The House That Dripped Blood (1971) – Film Summary and Review

The House That Dripped Blood is an anthology of four Robert Bloch stories strung together by their connection to a house where all but one of the tenants have met with unpleasant ends. The last tenant was a famous film star. What became of him is a mystery because he disappeared. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Holloway to find out what happened to the star, and Holloway’s investigation forms a wrap-around story that pulls the rest of the tales together.

At first, Holloway is annoyed at being given the case and he’s quick to tell the desk sergeant that he has more important things to do than chasing temperamental film stars. But the sergeant informs Holloway that this is not the first time that something has happened to a tenant of the house. He then presents him with a file on the subject. This is how the first two stories are introduced—with the estate agent, Mr Stoker, filling in the blanks about the final two tenants.

In Method for Murder, Denholm Elliot stars as horror writer, Charles Hillyer, who needs somewhere to rent while he writes his next book. Hilyer thinks that the house is perfect for his needs, he and his wife move in, and work on the book begins.

The central character in Hilyer’s book is a strangler named Dominick, and his killer becomes so real to Hilyer that the book is almost writing itself. Problems begin when Dominick stops being a figment of Hilyer’s imagination and starts appearing around the house and gardens.

The tenant in the Waxworks segment is a retired businessman named Philip Grayson (Peter Cushing). Like the former tenant, he considers the old house perfect for his needs and intends to spend a great deal of time reading books and listening to music.

After he has settled in, Grayson takes a stroll into town and visits the waxwork museum. The museum is a dreary place and most of the waxworks are of killers, but one dummy stands out from the rest: a staggeringly lifelike model of Salome, holding the head of John-the-Baptist on a tray in front of her.

Grayson becomes so captivated by the waxen beauty that he finds it hard to tear himself away. Shortly after this, Grayson’s friend Neville pays him a visit, and—against Grayson’ better judgment—they visit the museum together. Neville also falls under the spell of Salome, but he is not so successful at escaping her, and later tells Grayson that the museum is an evil place and he’s right.

In Sweets for the Sweet, John Reid (Christopher Lee) and his daughter Jane move into the house. Reid is a stern man who does not want his little girl to mix with other children so he hires a private teacher to tutor her. Jane’s new teacher, Mrs Norton, can see that Jane is a bright girl, but she can also see she is a problem child. After she has been at the house a while, Mrs Norton realizes that John Reid has some problems of his own and grows to believe that he may be frightened of his daughter. The inquisitive school teacher Later she learns why he is so afraid of Jane but by then it is much too late.

The Cloak is the final story in The House That Dripped Blood. Jon Pertwee stars as horror actor, John Henderson. Perhaps best known for her role in The Vampire Lovers (1970), Ingrid Pitt co-stars. She plays the leading lady in his new vampire movie.

Henderson needs somewhere to stay until the movie is finished and becomes the house’s latest tenant. He loves the house but is not so happy with his work. He considers the quality of the set to be very poor and is so disgusted by the cloak the costume department gives him that he refuses to wear it, goes off in search of something a little more authentic, and finds exactly that when he visits an antique shop.

Henderson’s new cloak used to belong to a real vampire. Every time Henderson wears it his dentistry goes haywire and he has a job keeping his feet on the ground. Worse still he tries to bite his co-star, who does not appreciate him attempting to take a chunk out of her.

The House That Dripped Blood is an enjoyable film that should appeal to anyone who likes Hammer Horror films. My favorite section is Method for Murder. It’s easily the darkest of the four tales and I defy any viewer not to feel a shiver down their spines whenever Dominick appears on screen. I found Waxworks the weakest story. The storyline is a little vague in places and this one might almost have been thrown in as a filler. In fact, if it were not for Cushing’s presence I would have been tempted to hit fast forward.

Sweets for the Sweet is quite an enjoyable tale and, although it becomes a little predictable towards the end, Christopher Lee manages to keep it interesting.

The Cloak is the most humorous story and I found it hard to keep a smile off my face whenever Jon Pertwee was on screen. I wanted to try and take the story seriously, but something about Pertwee’s expressions, voice, and attitude always prevented me from doing so. The scene where he uses his finger to explore his new teeth is classic!

I enjoyed watching The House That Dripped Blood, but if I wanted to nit-pick I might point out that neither the police sergeant nor the estate agent could have any way of knowing the facts of the stories. Especially the last one because nobody witnessed John Henderson’s fate.

The film does not contain any scenes of sex or nudity and there is no gore whatsoever so, if you are looking for cheap thrills, you will have to keep looking. Neither is there any dripping blood—not a drop—so if you were expecting any of these things you will be disappointed. I’d never seen this film before I watched this DVD and had no idea what to expect, but I was not disappointed because The House That Dripped Blood has so many familiar faces. If you are a fan of Denholm Elliot, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Ingrid Pitt, or Jon Pertwee you would probably enjoy watching The House That Dripped Blood, even though the title is a little misleading. If a not-so-subtle mix of flesh and gore, fast-moving action, and special effects is more up your street, The House That Dripped Blood will be in the entirely wrong kind of neighbourhood and you will need to look elsewhere.