Introduction"The House That Dripped Blood" is a 1971 British scary anthology movie directed by Peter Duffell and produced by Amicus Productions. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, and Jon Pertwee. The movie script, written by Robert Bloch, is based on his own narratives. The film weaves together 4 separate tales, each with a different director and connected by a typical aspect: a foreboding old home in the English countryside where each of the spooky stories unfolds.
Framework StoryThe movie's frame narrative includes a cops inspector, who is examining the disappearance of a famous star. He visits the eponymous house and is informed by the estate agent that your house has a history of unusual occasions. This setup enables the film to shift between the four stories, each presented as a case history of the house's former occupants.
"Method for Murder"The first story, "Method for Murder", follows a scary author called Charles who moves into your house with his better half, Alice, hoping the gothic setting will inspire his writing. As Charles dives into his most recent murder-mystery book, he starts to see visions of the homicidal character he's produced, a strangler named Dominic. The visions become progressively regular and disturbing, leading Charles to question his peace of mind. When he learns that the delusion of his creativity has actually attacked Alice, he reaches a snapping point. It's ultimately exposed that Alice was having an affair with her psychiatrist, and they were utilizing the guise of Dominic to drive Charles mad.
"Waxworks"The 2nd sector, "Waxworks", stars Peter Cushing as Philip, a retired stockbroker who becomes interested, and after that obsessed, with a figure in a wax museum's Chamber of Horrors resembling a woman he was once in love with. He befriends another man, Neville, who shares a comparable fascination. The spooky resemblance drives a wedge in between the males as they are taken in by their fixation. In the end, Philip finds out that the museum's proprietor has been murdering people to produce his wax figures and that the figure they both admired is indeed his lost love, who has actually been protected in wax after her death.
"Sweets to the Sweet"In "Sweets to the Sweet", Christopher Lee depicts John Reid, a stern, overprotective father to his young child Jane. He employs a personal tutor, Ann, for her given that he refuses to send her to school. Ann discovers John's treatment of Jane upsetting, including his denial of dolls and form of normal youth. Ultimately, Ann discovers that Jane has a fondness for witchcraft, which she has been using to get back at her controlling dad. It turns out that John's fears were well-founded as his family has a history of witchcraft, and Jane was utilizing her powers to take revenge. In a twist of fate, Jane's magic results in her daddy's death.
"The Cloak"The final story, "The Cloak", is a lighter, darkly comedic tale focused around a pompous scary movie actor called Paul. Frustrated with the poor quality of the props in his current movie, he buys an authentic cloak from a peculiar store owner, only to discover that the cape offers him the powers of a vampire. His co-star in the beginning believes it's a sophisticated trick, but quickly the line in between reality and film blurs, culminating in an entertaining twist where both actors end up being real vampires.
Conclusion"The House That Dripped Blood" brings together these four tales of horror with a sense of traditional gothic horror and a touch of campy humor. The episodic structure enables an abundant variety of stories, all unified by the grim history of the central home. Despite the guarantee of its title, the film is more suggestive and psychological than gory, concentrating on eeriness and suspense over visceral horror. With its star-studded cast and innovative stories, "The House That Dripped Blood" stays a cult classic that discovers an unique place in the scary anthology subgenre.
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