31 DAYS OF HORROR 2024 - Day 27: THEATRE OF BLOOD (1973)

 

Brush up your Shakespeare.

Master thespian Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) has trod the boards of the British stage with his performances of the works of Shakespeare for decades, crafting an impressive legacy, but when it is time for his career to be recognized with a prestigious award, his deserved accolade is instead bestowed upon some newcomer nobody by a panel of nine theater critics who have viciously used their reviews to tear down and ridicule the actor for years. 

Master thespian Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price).

Secure in their own haughty self-presumed superiority, the critics think nothing of how their snubs humiliate and destroy the men and women who work so hard to hone their craft, all in the name of promoting the arts, honoring the classics, and entertaining an audience, and their treatment of Lioneart drives him to throw himself to his death from penthouse room where the critics panel goes to celebrate after the awards ceremony. But Lionheart survives, fished out of the river by a gang of alcoholic derelicts, and takes up residence in an opulent abandoned theater. From there he plots revenge upon his critics with grisly reenactments of murders from the works of the Bard, plays for which he was renowned. Aided by his loyal daughter, Edwina (Diana Rigg), Lionheart works his way down the roster of those who humiliated him, while also staying one step ahead of the police. Aided by key theatrical detractor Peregrine Devlin (Ian Hendry), the authorities rely on Devlin's familiarity with Shakespeare and Lionheart's repertoire to predict which famous murder will next be enacted in real life. Unlike the other critics, Devlin holds genuine respect for Lionheart's talents, but he used his critical platform to attempt to goad the actor into stepping into genres other than Shakespeare, as he felt that sticking strictly within the Shakespearean was holding Lionheart back. Nonetheless, hell hath no fury like a thespian scorned, and Lionheart is one vengeful and creative homicidal maniac.

Shylock, from THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, prepares to extract his pound of flesh.

Ah, the utter delight that is 1973's THEATRE OF BLOOD, perhaps the ultimate showcase for the singular excellence that was Vincent Price. One of the grandmasters of cinematic horror, Price has long been one of my favorite actors, for his ability to portray the sinister and the kindly with equal aplomb, but it was as a villain where he was sublime. Some considered his approach to be overwrought, rather fey, and even downright hammy, but I delight in seeing him chew the scenery like nobody's business, and this film provides him with a banquet for his scenery-chewing appetites.

The immolation of Joan of Arc in HENRY VI Part 1, given a 20th Century spin.

Reportedly Price's favorite of his films, THEATRE OF BLOOD allowed Price to go hog wild and play several of the classic Shakespearen roles that he was denied during his career, perhaps due to him being forever pigeonholed as merely a horror actor. In 104 minutes, Price unleashes superb interpretations of characters and murderous scenarios from JULIUS CAESAR, TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, CYMBELINE, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, RICHARD III, ROMEO AND JULIET, OTHELLO, HENRY VI Part 1, TITUS ANDRONICUS, and KING LEAR, and it's a joy to see him flex his legit stage acting chops. He's simply fantastic, simultaneously classy, chilling, and dryly hilarious as Lionheart, and though the character is insane and homicidal, I could not help but root for him to achieve his goals against his critics, whom are a pack of arrogant and pretentious assholes.  

 

Lionheart, in disguise as flamboyant hairdresser "Butch."

As per the works of Willy S., we are treated to a multiple stabbing, a spear impalement, 

 

decapitation, 

 

a pound of flesh extracted (a heart removed steaming from the victim's chest), 

 

drowning an a wine barrel, a sword fight, the orchestrated strangling of a wife by her jealous husband, electrocution to replicate the immolation of Joan of Arc,  force-feeding, 

 

and more. Played totally straight, it's all the blackest of black comedy and it is glorious, especially if you happen to be a Shakespeare nerd.

The entire cast is game, and the ever-classy Diana Rigg tackles the role of Lionheart's equally-Shakespearean daughter with gusto, spending much of the movie unrecognizable in drag in order to throw the authorities off of suspecting her as being her father's accomplice as the body count escalates.

 Diana Rigg.

 

As is no doubt readily apparent, I love THEATRE OF BLOOD and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Price was clearly having the time of his life, and his sense of fun is downright infectious. A must-watch.

Poster for the theatrical release.