Hey, this is another Hammer film! Er…well, i guess it’s not, it’s Hammer Studio’s little brother, Amicus!

The House that Dripped Blood (1970)

Everybody loves a haunted house story, and the House that Dripped Blood fits into that description perfectly. An empty house out on the countryside, was the last known location of well known actor , Paul Henderson. (John Pertwee, Dr. Who!) A Scotland Yard investigator arrives on the scene, in an attempt to discover the missing Mr. Henderson. As he digs deeper into the history of the house, he learns of the misshaps of the three previous tenants, and their own untimely demise. As the investigation takes place, we are treated to four short films detailing the history of the house.

In ‘Method for Murder’, we witness the tale of a horror writer, renting the house to clear his head and allowing him to concentrate on his latest tale of an evil strangler. Soon, he realises that his characters have come to life.

In ‘Waxwork’ we watch as Phillip Grayson (Peter Cushing, Star Wars, Hammer Studios mainstay) retires to the lonely homestead, to while away the hours lamenting over his stolen, and recently deceased lover. As he ventures into town, he stumbles across a wax museum, to find a statue that is the spitting image of his lost love. As he becomes obsessed with the statue, the statue’s creator comes to enact his own plans of obsession.

‘Sweet’s for the Sweet’ brings us another Hammer Studios (and Star Wars) legend, with Christopher Lee as the troubled single father of a little girl. Moving into the country estate to keep his daughter away from the unsuspecting public, he hires a tutor for his young daughter. As the tutor delves into the mind of this troubled girl, and the strict and stern treatment from her father, she soon comes to realize that the troubles of the young girl run far deeper than she would suspect.

Finally, in ‘The Cloak’ we see Jon Pertwee (Dr. Who!) and the CF fave Ingrid Pitt (The Vampire Lovers!!!) in a classic, if not a little humorous, vampire tale. Mr. Henderson is in town to shoot a horror movie. (he’s an expert.) Being an expert on filming horror movies, Mr. Henderson is unhappy with the cloak provided by the costume department , and opts to purchase his own. Finding a shop in a dank and dark alley, Mr. H finds the perfect cloak, and heads home to practice. As he tries on the cape, he begins to notice peculiar happenings, such as his dissapearing reflection, the fangs growing from his mouth, or the fact that he can fly. Is there more to this ancient cape than meets the eye?

Phew, that’s the longest recap yet.

Amicus films are confusing from time to time. Using Hammer actors, the stylized sets, and air of aristocracy, you’d swear at first glance that The House that Dripped Blood was a Hammer film. But it’s not. Luckily for Amicus, House that Dripped blood has a decent pair of legs to stand on, and shines solidly out from under it’s Hammer Lookalike status.

A slow and rather sleepy paced film, House that Dripped blood is a thinking man’s horror film, as opposed to a slasher film. Filled with brooding and mystery, House relies solely on atmostphere and delivery to build tension and wariness throughout the four short films. All of the films are at least fairly entertaining, however the film doesn’t pick up speed until the end. The first two featurettes, are frankly a little boring by today’s standards, if not a little corny and cliche. Tales of grown men gazing longingly over autumn trees and sun dappled brooks may work for some folks, but not in a horror flick. The real fun comes in the final two installments with the appearance of the great Christopher Lee, and later the late Jon Pertwee and Ingrid Pitt (rowr). With Christopher Lee’s brooding asshole breaking down to desperation, and the hilarity of Jon Pertwee discovering his new undead power, to Ms. Pitt’s….cleavage.

I fun way to spend two hours, The House that Dripped Blood may not rank as a favorite amongst the hardest of horror fiends, but most of you should appreciate the film for what it is. A solid, rainy day story. Give it a rent!

3.5 bursting Pitt busoms out of 5

Oh and what’s a CF Pitt review, without one (two) of these?