Director: Douglas Hickox
Year: 1973
Country: United Kingdom
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
After several top movie critics are viciously killed, the police discover it is the followers of a celebrated Shakespearean actor, thought dead and ordering them to assist in his revenge on critics who savaged his work, and they race to stop him before his revenge is complete.
Review:
This is one of the finest and most enjoyable efforts in his career. First and foremost, it must be said that this is Vincent Price's movie. Here, he delivers one of his finest performances to date, and it's simply a joy to see Price perform so splendidly in what was obviously a role written specifically for him. That makes his performance all the more watchable, as he's supposed to be acting ham, which is due to the way the film carries itself out. The way the plot dictates matters makes it all the more watchable, as it's quite fun to see how ham Price can be. This, involving a Shakespearean actor seeking revenge on movie critics for harmful reviews, is a role Price was born to play, and here it really works for the film.
Besides the greatness of Price's role, the film is memorable for the method of murder as being one of the most creative and imaginative in horror cinema. Because of the way Price's character is written, basing the deaths on the movie the critic bashed, this is further proof of Price's genius in the role, as the deaths are so much fun to watch, yet require a large amount of intelligence on the viewer to deduce what is going on with the deaths. That is quite a change and one that is quite welcome in the film, giving it the kind of atmosphere to allow for quite an impressive time here. There are a couple of great action pieces in here that are quite entertaining, going off of that, featuring a duel at a fencing school which is inventive and exhilarating, going back and forth between the fighters, a stellar series of gruesome deaths, as well as the opening attack in the theater, which is an effective way to get the movie rolling and delivers lots of chills.
The other big plus here comes from one of the best finales in a long while, which includes a spectacular gathering and the overall burning-down-the-building finish that offers a rather touching finish. These make this one a blast to watch while not really offering up too many flaws. Its biggest problem is that this is a little bit more intelligent than what most of the usual horror fans are used to, since the viewer is required to know Shakespeare and his works, for that drives most of the horror in here. Knowing that will increase the level of involvement in the script as well, since the large amount of detail in here is not something for those who have very little experience with the works of Shakespeare to just get into. Otherwise, this is a great film.
Overview: *****/5
A stellar genre effort in every sense, this has so much to like with Price's best performance and film ever, giving this one some immensely likable factors against just slight drawbacks. Those with an appreciation for this era of genre fare, who are curious about it, or who are intrigued by the creative crew will have a lot to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.
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