Chad

Spiderbite

Note that you can stream this for free with Amazon Prime and the transfer is fantastic!

I grew up reading tons of horror anthology books geared at kids and teens which is why I will always give think kind of movie a fair shake. I really want to love horror anthology movies but I always seem to be let down by the majority of them. This one was no exception.

It starts off strong but gradually decreasing in story quality as it goes on. Actually the first three stories are pretty damn enjoyable but the fourth story takes the movie in a serious nosedive. I guessed the first twist of "Method For Murder" but didn't guess the second one. That twist seemed straight out of an old horror comic. I also really enjoyed "Waxworks" and Peter Cushing does a great job as usual. The ending was the most satisfying of all the shorts for me.

The third story "Sweets For The Sweet" was well done but a little less interesting than the first two. I will say that it did not go the way I was expecting either. The fourth and final story, "The Cloak" was definitely the weakest of the four but it did have a couple of decent comedic lines in it.

The wraparound was just there. It wasn't good or bad but just seemed to be there to somehow connect the stories and have a "surprise" ending.

All in all, a good time and definitely not a waste of time.

My rating: ***1/2 out of *****

Trevor

I always get this confused with one of a few other British anthology films; but I enjoy them all so it doesn't matter which one I pop in.

indiephantom

Okay, what a genre cast! I haven't seen enough Amicus or Hammer cinema, but any time I watch I'm always impressed with the atmosphere and the gallows humor. This was no exception.

What were your favorite stories? I thought Sweets to the Sweet was the best as the little girl was fantastic. Don't mess with a girl's doll! The Waxworks story also had a great hook and the twist in Method for Murder held up. The Cloak was okay, but it was the silliest and kind of a weaker finish than the pic deserved.

Agree with Spiderbite that the wraparound was inessential. Also, the house itself really didn't effect the stories much and Waxworks essentially took place at the nearby town. That setting was great, though.

Trevor

I love the title, but don't think there was a single drop of blood all film.

DaveyJoe

I admitted in the Vampire Lovers thread that I'm not as familiar with the Hammer films as I should be, but I really liked this one, even if it felt like a pseudo parody/homage to those flicks. I'm also a sucker for good anthology stories and this really felt like classic Tales from the Crypt. Great twists, I love that the first story had twist upon twist, I thought I had that one all figured out.. nope!

The third segment with Christopher Lee was my favorite, the actress playing his daughter did a wonderful job, so creepy. What I loved about that performance is that they didn't go for the cliche evil child that looks ominously at everybody around them. Instead, she seemed like an average girl, the innocence in her eyes and her gleeful disposition made that character far more disturbing.

I also liked the final comedic segment more than others here. The beauty of an anthology film is that you can have stories with different themes and tones. I thought the humorous nature of the final segment was refreshing after three dark tales. I also like that you had horror icons like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in this movie, and the final tale is about a pompous, egotistical horror icon, kind of affectionately poking fun at those guys. I thought it was really funny.

My only issue, and it's not specific to this movie, is that I'm kind of sick of listening to high class British accents. The Uninvited, The House on Haunted Hill, The Comedy of Terrors, Vampire Lovers, Dr. Phibes... why does every British horror movie focus on aristocratic characters that smother you with politeness and proper etiquette? I am sick of hearing people use "indeed" and "quite" as complete sentences. At least with Dr. Phibes the movie was making fun of the bumbling police officers. I mean, I enjoyed the movies, but I guess I can only tolerate so much of that type of conversation.

ntnon

Boooooo! And that's not really an upper class thing, that's just normal expediency and/or a good sense of dry humour.

Undeadcow

One thing I love about The House that Dripped Blood is how totally "un-serious" (made up word) it takes things - especially the last cape segment which I think perfectly balances humor and horror. It's rare these days to see movies that don't veer too far into campy humor but can deliver tongue in cheek twists. The first segment with it's twist upon twist is braindead but a nice joke at the viewers. Although the framing story is of little consequence the last shot really pays off. Even the over the top title and lurid but totally inaccurate poster seems to poke fun at things in a manner subtle enough to be near brilliant. I think Cushing is a under-used in a pedestrian role but Christoper Lee is chilling at the misunderstood father who ends up really being the victim (I can totally relate to that, vile kids that I have myself). House that Dripped Blood is overdue for a high definition release.

DaveyJoe

I'm sorry, are you British? I honestly meant no offence, and I appreciate dry humor, which is why I particularly enjoyed Dr. Phibes. It's just that the British films of this period are so... theatrical, which is not what we're used to with modern American films, and the style of conversation seems so forced with faux politeness. It just kind of nagged on me after watching 5 or 6 movies like that this month. The "indeed" and "quite" thing was probably a bad example, I just got sick of each of these films focusing on privileged, upper class characters talking fancy. A Michael Caine horror movie about a working class dude would have really been refreshing.