Theatre of blood is the tale of frustrated stage actor and Shakespeare fanatic, Edward Lionheart’s (Vincent Price) , bloody vengeance against the critics who humiliated him at a renowned awards show. After failing to get the recognition he feels he deserves, Price confronts the critics at their after party celebration where he steals an award statue and acts out a few tragic scenes from his performance before tipping himself over the balcony, plummeting into the river backing the hotel. After washing up on the shore, Price wakes up surrounded by the dock’s homeless community and quickly rises up with a performance that leaves the people in awe. Taking over an abandoned theatre Price carries out his sadistic plan with the aid of the mentally ill poor souls who out number his victims easily over powering them. Using the stage plays the critics degraded in their reviews as inspiration, Price recreates the bloodiest moments of each to hand out his poetic justice. Using his helpers Price kills his enemies one by one both in and out of his torture asylum. This is one of Vincent Price’s goriest films out of the titles I’ve seen thus far. All the deaths on display crawl from the screen in graphic detail and pile up to an impressive body count. Vincent Price steals the show as usual with a role that is basically designed to focus entirely on his character giving the legend more screen time than the others in the cast with a new disguise to act through to lure each victim into his trap. If you are a horror fan, you’re a Vincent Price fan whether you know it yet or not. Witness an unmatched legend of the screen as he invites you into his Theatre of Blood!
