Theater of Blood (Theatre of Blood) (Much Ado About Murder) (1973)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Cassandra M

  
  Much like the Shakespearean plays that feature so heavily in the film, Theatre of Blood is packed with tragedy, melodrama, violence and oodles of black humour. Vincent Price plays Edward Lionheart, an actor with a grudge against a circle of critics he believes singled him out for… More
  Much like the Shakespearean plays that feature so heavily in the film, Theatre of Blood is packed with tragedy, melodrama, violence and oodles of black humour. Vincent Price plays Edward Lionheart, an actor with a grudge against a circle of critics he believes singled him out for scathing notices on his season of Shakespeare plays. Believed to be dead, having thrown himself from a high balcony into the Thames, the actually very alive Lionheart wreaks revenge with the help of a strange hippy and a bunch of meths drinking bums. Director Douglas Hickox brilliantly blends comedy and horror to deliver one of the finest horror movies of the 70s and, as far as I am concerned, the best Vincent Price vehicle of all time. Price is fantastic as the crazed actor out to silence his critics forever and wastes no opportunity to camp up his performance to the max, and he is ably supported by an outstanding cast featuring many names and faces that will be familiar to fans of British cinema and TV: Ian Hendry, Arthur Lowe, Michael Hordern, Robert Morley, and Dennis Price appear as critics; Milo O'Shea and Eric Sykes are the coppers out to catch the murderous thespian; and Diana Rigg and Madeline Smith provide the eye candy (Diana Dors too, if you like your women with a fuller figure). Despite being blessed with a witty script, brilliant direction and an unbelievably good cast, it is the inventive death scenes that will probably stick in most viewer's minds the most: each murder is inspired by a different Shakespeare play and this gives the makers of the film ample opportunity to splash a bit of blood across the screen. Arthur Lowe's decapitation is a particularly nasty moment (made easier to stomach by Price's wonderful tongue-in-cheek performance) whilst the poodle-pie sequence is gloriously sick and totally unforgettable. And whilst it is true that there are a few moments which the truly pedantic might pick fault with, the film is so enjoyable that I have no hesitation in awarding Theatre of Blood full marks.

• AJ V

  
  I loved this movie, it's one of my favourite Price flicks. His character is fantastic, the story is great, and it's even got a tinge of comedy. I love it, and I highly recommend it.

• Greg S

  
  A Shakespearean actor kills off the critics who gave him bad notices by recreating death scenes from the Bard's plays. Slyly hilarious black comedy that gives star Vincent Price a chance to show off his full range; it's probably the most literate slasher movie ever made.

• Randy T

  
  Vincent Price is a scorned stage actor out for revenge against the critics who mocked him. One by one his detractors meet gruesome, Shakespeare-inspired ends. Campy but classic. One gets the impression that Price is having a blast, which makes <i>Theater of Blood</i>… More
  Vincent Price is a scorned stage actor out for revenge against the critics who mocked him. One by one his detractors meet gruesome, Shakespeare-inspired ends. Campy but classic. One gets the impression that Price is having a blast, which makes <i>Theater of Blood</i> more fun than gruesome.

• _kelly .

  
  This is how middle schoolers should be taught Shakespeare, and what every aspiring critic should consider before definitively choosing criticism as their profession. For those of us who haven't yet digested the Bard's full portfolio, the film makes clear which murder comes… More
  This is how middle schoolers should be taught Shakespeare, and what every aspiring critic should consider before definitively choosing criticism as their profession. For those of us who haven't yet digested the Bard's full portfolio, the film makes clear which murder comes from which play. Vincent Price plays an exclusively Shakespearean actor, Edward Lionheart, who seeks revenge on the circle of critics who lambasted his life's work. Lionheart enlists the aid of a group of tramps and employs them as both his theatre troupe and conspirators in serial murder. This movie is so camp and hilarious that I don't care that none of the special effects were jazzy enough to be properly filmed (cuts and obstructions are utilized in every murder scene). My favorite critic is the fat one with the two white poodles (and he gets his in a recreation of my favorite scene from Titus). I love the Merchant of Venice revision which allows Shylock to get his pound of flesh. I LOVE Price's Richard III, and the fun there was guessing which murder from the play would be chosen for the critic's death (we're put out of guessing really quickly). SO much campy fun to be had here.

• Robert C

  
  Not one of my favorite Price films, but it is enjoyable. (aren't they all for various reasons?) No one but Price could have pulled this off.

• jay n

  
  Much more fun them the title suggest. Vincent Price and Diana Rigg work very well together.

• Joey S

  
  Vincent Price is fantastic, and the movie has it's fair share of creative murders. A fun horror movie that can entertain despite a bit of cheesiness.

• Barry L

  
  Vincent Price is a god! And the more humorous horror always appealed.

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