Theatre of Death (1967)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

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.

The most interesting thing about this O.K. programer is the presence of Leina Goldina in the lead. She had a someone odd career, appearing in the lead in a Casavettes film, doing a bit of T.V. doing two Hammer films right in the middle of a ten hear lay off, then comming back in some big mid seventies films (small parts) and occasional appearences after that. I used to see ads for her acting workshop in the trades.

Christopher Lee is given top billing in this film but is in it less than one expects from that billing. Regardless this is a very good murder mystery which keeps one on one's toes and guessing right up till the end. Julian Glover is the real star of this film as former police surgeon Charles Marquis who has taken it upon himself to investigate the mysterious murders which involved victims being stabbed in the neck and drained of all their blood? A modern vampire perhaps? or perhaps the explanation is something else entirely?This one kept me entranced to it until the end and while the conclusion does disappoint slightly, I still would recommend this one to fans of murder mystery and horror.

Very much in the Hammer studios vein, with sumptuous sets, and glorious, gory Technicolor, this is a competent chiller. A mix of detective story and vampiric horror, it has a neat twist, and a mundane cast, with Christopher Lee hamming it up as usual. Certainly one to watch on a late night, but no classic.