Theater of Blood (1973)

Cast

Diana Rigg
as Edwina Lionheart
Vincent Price
as Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart
Dennis Price
as Hector Snipe
Robert Morley
as Meredith Merridew

Get more information about Theater of Blood (1973) on IMDb

Genres & Description

Action Comedy Crime Drama Fantasy Horror

7.3 / 10

Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) stars as an actor overlooked for a critics' acting award, despite producing a season of Shakespeare plays. After confronting the Critics' Circle, an attempted suicidal dive into the Thames results in Lionheart being rescued by your typical paraffin/meths/turps swigging tramps. Lionheart then (presumed dead) exacts his grizzly, and quite amusing revenge on the critics who denied him his finest hour.

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Comments on this trailer
Comments may include spoiler!

Richard Fontane

yoohoo you naughty man - @Sunday, July 15, 2018 4:46 PM

Max Headroom

Don't watch it if you are a dog lover that was the most disturbing moment. - @Friday, October 27, 2017 12:25 PM

kyokogodai

A classic piece of film!!! One of the best movies ignored by the masses. Thanks to local UHF channel 50 WKBD and channel 20 WXON fo showing this film on a consistent basis during my youth. - @Wednesday, October 25, 2017 4:28 AM

Valkyrie Ziege

; 'Se7en' is based on this horror masterpiece! - @Wednesday, August 24, 2016 10:12 PM

schizoidboy

They've been showing this on cable recently; the humor mixed with horror is just unique, something you'll probably never see again - unless someone decides to just be inspired by this movie and tries something original (i.e. not a remake). One good thing about this film is the referrence to all the Shakespear plays people never heard of, where some of the nastier murders take place, I've never heard of Cymbeline until I saw this movie and boy it's pretty nasty sawing someone's head off while they're sleeping, but it's funny if the wife still complains about his snoring only to get a hypodermic in the rear. - @Saturday, September 26, 2015 1:17 AM

Bradley Lyndon

I do love this film and I feel it is one of Price's true gems, but The Abominable Doctor Phibes is my favorite Price film and performance. In the first half of Phibes he somehow manages to be creepy, menacing, funny, clever, sympathetic and completely mesmerizing without uttering a word, and when he plugs that wire into his neck and begins to "talk" moving only his throat...well that's just one of my favorite moments from any film ever made. Theater of Blood, for all of its numerous merits, feels ever so slightly less inspired to me. That's not to say I don't adore it! - @Tuesday, June 23, 2015 4:50 AM

Jack Grattan

I think that an unsung influence on this film and (more overtly) the DR. PHIBES movies was the hugely popular AVENGERS TV show. Same dark, tongue in cheek, over the top plots balanced with dark, tongue in cheek, over the top wit. Having the beautiful Diana Rigg on hand helps. Incidentally, this was the movie that I lost my virginity to, and seeing it again makes me feel really old. - @Wednesday, January 14, 2015 12:44 AM

Metaluna Zombie

one of price's funniest movies good laugh - @Friday, September 12, 2014 1:16 PM

Compound Nihilist

A fascinating and knowledgeable commentary with loads of trivia, but the best part was hearing the unforeseen scholastic benefits this movie had on Mr. Spencer. Well done. - @Sunday, March 9, 2014 4:09 AM

newalm

"Dishy, dish, who is that big beautiful thing with you?" - @Monday, January 27, 2014 1:12 AM

Paul Oliver

A very fine review of a very fine film of its kind...British Horror at this time was either Anthology based, or the dying embers of Hammer. Vincent price is wonderful in this; just as he is in so many films...urbane, camp-but not too camp, and intense. One of my favourite films of all time. But why is your review so rushed???? - @Saturday, November 2, 2013 11:13 PM

diddymuck

One of the victims is Dennis Price, who played a similar role as a vengance hungry son of an abused woman who died in poverty when her upstairs family severed ties. Name of film...Kind Hearts and Coronets! - @Wednesday, May 1, 2013 9:47 AM

Tim McCaffrey

Theater of blood might well be Vincent Prices best film and he was helped by not only the greats of the British acting world, but by wonderful music and top class production values.There seems to be something vaguely hypnotic about Prices Shakespearean ranting combined with a London of 1972 which is now no more. Milo O Shea who played the bushy eyed inspector died just last week 86 yrs.....while for Ian Hendry who played Devlin it was all down hill and he died forgotten and broke in his 50s. - @Tuesday, April 16, 2013 11:13 PM

YellowCerberus18

No it's a race of aliens in Star Trek...:) (Not a joke, there is a race of aliens called the kardassians in ST) He's talking about those irritants otherwise known as the Kardashians. - @Friday, March 8, 2013 7:46 AM

Gaius Julius

Whats a carashian? A eurotrash car? - @Saturday, March 2, 2013 11:49 AM

Lukas Mariman

I agree! There was something about Price; he could be murdering people left & right and somewow you still loved the guy. - @Thursday, February 28, 2013 5:51 AM

King of All Buttocks

Thank you Mr. Spencer, for your erudite and Oscar worthy review! You've said everything I thought about Vincent and this movie!! - @Wednesday, February 27, 2013 6:34 PM

avastyer

Great movie and a wonderful commentary! - @Wednesday, February 27, 2013 11:11 AM

Deep Desertt

I have this movie on DVD! - @Monday, February 25, 2013 4:51 PM

ShadowAtSanctum

I'm guessing this inspired many things later. For example the Sledge Hammer! episode Last of the Red Hot Vampires directed by Bill Bixby and wrote by Alan Spencer. It's amazing how something this good can inspire new material so that eventually people are making similar content without ever even seeing the original. Effects were not as good back then, but the acting was good enough to make you buy into the film. Now it seems few actors even try, but the few that do stand out even more. - @Monday, February 25, 2013 3:08 PM