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Theatre Of Blood [DVD] [1973]

DVD ~ Vincent Price

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

RRP:	�12.99
Price:	�4.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

The Abominable Doctor Phibes [DVD] [1971]

Total RRP: �38.97
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This item: Theatre Of Blood [DVD] [1973] DVD ~ Vincent Price
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
The Abominable Doctor Phibes [DVD] [1971] DVD ~ Vincent Price
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Doctor Phibes Rises Again [DVD] [1972] DVD ~ Vincent Price
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	85% buy the item featured on this page: Theatre Of Blood [DVD] [1973] 4.6 out of 5 stars (25) �4.98
	5% buy The Abominable Doctor Phibes [DVD] [1971] 4.8 out of 5 stars (9) �4.88
	4% buy The Raven [DVD] [1963] 4.6 out of 5 stars (9) �3.98
	3% buy The Masque Of The Red Death [DVD] [1964] 4.3 out of 5 stars (6) �3.88

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Product details

Actors: Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne
Directors: Douglas Hickox
Writers: John Kohn, Anthony Greville-Bell, Stanley Mann, William Shakespeare
Producers: Gustave M. Berne, John Kohn, Sam Jaffe
Format: PAL
Language English
Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 1
Classification: 15
Studio: MGM Entertainment
DVD Release Date: 21 Oct 2002
Run Time: 102 minutes

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

ASIN: B00006JY23
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 7,163 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)
Popular in this category:
#39 in DVD > Horror > Comedy Horror

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

A brilliant, bizarre 1973 comedy-horror, Theatre of Blood pitches somewhere between a Hammer horror and the Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Vincent Price stars as the hammy, self-important and thoroughly psychotic Edward Lionheart, a veteran thespian who refuses to play anything other than Shakespeare. Piqued by a circle of critics, whom he feels were disrespectful in their notices and denied him his rightful Best Actor of the Year Award, he decides to murder them one by one in parodies of some of Shakespeare's grislier scenes. He's aided by his daughter Edwina (played by Diana Rigg, often in fake moustache and male drag) and a ghoulish company of dosshouse zombies.

Some of the murders are quite extraordinarily gruesome, despite their camp, comedic overtones. Arthur Lowe's henpecked critic has his head sawn off while asleep (in a parody of Cymbeline) and Robert Morley's plumply effete dandy is force-fed a pie made from his beloved poodles, choking him to death (cf Titus Andronicus). Jack Hawkins and Michael Horden also meet unpleasant ends. Theatre of Blood is a genuine and underrated oddity in the annals of British cinema and especially uncomfortable for those who happen to be in the reviewing trade.

On the DVD: Theatre of Blood on disc is not a triumph of digital enhancement, with sound blemishes unamended and hazy, faded visuals in places. The only extra is the original trailer. --David Stubbs

Special Features

English
Region 2

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unsurpassed Magic., 17 Mar 2004

By	"marcusmuck" - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

What can I say? - you either love him or loathe him (surely there's no-one who's undecided on the Master?)

Of my friends, family and acquaintances I am alone in loving Vincent Price. And, believe me, this is the pinnacle of his acting career.

It's really not just him- everything from the inventive storyline, witty script, creative directing (whatever happened to Douglas Hickox?) to the various excellent supporting actors, this film is the best you'll get- in the genre....

Other reviewers have given this the once over & done a good job so I'll let you read those but there are also various sub themes as well; is it not ironic that Price's melodramatic acting is the central theme here? And your like or dislike of what's before you could be pivotal to your survival.....

The DVD itself is disappointing- there's an awful trailer and not much else; but IS there anything they could have dredged up? An interview or documentary perhaps?

Also- I'm finding that a lot of these DVD releases have awful sound quality. Ho hum.

Even so- this is pretty much my favorite film in this category and if you've got this far BUY IT!!

P.s: the locations (London) are also very effective- deserted post-industrial landscapes). Most of these will now been bulldozed or commercialised so enjoy!

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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Price has a ball, 8 Oct 2004

By	Deborah MacGillivray "Author," (US & UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Theatre of Blood [DVD] [1973] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)

Price decided to ham it up for the Abominable Dr. Phibes and Dr. Phibes Rides again. Riding on a tide, he took up this high camp film, and some of England's biggest name actors came out to play his victims. In Phibes style, you have a series of set victims - in this case, Stage critics - and the much scorned Shakespearian Actor Edward Lionheart extracting his revenge by killing his victims through acting out a scene from Shakespeare's plays. Deliciously witty Diana Rigg is there to support Price as his doting, darling daughter Edwina, who mourns her father's recent death, and hisses at the critics who refused to honour his talent while he was alive.

Price's all-star victims include his real-life wife, Coral Browne, Harry Andrews, Ian Hendry, Jack Hawkins, Robert Morley (especially funny twist on the tale!), Denis Price and Diana Dors and more. Hot on the trail of the killer, with Hendry in tow, are Inspector Boot (Milo O'Shea) and Sergeant Dogge (Eric Sykes), but Price and his "helper" are one step ahead.

It's Price at his wickedly delightful best. And great to see the funny takes of the Bards tales being used as a murder medium. Douglas Hickox (Zulu Dawn, Sitting Target), ably orchestrated the marvellously talent crew of actors through this black humour marathon.

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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars if only shakespeare was this good, 12 Sep 2009

By	Susan Belcher "Su B" (St Helens, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This 1973 Vincent Price movie followed in the footsteps of The Abominable Doctor Phibes [DVD] [1971] and Doctor Phibes Rises Again [DVD] [1972] revenge by using a theme. In this case it is the works of William Shakespeare.

As a number of self opinionated theatre critics start dying horrible deaths it becomes apparent that they have written one bad review too many.

Vincent Price is the hammy Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart who believed that the critics had deliberately humiliated him at the Critics Circle Award. At his lowest point they all sniggered and laughed at him and he jumped from the balcony into the Thames. It was believed that he committed suicide, but having been saved by a group of homeless people, he had been waiting for the opportunity for revenge and revenge would be based on the role that each critic had savaged the most.

The murders are from: Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, Cymbeline, Merchant of Venice, Richard the Third, Othello, Henry the Sixth pt1, Titus Andronicus and King Lear.

Diana Rigg plays Edwina Lionheart, his daughter who blames the critics for her fathers death - even calling Devlin her father's murderer.

The critics are: Peregrine Devlin (Ian Hendry), George Maxwell (Michael Hordern), Hector Snipe (Dennis Price), Horace Sprout (Arthur Lowe), Trevor Dickman (Harry Andrews), Oliver Larding (Robert Coote), Solomon Psaltery (Jack Hawkins), Chloe Moon (Coral Browne), and Meredith Merridew (Robert Morley).

The police are Sergeant Dogge (Eric Sykes) and Inspector Boot (Milo O'Shea).

Also of note is Joan Hickson (Miss Marple) as the harrying wife of Arthur Lowe's Horace Sprout - with this one you feel that Lionheart did him a favour; and Diana Dors as Solomon Psaltery's wife. It was on this film that Vincent Price met his future wife, Australian actress Coral Browne.

It's the tongue in cheek humour that makes the film great.

If only Shakespeare had been this good when I was at school.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dramatic Finale
This is pithy stuff and you don't want to get on the wrong side of Vincent Price as a critics award ceremony, and not get the accolade you think you so richly deserve. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Derek Hunt

5.0 out of 5 stars Theatre of Blood - A film guaranteed to slay the critics!
This is a great film. Built on a fantastic premise - an actor tired of endless criticism starts to bump off some of his most hated critics using murders taken from Shakespeare,... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Victor Tugelbend

5.0 out of 5 stars Tosh of the highest order
Everyone has a marvellous time here and the cast of British character actors reads like a Who's Who of British cinema and theatre in the 70s and before. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Guy Whit

4.0 out of 5 stars Theatre of Blood
As a general rule, I am not especially drawn to horror films - even those which have a strong vein of comedy running through them - but Theatre of Blood (Douglas Hickox, 1973) is... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Oliver Twist

5.0 out of 5 stars Theatre of Blood -- Brush Up Your Shakespeare
I think that Vincent Price is always worth watching. He could be both
horrible and funny at the same time. Theater of Blood is a near perfect
example. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Todd Schaffner

5.0 out of 5 stars Art imitating life?
Vincent Price Edward Kendall Sheridan Lionheart a shakesperian actor who seemingly commited suicide. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Kenneth Lewis

5.0 out of 5 stars It's another Classic VP film
One of my fave films - Vincent Price is fab as a hammy old actor who will only play Shakespearean roles. Constant critical scorn drives him to a failed suicide attempt. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Clegsy

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine combination of wit and gore
Edward Lionheart is a Shakespearean actor who has more ham than talent. His plays have been savaged by the London critics, who now have denied him a great acting honor. Read more

Published 22 months ago by C. O. DeRiemer

5.0 out of 5 stars DON`T LOOSE HEART HARRY.
I first watched this film at the midnight movies in Manchester and I loved it. The story is gruesome to say the least but it is still a very funny film. Read more

Published on 18 Aug 2007 by L. Wilson

4.0 out of 5 stars Horror with comedy
I saw this for the first time recently and recommend it strongly. Vincent Price stars as Edward Lionheart a famous Shakespearean actor who is snubbed at the annual critics awards... Read more

Published on 29 Jul 2007 by S J Buck

› See all 25 customer reviews...

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