiest and a colorful cast of victims who include Robert Morley, Jack Hawkins, Ian Hendry, Diana Dors, and Coral Browne (who would become Price's third wife).

With an introduction and post-film discussion by Richard Squires, creator of the Web site the Vincent Price Exhibit.