Theatre of Death

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.


Goody goody!   September 29, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

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....


Still Better Than MUMMY RETURNS   June 19, 2001
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

... 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.


Not Good at All   February 7, 2000
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

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.