Theatre of Blood
Theatre of Blood (released as Theater of Blood in the United States) is a 1973 British horror comedy film directed by Douglas Hickox. It stars Vincent Price as a deranged Shakespearean actor who takes revenge on his critics, using methods inspired by death scenes from the Bard's plays. Diana Rigg co-stars as his daughter and confidant. The ensemble supporting cast features Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne, Jack Hawkins, Michael Hordern, Arthur Lowe, Robert Morley, Milo O'Shea, Diana Dors, Dennis Price, and Robert Coote in one of his final roles.
Plot
After being humiliated by members of the London Theatre Critics Guild at an awards ceremony, Shakespearean actor Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart is seen committing suicide by diving into the Thames from a great height. He survives and is rescued by a group of vagrants. Two years later, beginning on the Ides of March, Lionheart sets out to exact vengeance against the critics who failed to acclaim his genius, killing them one by one in ways very similar to murder scenes in the season of William Shakespeare's plays that he last performed. Before each murder, Lionheart recites the critic's damning review of his performance in the role.
More details
| author | Anthony Greville-Bell |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | London |
| director | Douglas Hickox |
| editor | Malcolm Cooke |
| events | revenge serial killer |
| genre | comedy crime horror |
| keywords | begin burn cast cymbeline decapitate decapitation dive drown fence force force-feed hector henry v id ides of march joan of arc julius caesar kill king lear one by one othello rescue richard ii richard iii romeo and juliet shakespearean actor shylock sleep stab strike suicide sword fight thames the merchant of venice titus andronicus toy poodle troilus and cressida william shakespeare |
| musicBy | Michael J. Lewis |
| producer | John Kohn Stanley Mann |
| productionCompany | Cineman Productions Harbour Productions Ltd. |
| publisher | United Artists |
| recordedAt | London |
| theme | black comedy comedy horror exploitation horror comedy serial killer |