Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984)

Director:

Ray Cameron

Writers:

Ray Cameron
Barry Cryer

Release Date:

30 March 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Comedy

Tagline:

The movie that took a lot of guts to make!

Plot:

Six scientists arrive at the creepy Headstone Manor to investigate a strange phenomena which was the...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Satire | Rampage | Mansion | Haunted House

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kenny Everett	...	Dr. Lukas Mandeville
Pamela Stephenson	...	Dr. Barbara Coyle
Vincent Price	...	Sinister Man
Gareth Hunt	...	Elliot Broome
Don Warrington	...	Stephen Wilson
John Fortune	...	John Harrison
Sheila Steafel	...	Sheila Finch
John Stephen Hill	...	Henry Noland
Cleo Rocos	...	Deborah Kedding
Graham Stark	...	The Blind Man
Pat Ashton	...	Barmaid
David Lodge	...	Inspector Goule
Davilia David	...	Sheila's Mother
Debbie Linden	...	Attractive girl
Tim Barrett	...	Doctor
Oscar Quitak	...	Doctor
Ellis Dale	...	Patient
Barry Cryer	...	Police Inspector
Anna Dawson	...	Nurse
Gordon Rollings	...	Man at Bar
Jack Le White	...	Old Man
Ray Cameron	...	Policeman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Derek Lyons	...	Policeman
Michael McIntyre	...	ET (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Ray Cameron

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ray Cameron
Barry Cryer

Produced by
Ray Cameron	....	producer
Stuart D. Donaldson	....	executive producer
John Downes	....	producer
Laurence Myers	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mark London
Mike Moran

Cinematography by
Dusty Miller
Brian West

Film Editing by
Brian Tagg

Casting by
Sue Whatmough

Art Direction by
John Sunderland

Makeup Department
Eric Allwright	....	makeup artist
Elaine Bowerbank	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ken Baker	....	assistant director
Peter Bennett	....	second assistant director (as Peter Bennet Snr)
Paul Taylor	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Heather Armitage	....	assistant art director
Barry Arnold	....	stand-by props
Don Bradburn	....	dressing props
Matthew Camacho	....	painter (as Matt Camacho)
Stephen Challenor	....	carpenter
Bob Cross	....	construction manager
Michael Davis	....	carpenter
Dennis Fruin	....	property master
Bill Keenan	....	storyboard artist
Katie Kilroy	....	production buyer
Ted Lynch	....	painter

Sound Department
David Crozier	....	sound mixer
Chris Munro	....	sound mixer
Ian Munro	....	boom operator
Andy Nelson	....	dubbing
John Stevenson	....	boom operator
Marcus Thompson	....	dubbing

Visual Effects by
Hugh Gordon	....	optical effects

Camera and Electrical Department
George Boner	....	gaffer
Terry Cole	....	camera operator: second unit
David Farrell	....	still photographer
Ron Holmwood	....	electrician
Norman G. Langley	....	camera operator: second unit (as Norman Langley)
John Maskall	....	camera operator
Nick Pearson	....	grip
John Rogers	....	best boy
Andrew Shields	....	video playback operator (as Andy Shields)
Bob Stilwell	....	clapper loader
Bob Stilwell	....	focus puller
Peter Turner	....	clapper loader

Animation Department
Graham Garside	....	animator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jill Dods	....	assistant wardrobe
Paul Vachon	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
David M. Bosley	....	second editor
Judy Summers	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Peter Glazier	....	unit driver
Laurie Rose	....	unit transport manager
Roy Weallans	....	driver: camera car

Other crew
Peter Chambers	....	unit runner
Tony Cryer	....	unit runner
Jo Hallam	....	assistant accountant
John Ignatius	....	follow focus
Cheryl Lea	....	continuity
Cheryl Leigh	....	continuity
Lynda Levy	....	publicist
Sue Mawson	....	unit nurse
Ray Tranter	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Wildwood Productions

Distributors

• Thorn EMI (1984) (UK) (theatrical)
• Goldfarb Distribution
• Media Home Entertainment (video)
• Nucleus Films (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Thorn-Emi Video (1985) (Belgium) (video)
• Video Search of Miami (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cine-Lingual Studios  recording studio
• Howell Opticals  optical effects
• Joe Dunton & Company  camera equipment
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Location Caterers, The  caterer
• National Screen  titles

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (2008) | UK:18 (1987-2008) | UK:18 (1983-1987) | Australia:M | Norway:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Wildwood Productions

Trivia:

Despite being third billed, Vincent Price only has five scenes.

Goofs:

Continuity: A Monk enters the toilet, at the beginning of the onslaught, with an short handled axe and leaves with a large bladed knife.

Quotes:

Dr. Barbara Coyle:Look out, a bat!
Dr. Lukas Mandeville:[a bat falls on Mandeville's hat] A cricket bat?

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Priceless Price & Everett comedy

A group of psychics and ghosthunters return to remote Headstone Manor on the anniversary of a ritualistic mass murder by mysterious monks.

I'm pleased to see only good comments registered on Bloodbath At The House Of Death, because it's one of my favourites. Favoured not for it's technical merit, but for the absolute dedication to Kenny's unique style of comedy - where no joke was either too obvious or too tasteless to be included.

Some of these jokes are supremely tasteless, for example the young woman who offers her bared breasts to the mad monk as he threatens her with a knife: "You want these, don't you?" and then she screams "Oh my god, did you say "To take away?!".

Vincent Price has a very good time as the very Sinister Man.

I was lucky to see this on the big screen here in Australia and I also considered myself lucky to have bought an ex-rental VHS years ago. However there are quite a few dark scenes which VHS tape simply cannot reproduce with adequate definition.

2011 update: In July 2008 a DVD was officially release in the UK and I am very impressed. The video and audio quality are first class (the video transferred from the original negative).

Now we get to enjoy Bloodbath in its original theatrical aspect 1.85:1 - with none of the limitations mentioned for the VHS version. The extra features are valuable - including a pdf file of the script, the UK and USA trailers, and a wonderful, highly informative 22 minute retrospective documentary. I loved seeing snippets of Kenny in Australia promoting the film - and enjoyed learning the background story of how this magnificent purposefully B grade film sadly missed getting the exposure and wide success which it truly deserved.

Twenty five years after the limited cinematic release the world has a second chance to embrace "Bloodbath At The House Of Death" as one of the all-time great kitsch cult classics.