Theatre of Death

THEATRE OF DEATH

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (Techniscope)

Sound format: Mono

Members of a Parisian Grand Guignol theatre fall under suspicion when the opening of their latest play - featuring a vampire - coincides with a series of murders in which the victims are drained of blood.

Timid shocker, the feature debut of noted playwright and TV/radio producer Samuel Gallu ("Give 'Em Hell, Harry!"). While the theatrical milieu evokes a Gothic tone, the script unfolds like a UK variation on BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964), in which a series of crimes are traced back to a playhouse run by Christopher Lee, an unpleasant Svengali-like character whose sinister demeanour pegs him as an obvious suspect right from the start (which means he's clearly innocent - or does it?). Lee's strengths as an actor are foregrounded during a handful of scenes in which he spars with performers of equal dramatic stature, especially former singing star Evelyn Laye as the theatre's owner, who tolerates Lee's eccentricities for commercial reasons, and talented starlet Lelia Goldoni (HYSTERIA) as the heroine with a dubious history of mental illness who falls under suspicion when Lee goes missing halfway through the picture (or does he?). Jenny Till and Julian Glover are OK in crucial supporting roles. However, the busy plot is stifled by a lack of urgency in Gallu's direction, and Gilbert Taylor's expansive cinematography is slightly compromised by the switch from formal compositions to hand-held anarchy during major (and sometimes not-so-major) set-pieces. Originally released in the US as BLOOD FIEND.