Theatre of Blood

Theatre of Blood
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDouglas Hickox
Screenplay byAnthony Greville-Bell
Story byStanley Mann
John Kohn
Produced byJohn Kohn
Stanley Mann
StarringVincent Price
Diana Rigg
Ian Hendry
Harry Andrews
Coral Browne
Robert Coote
Jack Hawkins
Michael Hordern
Arthur Lowe
Robert Morley
Dennis Price
CinematographyWolfgang Suschitzky
Edited byMalcolm Cooke
Music byMichael J. Lewis
Production
companies
Harbour Productions Ltd.
Cineman Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
  • 16 March 1973 (1973-03-16) (Toronto)
  • 5 April 1973 (1973-04-05) (US)
  • 7 June 1973 (1973-06-07) (UK)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1 million (U.S./ Canada rentals)

Theatre of Blood (released as Theater of Blood in the United States) is a 1973 British horror comedy film directed by Douglas Hickox. It stars Vincent Price as a deranged Shakespearean actor who takes revenge on his critics, using methods inspired by death scenes from the Bard's plays. Diana Rigg co-stars as his daughter and confidant. The ensemble supporting cast features Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne, Jack Hawkins, Michael Hordern, Arthur Lowe, Robert Morley, Milo O'Shea, Diana Dors, Dennis Price, and Robert Coote in one of his final roles.

The film was released by United Artists on March 16, 1973, receiving both critical and commercial success. Considered a cult film, Theatre of Blood is well-regarded by fans of Vincent Price, and was considered by both Price and Diana Rigg as one of their favourite of their own films. A stage adaptation was produced at the Royal National Theatre in 2005.