The House That Dripped Blood
Encyclopedia
The House That Dripped Blood is a 1970 British horror anthology film
directed by Peter Duffell and distributed by Amicus Productions
. It stars Christopher Lee
, Peter Cushing
, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott
, and Jon Pertwee
. The film is a collection of four short stories, all originally written and subsequently scripted by Robert Bloch
, linked by the protagonist of each story's association with the eponymous building. The film carries the tagline "TERROR waits for you in every room in The House That Dripped Blood."
is called to investigate. Inquiring at the local police station
, Holloway is told some of the house's history. He then contacts the realtor renting the house, who elaboates further.
of horror stories (Denholm Elliot) moves into the house with his wife (Joanna Dunham) and is haunted by visions of Dominic (Tom Adams), the murderous, psychopathic central character of his latest novel.
) quickly discovers.
"Method For Murder"
"Waxworks"
"Sweets to the Sweet"
"The Cloak"
was first offered the part of Paul Henderson. He liked the script but was unable to accept because American International Pictures held an exclusive contract with him for horror films.
Originally, director Peter Duffell wanted to have the title Death and the Maiden. Producer Milton Subotsky decided on the more dramatic The House That Dripped Blood. Not one drop of blood appears in the actual film.
When Peter Duffell was attached the participation of actors Lee, Cushing and Pitt had already been decided by the producers. All other actors were cast by Duffell
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
directed by Peter Duffell and distributed by Amicus Productions
Amicus Productions
Amicus Productions is a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England. It was founded by American producer and screenwriter Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg.-Horror:...
. It stars Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
, Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott
Denholm Elliott
Denholm Mitchell Elliott, CBE was an English film, television and theatre actor with over 120 film and television credits...
, and Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
. The film is a collection of four short stories, all originally written and subsequently scripted by Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
, linked by the protagonist of each story's association with the eponymous building. The film carries the tagline "TERROR waits for you in every room in The House That Dripped Blood."
Plot
Shortly after renting an old country house, film star Paul Henderson mysteriously disappears and Inspector Holloway from Scotland YardScotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
is called to investigate. Inquiring at the local police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
, Holloway is told some of the house's history. He then contacts the realtor renting the house, who elaboates further.
"Method For Murder"
A hack writerHack writer
Hack writer is a colloquial and usually pejorative term used to refer to a writer who is paid to write low-quality, rushed articles or books "to order", often with a short deadline. In a fiction-writing context, the term is used to describe writers who are paid to churn out sensational,...
of horror stories (Denholm Elliot) moves into the house with his wife (Joanna Dunham) and is haunted by visions of Dominic (Tom Adams), the murderous, psychopathic central character of his latest novel.
"Waxworks"
Two friends (Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland) become fixated with a macabre waxwork museum that appears to contain a model of a lady they both knew."Sweets to the Sweet"
A private teacher (Nyree Dawn Porter) is perturbed by the cold and severe way a widower (Christopher Lee) treats his young daughter (Chloe Franks), even forbidding her to have a doll."The Cloak"
A temperamental horror film actor Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee) moves into the house while starring in a vampire film being shot nearby. He buys a black cloak from a peculiar shopkeeper (Geoffrey Bayldon) to use as his film character's costume. The cloak seems to instill in its wearer strange powers, something Paul's co-star (Ingrid PittIngrid Pitt
Ingrid Pitt was an actress best known for her work in horror films of the 1960s and 1970s.-Background:Pitt was born Ingoushka Petrov in Warsaw, Poland to a German father of Russian descent and a Polish Jewish mother. During World War II she and her family were imprisoned in a concentration camp...
) quickly discovers.
Cast (by segment)
"Framework"- John BennettJohn Bennett (actor)John Bennett was an English actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he was educated at Bradfield College in Berkshire, then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, followed by a wide Rep experience including Bromley, Bristol Old Vic, Dundee, Edinburgh Festival and Watford before going to...
as Detective Inspector Holloway - John BryansJohn BryansJohn Bryans was a British actor, who appeared frequently on television.He is possibly best known for his recurring role as Bercol during the first two series of Blake's 7. He also appeared in the third series as the torturer Shrinker...
as A.J. Stoker - John MalcolmJohn Malcolm (actor)John Malcolm was a Scottish actor who appeared in numerous films and television productions over a 40 year period....
as Sergeant Martin
"Method For Murder"
- Denholm ElliottDenholm ElliottDenholm Mitchell Elliott, CBE was an English film, television and theatre actor with over 120 film and television credits...
as Charles Hillyer - Joanna DunhamJoanna DunhamJoanna Dunham is an English actress, best noted for her work on stage and television. She has also appeared in several major motion pictures.-Career:Dunham was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England...
as Alice Hillyer - Tom AdamsTom Adams (actor)Tom Adams is an English actor with roles in horror and mystery films, and several TV shows.He starred as Charles Vine in Licensed to Kill and the sequels Where the Bullets Fly and Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy .His television credits include General...
as Richard/Dominic - Robert LangRobert Lang (actor)Robert Lang was an English actor of stage and television. Laurence Olivier invited him to join the new National Theatre Company, at the Old Vic, Robert Lang was already earning high praise as an actor. From 1971 until his death he was married to Ann Bell, best known for her portrayal of Marion...
as Dr. Andrews - Judy PaceJudy PaceJudy Lenteen Pace is an American stage and screen actress.-Career Biography:Pace became a familiar face in the 1970s on both the big and small screen, appearing in popular blaxploitation movies and popular television shows. She played a character on the soap opera One Life to Live...
as Armenia McCormick
"Waxworks"
- Peter CushingPeter CushingPeter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
as Philip Grayson - Joss AcklandJoss AcklandSidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE , known as Joss Ackland, is an English actor who has appeared in more than 130 films and numerous television roles.-Early life:...
as Neville Rogers - Wolfe MorrisWolfe MorrisWolfe Morris was a British film and television actor.He played character roles on stage, television and in feature films from the 1950s until the 1990s. He made his film debut in Ill Met by Moonlight. His grandparents were from Kiev and escaped the Russian pogroms, arriving in London in about 1890....
as Waxworks Proprietor
"Sweets to the Sweet"
- Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
as John Reid - Nyree Dawn Porter as Ann Norton
- Chloe FranksChloe FranksChloe Franks is an American actress. She portrayed Katy Coombs in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? alongside actress Shelley Winters who played Aunt Roo, and actor Mark Lester, who played her brother, Christopher....
as Jane Reid - Hugh ManningHugh ManningHugh Manning was an English film and television actor. He is best remembered as the Reverend Donald Hinton, in the soap opera Emmerdale, a role he played from 1977 until 1989.-Early life:...
as Mark
"The Cloak"
- Jon PertweeJon PertweeJohn Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
as Paul Henderson - Ingrid PittIngrid PittIngrid Pitt was an actress best known for her work in horror films of the 1960s and 1970s.-Background:Pitt was born Ingoushka Petrov in Warsaw, Poland to a German father of Russian descent and a Polish Jewish mother. During World War II she and her family were imprisoned in a concentration camp...
as Carla Lynde - Geoffrey BayldonGeoffrey BayldonGeoffrey Bayldon is a British actor. After playing roles in many dramas including Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series Catweazle , after turning down the opportunity to play both the First and Second Doctors in the long-running BBC science fiction...
as Theo von Hartmann
Production
Vincent PriceVincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
was first offered the part of Paul Henderson. He liked the script but was unable to accept because American International Pictures held an exclusive contract with him for horror films.
Originally, director Peter Duffell wanted to have the title Death and the Maiden. Producer Milton Subotsky decided on the more dramatic The House That Dripped Blood. Not one drop of blood appears in the actual film.
When Peter Duffell was attached the participation of actors Lee, Cushing and Pitt had already been decided by the producers. All other actors were cast by Duffell
Home media
| Format | Audio | Subtitles | Region DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
Aspect Ratio | Studio | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DVD-Video, NTSC NTSC NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as... |
English: Stereo |
English, Spanish |
Region 1 | 1.85:1 | Lions Gate Home Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California... |
October 28, 2003 |
| DVD-Video, PAL PAL PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system... |
English: Dolby Stereo, 5.1 Dolby Surround, DTS 5.1 Surround |
none | Region 2 | 1.85:1 | Anchor Bay Entertainment Anchor Bay Entertainment Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,... |
October 27, 2003 |