Theatre of Death (1967)

Strong and Moving!

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This little thriller plays more like an Italian giallo than your typical British horror film along the lines of Hammer, Amicus and the rest. Gone are the atmospheric locations and supernatural overtones; instead, we have a black-gloved killer murdering girls with a spring-loaded knife and a dedicated police surgeon hunting him down. Much of the film takes place in the theatre of the title, which, as Michele Soavi found twenty years later in his STAGE FRIGHT, makes for an unsettling, atmospheric location.The film benefits from some excellent sets, the design is really artistic. There is also some great camera-work and the colours flow off the screen. The film is thus very arty and nice to look at, and the murder-mystery type plot keeps you guessing until the very end. There are also some good set pieces, with the witch burning being the most arresting, while at the end a half-naked woman indulges in some voodoo dancing.The acting is uniformly good, with Julian Glover a strong, if not likable, hero type, and with extra attention being paid to the female characters in the film, which is unusual and pleasingly different (frankly I'm fed up of the girls being just the victims or the romantic interests). However, as you might have guessed, it's Christopher Lee who deserves the acting honours here, although he only appears in roughly half of the film before disappearing. His arrogant, patronising, self-obsessed director is typical of the actor's roles and one of the best that he's played. If not likable, he is totally believable and invokes a sense of awe when he appears on screen. The film is not particularly gory, with a few splashes of blood here and there to liven things up, but then again it doesn't need to be. It's a pleasing, intelligent horror thriller which retains the interest throughout. There are better films and there are worse, but this is at least nicely crafted.

Theatre of Death is directed by Samuel Gallu and written by Ellis Kadison and Roger Marshall. It stars Christopher Lee, Julian Glover, Lelia Goldoni, Jenny Till, Evelyn Laye and Ivor Dean. Music is by Elisbeth Lutyens and cinematography by Gilbert Taylor.Out of Pennea Productions and filmed in Techniscope/Technicolor, Theatre of Death is based in Paris and finds Lee as a suspicious and bombastic theatre owner whose plays deal in the macabre. When bloodless bodies start popping up in the area, the police take great interest in the goings on at The Theatre de Mort...OK! This is definitely tugging on the coat tales of Hammer Horror, that much is pretty evident from the opening credits, but although blood letting is in short supply here, this is a very nifty and beautiful little creeper. More concerned with the mystery elements than scare tactics, Gallu and Taylor soak the picture in glorious colours and Guignol like atmosphere, and with Lee on blunderbuss overdrive and Lutyens' eerie music hovering spectrally over the top of plotting, this is very much a production of some distinction.Will it scare you? No not really. Is it suspense packed? Again, no not really. But with good twists married to the excellent tech credits, this is very much a horror film for the old classic purists. 7/10

Theatre of Death is set in present day Paris where the Theatre du Mort, which translates into English as the Theatre of Death, is open for business in the seedy backstreet's & specialises in gruesome plays that feature torture & death. Forensic doctor Charles Marquis (Julian Glover) visits his actress girlfriend Dani Gireaux (Leila Goldoni) who has a staring role in the Theatre du Mort's latest production, at a party held by the Theatre's own Philippe Darvas (Christopher Lee) he hypnotises another actress named Nicole Chapelle (Jenny Till) who then almost murders Dani in a trance before Charles stops her. Charles is asked by Inspector Micheaud (Ivor Dean) to help investigate several strange murders, murders where the victims all display the same neck wounds. Charles comes to the conclusion that the killer think of themselves as some sort of Vampire & suspects Darvas but when he to is found dead Charles has to rethink...Originally released in the US under the alternative title of Blood Fiend this English production was directed by Samuel Gallu & was one of several similar sounding films that took some mundane establishment & added some sort of sensationalistic word to make a cool sounding title like Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), Circus of Horrors (1960) & Theatre of Blood (1973) which is not to be confused with Theatre of Death as one stars Vincent Price & is a class while the other features Christopher Lee is is a bland & forgettable mix of ideas. The script can't quite decide what it wants to be, it's part murder mystery, part thriller, part stage musical, part Vampire horror film & part detective drama as none of it really gels together that well. While it's competent & fairly well paced it never grabbed me, I never had any real interest in anything that was happening & the story never drew me in. At 90 odd minutes it does feel quite long at times too. The twist ending is alright, it has no great impact other than it being unexpected & a bit bizarre but at least this is one aspect where Theatre of Death is mildly effective. A rather lethargic & bland film overall I would find it hard to recommend Theatre of Death of anyone, watch the infinitely better Theatre of Blood again instead.The killings are spliced into the film almost at random, none of the victims have any connection to anyone else in the film until the end & there's little build-up to them & we never see that much anyway. There's no real gore, there's a few dead bodies & a bit of brightly coloured blood but nothing else of note. Shot in full 2:35:1 widescreen Theatre of Death looks quite nice with bold & bright colours which look almost garish at times. The opening titles feature skulls & eyeballs are cool but unfortunately the film thereafter goes downhill. The setting of the film is obviously based on the infamous real life Theatre du Grand Guignol which staged similarly gruesome plays in Paris between 1897 & 1962.Although filmed entirely at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire here in England the film is set entirely in Paris. The production values are good but it's shame the film is so forgettable & doesn't deliver on it's promise or it's lurid title. The acting is alright, Christopher Lee gets top billing but only features in the first half of the film.Theatre of Death is a bit of a bore really, I can't say I liked it that much although it looks nice enough & while the twist ending is abrupt & out of context with anything that has gone before it's different & unexpected I suppose. Not one of British horror's finer moments I'm afraid.

This is a suspenseful murder mystery set in Paris. Christopher Lee plays Philippe Darvas, the director of a playhouse named The Theater of Death. Charles Marquis(Julian Glover)is a crime center physician that becomes overly concerned with a series of murders, each bearing evidence that hints at vampirism. Charles feels that his lady friend Dani(Lelia Goldini)and her roommate Nicole(Jenny Till)may be in immediate danger, because they work for Darvas and suspicions make him a prime suspect. Afterall he directs plays that specialize in death. Very creepy atmosphere and music make this one fun to watch. Lee doesn't seem to have much screen time; but just the thought of his presence holds the story together. There is an erotic voodoo dance sequence that is sometimes cut. Other players featured: Joseph Furst, Ivor Dean and Evelyn Laye.