Customer Reviews

Theatre of Death

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Theatre Of Death (1967) is really a horror film that's also a murder mystery. First off, let me say that the DVD transfer is outstanding. This 89 minute movie is 44 years old, but it looks like it was made yesterday. Basically this movie is about a theatre in Paris called the Theatre Of Death, a place where horror plays are the norm. These plays are directed by Phillipe Darvas (Christopher Lee). While these plays are going on, murders start occurring all over town and the bodies show signs of vampirism. It is thought that the murders could be linked to the theatre in some way. Darvas is an early suspect. I'll leave it there. Watch to find out what happens.

This movie also stars Lelia Goldoni, Julian Glover, Evelyn Laye, and Jenny Till. This movie looks and feels like a Hammer film to a certain degree, except that its atmosphere and mood are darker and spookier. The cinematography is great. The sets and props are top notch. This movie has some dull parts and can be confusing, but you just have to give it a chance. After all, it's a murder mystery that needs to be solved.

The widescreen DVD comes with some pretty good extras, such as the theatrical trailer, radio spots, poster and still gallery, a Christopher Lee bio, and a feature called Sinister Theatrics, which is an 11 minute interview with Christopher Lee. I found it very interesting.

I recommend this movie.

I love horror films and can be very forgiving, but 'Theatre Of Death' is one that doesn't really have many good points. It's slow moving with little action and the dialogue is boring. I found this film on a double feature DVD with 'Circus Of Horrors', which thankfully is a far superior film and made the purchase worth while. I'm sure some Lee fans will watch anything he makes, but this is one of his most disappointing films I've ever seen. On the plus side on the double feature it has a short feature-ette with Mr. Lee, some trailers and a stills gallery. If your a fan of the film the transfer looks very good and enough effort in the extras to make if worth your purchase.

The first thing you should know, is that this is more of a murder mystery than a horror movie. It's definitely not a bad one, but definitely not scary. There seems to be some confusion, as if two separate scripts were filmed or one swapped for an other during the filming, but the result is quite good. There are some really beautiful actors / actresses, good score (if my memory serves me properly, by a female composer) and a nice dark overall mood. The backstage feeling is quite realistic as well and presents a good picture of what the life of an avant-garde theatre personality must have looked like in the sixties. And more important, the sound / picture quality (wide screen) of this DVD (Momentum / Kino, with a mustard-toned cover) is so good it is really difficult to explain to the non initiated viewer that this movie is 35 years old....

This had to be one of the worst films Christopher Lee has ever done. It was not scary. The movie was predictible. The plot is horrible and the ending is as dull as it gets. Please do not waste your time on this horrible film.

... as far as this film contains creepy acting by Christopher Lee and Leila Goldoni. The plot actually is not that bad. It is not a horror film but a murder mystery, with a completely pointless vampiric angle added almost as an afterthought. A Christopher Lee completist might want to take a peak.

"Theatre of Death" is another of Anchor Bay's well produced low-budget horror DVDs, though the film doesn't quite deliver. Christopher Lee turns in another professional performance, this time as a violence obsessed theatre director suspected in a series of grisly Parisian murders. The photography combines bright colors with deep shadows to produce a fervid, over-ripe environment. The music kicks in loudly whenever needed to underline the action triply, and the story keeps jumping along.

It jumps, but it doesn't make a lot of sense and there isn't much connection between events. We're rapidly introduced to most of the characters and the central situation, but then they stand still for so long and often, endlessly re-hashing the situation, that when something does happen, it seems to come out of the blue. Lee's character disappears about half way through the movie, for example, and not only are we completely unprepared for the disappearance, it is staged so fast that if you blinked, you might miss it. One moment Lee is playing happily with his cat; the next, his theatrical troupe is mourning his loss.

The filmmaking doesn't help. The hand held camera follows people around, or violent actions are momentarily frozen, or scenes are shot from self-consciously striking angles, or lighting setups rely on the blatant artifice made possible by the story's theatrical setting. These stylish, post-French New Wave mannerisms are cleverly executed, but on top of a lumpy story that needs all the unifying it can get, they are more modish than helpful.

On the other hand, the violence is fairly understated, more talked about than depicted, which in one sense is praiseworthy, but also rather silly. After all, you don't watch low-budget horror for clever understatement. Since the movie otherwise is both blatant and overwrought, shying away from the coup de grace just deprives it of much emotional impact. "Theatre of Death" ultimately feels a little unfocused, not quite certain where it wants to go. It produces the odd effect of making you think you've missed something, even though everything has been right on the surface.