Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Theatre of Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 25, 2014

Douglas Hickox's "Theatre of Blood" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary with Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith; video interview with composer Michael J. Lewis; video interview with actress Madeline Smith; video interview with historian David Del Valle; and more. The release also arrives with a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by film critic Cleaver Patterson and a reproduction of original press book material, illustrated with original archive stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile. Filths savour but themselves. Here, filths. Put money in thy purse."

Vincent Price is Edward Lionheart, a great actor who has had a brilliant season but has been repeatedly snubbed by a group of influential critics. After losing a prominent acting award, Lionheart vows to punish the critics in ways they will surely appreciate.

One after another the critics are killed with style and imagination that have just about everyone but the Inspector in charge with the investigation convinced that Lionheart is the killer. But how could this be? Surely after jumping into the Thames he must have died.

Directed by Douglas Hickox in 1973, Theatre of Blood is a gruesome yet irresistibly funny film with arguably one of the greatest casts ever assembled for such a project. Diana Rigg, Jack Hawkins, Ian Hendry, Arthur Lowe, Harry Andrews, Robert Morley, Dennis Price, Michael Hordern, and Milo O'Shea are only a few of the terrific actors that step in front of the camera to join the gruesome fun.

Price is superb as the madman Lionheart. Assisted by tramps and talentless actors, he frequently recites Shakespeare while punishing the critics who have destroyed his career. Throughout the film the enthusiastic Price undergoes numerous very diverse character transformations -- with the angry Shylock arguably being the best one -- and all of them are very effective.

The supporting cast is equally impressive. For example, in one of the most outrageous sequences in the entire film a trendy critic (Morley) is asked to taste a vintage dish which may or may not have been prepared with parts of his favorite puppies. The brilliant facial expressions and manners make everything work to perfection here. There is also a truly intense sword-fight featuring the chief critic (Hendry) which must have required multiple takes. Even Rigg, who played the sexy Emma Peel in The Avengers, has a key role and leaves a lasting impression.

Other similarly themed films can often look somewhat rough, but Theatre of Blood is stylishly lensed by cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky (Hickox’s Entertaining Mr Sloane, Mike Hodges’ Get Carter) and convincingly edited by Malcolm Cooke (John Schlesinger’s Far from the Madding Crowd, John Guillermin’s Death on the Nile). Indeed, despite its episodic structure, the film has a brisk pace from the get-go.

The film is complimented by a truly unusual but absolutely brilliant soundtrack composed by Michael J. Lewis (Stuart Burge’s Julius Caesar, Jack Gold’s The Medusa Touch). Beautiful flute and oboe solos are part of a rich string orchestration that would have been perfect for a big-budget period drama. The main theme, in particular, is wonderful.

Note: Arrow Video’s Blu-ray release of Theatre of Blood presents the film with the American spelling of the title in the opening credits: Theater of Blood. The old R2 UK DVD release of the film uses the British title: Theatre of Blood.

Theatre of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Douglas Hickox's Theatre of Blood arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

The high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source and it is quite inconsistent. Select close-ups convey good clarity, but image depth is rarely as pleasing as it should be. In fact, where light is restricted most close-ups actually look notably flat (see screencaptures #1 and 5). Contrast levels remain relatively stable. Light grain is visible, but it is mixed with noise. Additionally, traces of light edge-enhancement can be seen throughout the entire film (see screencapture #8). They never become overly distracting, but more sensitive viewers will easily spot their presence. Colors remain relatively stable, but color saturation isn't satisfying. Overall image stability is good. Lastly, there are numerous tiny specks and small scratches that pop up throughout the entire film. All in all, the high-definition transfer is not plagued by compromising digital corrections, but it is very easy to see that there is plenty of room for important improvements in every single area we typically address in our reviews. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Theatre of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Generally speaking, clarity and depth are pleasing. Some minor dynamic fluctuations exist, but they are part of the film's original sound design. Michael J. Lewis' wonderful soundtrack has an important role in the film, but occasionally different sound effects overlap the music themes. For example, listen to the flute and oboe solos early into the film where the horse dragging the dead body appears in the garden. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report, but extremely light hiss occasionally sneaks in.

Theatre of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Theatre of Blood. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• A Harmony for Horror: An Interview with Composer Michael J. Lewis - in this video interview, composer Michael J. Lewis recalls how he was approached to score Theatre of Blood and discusses the harmonic structure of his soundtrack, as well as the manner in which the music compliments the visuals. (Note: There some encoding glitches on the video). In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Staged Reaction: An Interview with Star Madeline Smith - in this video interview, actress Madeline Smith (Rosemary) recalls her work with Douglas Hickox on Theatre of Blood and discusses his directing methods. The actress also recalls how the old theater seen in the film was burned down. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• A Fearful Thespian: An Interview with David Del Valle - in this video piece, film historian David Del Valle discusses Vincent Price's performance in Theatre of Blood, the rather unique cast that was gathered for the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• A Priceless Pot-Boiler: Victoria Price Discusses Theatre of Blood - in this video interview, Victoria Price, daughter of the great actor, discusses some of the Shakespearean roles Vincent Price played, important events from his private life, some of the reasons Theatre of Blood sill stands up, etc. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Commentary - audio commentary with Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith. This is a light and quite entertaining commentary with plenty of hilarious anecdotes (including a rather zesty one), interesting comments about the film's production history and the careers and personal lives of select actors, Vincent Price's body of work, etc.

• Cover art - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Smith

• Booklet - collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by film critic Cleaver Patterson and a reproduction of original press book material, illustrated with original archive stills.

Theatre of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Douglas Hickox's Theatre of Blood was Vincent Price's favorite film. It isn't difficult to see why -- it has a tremendous cast and the blending of humor and horror is very effective. It is also complimented by one of the very best soundtracks that I have heard created for a film of this caliber. Arrow Video's technical presentation of Theatre of Blood is not up to the high standards set by the company with other releases of cult classics, but the supplemental features are once again very good. RECOMMENDED.