The House That Dripped Blood (1970)

[Scott]

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1970) AMC showed this one Friday night at midnight, so I taped it and watched it tonight. This is a Hammer film from England starring many including Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Ingrid Pitt. It has four different tales that happened to those that occupied the same house at different times. Basically the house takes on the personality of the occupants and they kinda meet their own death this way. The best tale is the actor who takes the house while filming a movie and he buys a cape and while wearing it he becomes a real vampire. One of the funny lines in this Hammer film is the actor talks of the old horror films being better he says the ones with Bela Lugosi not that newer one. Of coarse Hammer made most of there own vampire films using Christopher Lee. Below is a picture of Ingrid Pitt from the movie.

[Deej]

The only Hammer films I've ever really watched were the Quartemass movies starring Brian Donlevy. I really need to watch some of these films, because I really Like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Maybe you could list some good titles to check out.

[Scott]

Deej the ones that I have seen are:

Horror of Dracula
Dracula 1972
Abominable Snowman
Lust for a Vampire
Satanic Rites of Dracula
Curse of Frankenstein
Kiss of the Vampire
Plague of Zombies
X The Unknown
Demons of the Mind
The Reptile
Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires
Blood of the Mummys Tomb
Rasputin The Mad Monk

Haven't seen the Quarter Mass films, nor The Devil Rides Out which is suppose to be very good, possibly their best ever.

[Deej]

Thanks Scott, I'll keep an eye out! The Quartermass films are friggin great!! I saw one on Really Cheesy Theater, a few months ago. I had to track down the rest. Fantastic 50's sci-fi! Thanks again, for the list!

[Scott]

Quartermass stuff is suppose to be good, but I've never found it on TV or in the rental stores. Same thing with Devil Rides Out.

I've seen acouple other Hammer Dracula and Mummy films beside the ones listed, but I can't be sure of their exact titles anymore.

[BoyScoutKevin]

It's not really a Hammer film. It's an Amicus film. Hammer did the Dracula and Frankenstein films. Amicus did the horror anthologies. Alot of Americans, even alot of Brits, get the two confused.

I saw this, too. Probably one of the few Amicus films I have not seen. And I liked it alot. I'll talk about it using the main actors in each story.

Denholm Elliot
Probably more twists in this one then in a corkscrew.

Peter Cushing and Joss Ackland.
Why we miss Peter Cushing. Joss Ackland is the one who has changed appearance the most. He once had hair. Recognizable only by his magnificent voice. Nothing dates a film like dressing the characters in the latest fashion trends.

Christopher Lee
And why we'll miss Christopher Lee when he's gone. Interesting, that even at his best, he's often cold and unlovable, and Peter Cushing, even at his worst, is warm and lovable. One wonders if their on-screen personalities were similiar when they were off-screen.

Jon Pertwee and Ingrid Pitt
As Scott said, a nice line gotten off by Pertwee in reference to Dracula, And a nice satire of cheap horror films. This film did not forget what modern filmmakers often forget. Music sets the mood. One wonders if Ingrid Pitt always has her costumes cut to display her two best assets.

It helps that the film was written by two of the best horror writers in the world: Robert Bloch and Richard Matheson. The only downside of the film, for me, was the ending.

As for Cushing and Lee, check them out in the closest thing to a Hammer horror not made by Hammer, "Horror Express." It would have been nice to see the two of them in more films in which they were on the same side. The only other one I can think of at this time is "The Hound of the Baskervilles."

[The Burgomaster]

I bought this DVD when they released it a few months ago.  It would make a good triple feature with BEYOND THE GRAVE and ASYLUM, which are 2 other horror anthology films from the 70s.

[Scott]

Thanks for the info BoyScoutKevin concerning Amicus and yes HORROR EXPRESS is a good one. Really enjoyed that one.