"That's what's wrong with the present day horror films. There's no realism. Not like the old ones, the great ones. Frankenstein. Phantom of the Opera. Dracula - the one with Bela Lugosi of course, not this new fellow." Could the speaker be referring to Christopher Lee, one of the stars of this episode’s topic? Join your faithful Grue Crew - Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they investigate the case of The House That Dripped Blood. Their first question? Where’s all the blood!
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 80 – The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
The House That Dripped Blood is the fourth Amicus Productions horror anthology your Grue Crew has covered on Decades of Horror 1970s. Directed by Peter Duffell and adapted by the legendary Robert Bloch from four of his stories, the four segments are tied together by a police detective investigating a disappearance from a peculiar house with a series of occupants who have all experienced decidedly sinister fates. The stories include “Method for Murder” - a writer’s thuggish, literary creation seems to have come to life; “Waxworks” - a forlorn man sees his lost love in a wax museum; “Sweets to the Sweet” - a stern father doesn’t want his daughter reading the wrong books or playing with dolls; and “The Cloak” - an over-the-hill actor in horror films purchases a cloak that unbeknownst to him, has mysterious powers.
The film’s all-star cast includes fan favorites Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee. Additional standout performances in The House That Dripped Blood are given by Jon Pertwee, Denholm Elliott, Tom Adams, Joanna Dunham, Joss Ackland, the enigmatic Geoffrey Bayldon, Nyree Dawn Porter, and Chloe Franks.
The 70s Grue Crew is not bothered by the lack of blood (not a single drop, mind you) in The House That Dripped Blood. Bill goes on at length on how much he thinks of Ingrid Pitt, ,,, and he likes her performance in the film as well. Or maybe it is Chad who says that. Come to think of it, they are all a bit infatuated with Ms. Pitt. They all also remarked as to how disturbing Chloe Franks is as Christopher Lee’s innocent-looking daughter with the devilish smile. Jeff brings up Bloch’s tendency to build stories around ironic twists or jokes and how that tendency is in evidence in the segments of this film. Chad expresses his love for anthology films, and almost in unison, they all marvel at Geoffrey Bayldon’s quirky portrayal and just as quirky makeup as the proprietor of the shop in which the cloak is purchased. Rest assured that your Gure-Crew think The House That Dripped Blood is well worth a repeated watch and that they will definitely be covering more anthology films in the future.
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