A plan to slay the critics
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Vincent Price turns in arguably his greatest performance as Edward Lionheart in "Theatre of Blood," which we put under the forensics microscope last evening. Here are the implications we found:
WHAT IS DIFFERENT AND UNEXPECTED ABOUT “THEATRE OF BLOOD”
AS A HORROR FILM?
·
It’s not especially suspenseful; we’re provided
a lot of information up front, and the tension/suspense mostly pertains to
guessing how Lionheart will fiendishly and cleverly dispense with his next
victim.
·
We don’t sympathize with the victims, except
perhaps for Devlin (probably only because he’s the victim given the most
onscreen time); instead, our allegiances and sympathies are with, ironically
enough, the villain, Lionheart.
·
There is no female love interest; interestingly,
the key female role is played by a woman who disguises herself as a man most of
the picture and turns out to be Lionheart’s daughter.
·
The film is imbued with ample gallows humor and
gory but amusing violence; tonally, this is a movie that balances horror and
comedy quite effectively. Arguably, it’s more entertaining as a comedy than as
a fright film.
·
It’s rare to see Price star in a picture this
graphically violent; in fact, this is the only R-rated movie Price ever starred
in.
·
Thanks to the film’s premise, which is revenge
on the disparaging, snobby critics, this film “has the distinction of being
perhaps the most critic-proof film ever created,” said reviewer Jeremy
Heilman.
·
This movie is also hard to criticize because it
integrates Shakespearean characters, lines and situations into its story; it
exploits the surprisingly violent nature of many of Shakespeare’s plays, which
often feature sadistic, shocking murders, including cannibalism, stabbings,
beheadings and mutilations.
·
Many horror films are B pictures given
shoestring budgets and cast lesser actors. This film features an embarrassment
of riches when it comes to notable British actors cast in key roles, including
Diana Rigg, Jack Hawkins, Arthur Lowe, Ian Hendry, Coral Browne (who after this
movie became Price’s wife), Eric Sykes, Diane Dors, and Michael Hordern.
WHY IS VINCENT PRICE PERFECT FOR THIS ROLE?
·
Because, like the character he’s playing, he has
a reputation for being hammy, over the top, and campy.
·
He’s also not afraid of self parody, which is on
parade throughout this film.
·
The character of Lionheart demands an actor who
has great oratory skills, diction, and vocal presence to deliver Shakespearean
quotes; Price has an incredibly powerful voice seems tailor made to recite
Shakespeare.
·
Additionally, Price had just played a similar
character two years earlier in “The Abominable Dr. Phibes,” which also concerns
a villain exacting terrible revenge in gruesomely inventive ways upon a group
of professionals whom he believes has done him wrong. This film is regarded by
some as a tribute to or lampooning of that movie.
FILMS SIMILAR TO OR LATER INFLUENCED BY “THEATRE OF
BLOOD”:
·
Tower of London (1962)
·
Sleuth (1972)
·
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1973)
·
Se7en (1995)
·
Saw (2004)
OTHER NOTABLE HORROR FILMS FEATURING KEY ROLES BY VINCENT
PRICE:
·
House of Wax
·
House on Haunted Hill
·
Fall of the House of Usher
·
The Pit and the Pendulum
·
Masque of the Red Death
·
Witchfinder General
·
The Abominable Dr. Phibes