Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good movie but grossly overrated

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

As horror anthologies go, I thought this was a pretty good one, with it's fair share of horror luminaries appearing in the stories offered. Although most of them had predictable endings, they were presented in an entertaining manner. The first one, 'Method for Murder' was probably the one with the most unique twist because the Dominick/Richard character (Tom Adams) turned on his lover Alice (Joanna Dunham) after doing away with husband Charles (Denholm Elliott). That's one you probably wouldn't have seen coming.What could have made the second chapter "Waxworks" better in my estimation would have been to have Philip Grayson (Peter Cushing) wind up as the House of Horrors caretaker, with the original proprietor (Wolfe Morris) in the closing scene with his head on a platter. True, the guy wasn't a guest at the "The House That Dripped Blood", so that would have strayed from the overall theme a bit, but it would have been a more ironic twist.The third segment, "Sweets to the Sweet" placed Christopher Lee in the uncharacteristic role of a victim to his young daughter Jane (Chloe Franks) via the old voodoo ritual route. When she threw the wax doll in the fireplace, it would have been cool if one got a glimpse of Lee's face melting in unison. That was a pretty diabolical kid.The fourth entry, "The Cloak", has a Dracula flavor with concessions to vampire lore like unreflective mirrors and blood sucking fangs, and I got the biggest kick when Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee) states that his favorite Dracula actor was Bela Lugosi and not 'the new fella', an obvious dig at Christopher Lee's role in the Hammer series of the era.Framing each of these stories is the idea of a malevolent house that reflects the personalities of the people living in it, thereby resulting in murder and mayhem. Unfortunately, for viewers who were left waiting, the house that dripped blood didn't, which in itself was ironic, having been rented by a real estate agent named Stoker.

Another anthology from horror studio Amicus, The House That Dripped Blood features four macabre tales written by Psycho author Robert Bloch, with a wraparound story in which Detective Inspector Holloway (John Bennett) investigates the mysterious disappearance of a famous horror movie-star and learns of several other cases all linked to a creepy old house.The first case is that of Charles Hillyer (Denholm Elliott), a horror novelist who moves into the house to write his next novel, Dominick the Strangler. As Hillyer gets stuck into his work, he becomes convinced that the titular character from his latest book is stalking him. It's a solid way to kick off the film, with Elliot putting in a fine performance, and director Peter Duffell delivering plenty of suspense and chills, helped no end by Tom Adams as grinning loon Dominick, who looks convincingly deranged as he lurks in the shadows.Tale number two, Waxworks, is my least favourite, which I find surprising since it stars Peter Cushing, one of my all-time favourite horror actors. Cushing plays retired businessman Philip Grayson, one of a pair of old love rivals who lose their heads after paying a visit to a Museum of Horror, where one of the exhibits bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman they both loved. Duffell does his best to make something of the weak material, using strong red and green lighting to add a sense of the unreal, but the result is still rather forgettable.Another horror legend—Christopher Lee—turns up for tale number three, but like Cushing, he is unable to turn what is a rather predictable tale into anything special. If you can't guess how this one is going to end by the halfway mark, then you clearly haven't seen enough horror films. Lee plays the frightened father of a young girl with a secret; Nyree Dawn Porter is the teacher who cannot understand what he is so scared of.For my money, the final story offers the most entertainment value, and here's why: a) the story is fun and delivers quite a few genuinely amusing moments (with a couple of neat in-jokes for horror fans), b) Ingrid Pitt's cleavage is fantastic, and c) it stars both Worzel Gummidge and The Crowman (Jon Pertwee and Geoffrey Bayldon AKA Catweazle). Pertwee is wonderful as pompous horror actor Paul Henderson, who buys a cape from Bayldon for his latest role as a vampire; the only problem is that whenever he wears the cape, he becomes a vampire for real.Pertwee and Pitt pop up again as vampires in the last part of the wraparound tale to attack Holloway, who has payed a visit to the house against the advice of estate agent A.J. Stoker (John Bryans). Stoker closes the film by finally revealing the secret of the creepy property, but the explanation for the supernatural occurrences is something of a damp squib.5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for Pertwee and Pitt.

A Scotland Yard investigator looks into four mysterious cases involving an unoccupied house: 1) A writer encounters a strangler of his own creation, 2) Two men are obsessed with a wax figure of a woman from their past, 3) A little girl displays an interest in witchcraft, and 4) A film actor discovers a cloak which gives him a vampire's powers.Amicus made numerous anthologies in the 1970s, and this is one of them. Like others of the era, it came from the typewriter of Milwaukee writer Robert Bloch (who is best known for "Psycho"). Could we ask for a better scribe? (Well, Richard Matheson, perhaps, but not many others.) Like most anthologies, there are stronger and weaker segments. The wax museum is a bit weak, saved only by the joy of watching Peter Cushing. The strangler segment is also a bit lackluster. The vampire cloak is decent, even if the role was a bit over the top... seeing Ingrid Pitt in another vampire tale is cool. The best, though, by far, was the witchcraft story with Christopher Lee. Perfectly paced, perfectly acted, and just the right length.One thing that really made this one fun was the in-jokes, such as saying Bela Lugosi was a better Dracula than the "new guy", when that new guy was (of course) Christopher Lee. This has the double impact of ribbing Lee, as well as making a crack about Hammer, the inferior Amicus competitor.

And it shows here in this anthology movie of four stories using British horror actors.The first story is probably the weakest, about a horror writer who thinks he is slowly going mad, but it's really his wife and actor boyfriend messing with him.The second story is about Peter Cushing as a newly retired man who develops a fascination with a wax mannequin of a woman who looks like an ex-girlfriend. Again, Cushing is a good actor, but he barely saves a weak story.Third Story- Christopher Lee as the father of a little girl who turns out to be a witch. Somewhat effective horror here.Finally, Jon Pertwee (Doctor Who #3) as a flamboyant horror actor who find himself in possession of a cape that gives him the attributes of a vampire. I think this is really the best of the four stories, but that's because Pertwee was trying to prove himself with a performance, while Lee and Cushing were just phoning it in.