The House That Dripped Blood

The horror anthology was a specialty of Amicus Productions, a British studio that came across like a poor cousin to the more famous house of Hammer. Written by the legendary Robert Bloch, this 1971 film (the titular dwelling is the same cursed manor at the center of Amicus's later, most famous, production, Tales from the Crypt) features several Hammer stars, including Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. In “Sweets to the Sweet,” Lee plays widower John Reid, father of a young daughter whom he fears will follow in her mother's footsteps and learn black magic. In “Waxworks,” Cushing portrays a man obsessed with a Salome figure in a wax museum. Bracketing these are the opening story, “Method for Murder,” with Denholm Elliott as horror writer Charles Hillyer, whose latest villain comes to life; and the final tale, “The Cloak,” a whimsical piece about hammy actor Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee, the third Doctor Who), whose cape turns him into a real vampire. The lurid violence and sex that were staples of Hammer movies are absent here, but neither are these stories particularly gripping or scary. Director Peter Duffell manages to evoke a gloomy atmosphere on a small budget, but he's not particularly adept at creating tension. Still, The House That Dripped Blood remains interesting for the cast and the involvement of Bloch, who adapted his own stories for the screen. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)