Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price), a Shakespearean actor, fakes suicide after years of bad reviews. He then returns to put on the performances of his life by killing the critics in ways inspired by William Shakespeare himself.
Theater of Blood is a witty black comedy filled with horror, tragedy, drama and all of what is put into a Shakespeare play. Lionheart throws himself over a balcony into the Thames and is believed to be dead but then he recruits the homeless to help him exact revenge on the critics that have ruined his life for years.
Dressing in various disguises, my personal favorite being when Price dresses as gay hairstylist Butch with that massive afro, Lionheart kills each critic is surprisingly bloody and disturbing ways inspired by different plays he has performed in. Forget about the slasher films of today, this film has some of the most creative deaths I have ever seen, the most disturbing of which is the poodle pie made out of one critic’s prized pets.
It amazes me that the police cannot seem to figure out who is killing the critics. Considering that the police narrow it down to someone in the theater by the manner of which they are murdered, and being that Lionheart is the snubbed Shakespearean actor, they cannot seem to get past him killing himself, though no body was ever found. One might think Lionheart would be the first person they would think of but apparently Lionheart’s disguises and acting skills prove superior to what the critics originally believed.
Theater of Blood is quite possibly the best performance of Price’s career, which is ironic considering that his role is playing a bad actor. The role suits him well considering critics gave Price bad reviews for years. Perhaps it was this film that forced them to see him in a new light. After seeing the ways those critics die in the film, I would never give him another negative review.
Enjoy your Vincent Price Tuesday with Theater of Blood and remember to be very careful who you judge. You never know when, or how, it will come back to get you.
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Ann Hale is the horror editor for Pop-Break.com and a senior contributing writer, reviewing horror movies and television shows. She is also the American Correspondent for Lovehorror.co.uk. Ann attended East Carolina University, majoring in English Literature. She is a collector of Halloween (the film) memorabilia and is a self-admitted opinionated horror nerd. You can follow her, her collection and her cat, Edward Kittyhands on Twitter and Instagram @Scarletjupiter
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