Theatre of Death (1967)

The Theatre of Death in Paris specializes in horror presentations. A police surgeon finds himself becoming involved in the place through his attraction to one of the performers. When ... See full summary »

Director:

Samuel Gallu

Writers:

Ellis Kadison (screenplay), Roger Marshall (screenplay)

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Julian Glover, Lelia Goldoni

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Lee	...	Philippe Darvas
Julian Glover	...	Charles Marquis
Lelia Goldoni	...	Dani Gireaux
Jenny Till	...	Nicole Chapelle
Evelyn Laye	...	Madame Angelique
Ivor Dean	...	Inspector Micheaud
Joseph Fürst	...	Karl Schiller (as Joseph Furst)
Betty Woolfe	...	Colette
Leslie Handford	...	Joseph
Fraser Kerr	...	Pierre
Dilys Watling	...	Heidi
Steve Plytas	...	Andre, Patron of Cafe
Miki Iveria	...	Patron's Wife
Terence Soall	...	Ferdi
Ester Anderson	...	La Poule (as Esther Anderson)

Storyline

The Theatre of Death in Paris specializes in horror presentations. A police surgeon finds himself becoming involved in the place through his attraction to one of the performers. When bloodless bodies start showing up all over town, he realizes there could be links with the theatre.

---

Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | vampire | theater | tape recorder | stabbed in the neck | 

---

Taglines:

The bood fiend will disgust and repel those to weak to share a living nightmare of the bizarre!

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Theatre of Death actors Christopher Lee and Julian Glover were in Star Wars films. Lee was Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones (2002), and Glover was General Veers in Empire Strikes Back (1980).

---

Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure an 'X' rating. All cuts were waived in 2001 when the film was granted an '15' certificate for home video.

---

Connections

References The Whip and the Body (1963)

---

Soundtracks

Shock Treatment
(uncredited)
Music by Trevor Duncan
Josef Weinberger Ltd

User Reviews

Better hold onto your head...

The plot centers around the cast of a Grand Guginol theatre group.Guginol refers to bloody & horrific explotative plays.The troupe is lead by the cold & cruel Darvas.(Darvas is wonderfully played by Christopher Lee).Darvas thinks nothing of ridiculing & humiliating his cast to get exactly what he wants. Seemingly he has no soul and no regard for human emotions other than acting them out.

A series of vampiric murders is tied in with the theatre group.Is Darvas more than just a Svengali? Is he a vampire? Without giving too much away cannibalism is the driving force behind the murders.Who is the killer stalking the cast?

This clocks in at above average. There are plenty of red herrings but the cast plays it gamely.Everyone has secrets to hide,some more terrible than others. The ending is a bit of a twist.You could do worse than to watch this one.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Theater of Death

Filming Locations:

Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pennea Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1