THEATRE OF BLOOD

 With Vincent Price cast in the lead Douglas Hickox's "Theatre of Blood" was sold as a horror film but it's so much more than that. It is, in fact, a delicious black comedy about an aggrieved Shakespearean actor, (Price, who else), bumping off his critics, (a whole host of Britain's best acting talents), in ways that would have appealed to the Bard himself, beginning with Michael Horden in the manner of Julius Caesar and naturally on the 'ides of March'. In this he is aided by dutiful daughter Diana Rigg.

It is, of course, a camp delight with Price deliberately hamming it up to the nines and if none of its brilliant cast, (others include Dennis Price, Robert Coote, Jack Hawkins, Harry Andrews, Ian Hendry, Arthur Lowe, Robert Morley, Diana Dors, Mrs. Price herself Coral Browne as well as Milo O'Shea and Eric Sykes as a couple of none-too-bright coppers), are around long enough for us to fully appreciate them, just having them gathered together in one film is enough. It may be no masterpiece but it certainly is great fun.