Theatre of Death

Plot synopsis:
Horror, murder, mystery and mayhem make up the principal ingredients
of the Theatre de Morte. New director Phillipe Darvas [Christopher Lee], son of the old
director, vows to dedicate his life to the theatre, as did his father. At
the opening night cast party, patroness Mme Angelique [Evelyn Laye] requests that Darvas
give a preview of coming attractions, so Darvas asks Dani Gireaux [Lelia Goldoni] and
newcomer Nicole Chapelle [Jenny Till] to perform a scene from 'The Witches of Salem'.Darvas first hypnotizes the scared Nicole who then performs so
realistically that Dani's boyfriend, Dr. Charles Marquis [Julian Glover], interrupts the
scene when it looks like Nicole intends to burn Dani's face with the hot
poker she is brandishing. Charles, a police surgeon recuperating from a
hand injury, is meanwhile investigating the deaths of 3 women, all stabbed
in the neck with a sharp item, all drained of blood, a situation known to
police as 'hemaphagia', to the public as vampire. Since the instrument
used seems to resemble knives used in one of the performances at the
Theatre of Death, Charles suspects that Darvas may be involved.Meanwhile, Darvas takes a liking to Nicole and, thinking he can make
an actress of her, he begins to probe her life, her motivations, her inner
secrets. When Darvas asks Nicole to move into his theatre apartment with
him, Dani becomes upset. Her concern is that Nicole is too young and
vulnerable to get mixed up with Darvas, but Darvas sees it as jealousy and
fires Dani on grounds that she is mentally unstable, as she recently spent
two years in a mental hospital. When Charles gives Darvas a ride home and
probes him about the hemaphagiac murders, Darvas becomes agitated. Is
Darvas the vampire?The next day, Darvas's cape is found covered with blood, but no body
is found. The murders stop but Nicole acts as though Darvas is still with
her. Is Darvas really dead? Is Nicole hiding Darvas somewhere? Charles and
Dani decide to 'babysit' Nicole. They move into the theatre apartment with
her and follow her everywhere, but she leads them nowhere. Suddenly, the
murders start up again--a prostitute on the dock, a young woman coming
home from a date. Then Darvas's decomposed body is discovered floating in
a pond. Whatever Darvas might have been, he isn't the hemaphagiac murderer.One evening, Dani, Charles and Nicole have dinner in a Romanian
restaurant. Nicole plays her guitar for the patrons, and the restaurant
owners wife recognizes the tune as Romanian. The names Constantine and
Anna engraved into Nicole's guitar remind them of a gypsy family with whom
they escaped Romania in 1946 by crossing the Italian Alps in February. The
small caravan became entrapped by an avalanche in a little-traveled pass.
One of the men killed the horses, and they ate the meat. But Anna's baby
could not eat meat, so she killed one of the other children and fed his
blood to her child. That child's name was Nicole. Could Nicole Chapelle
and the gypsy baby Nicole be one and the same?Then Dani discovers a script written by Darvas just before his death.
Entitled 'The Caravan', it tells the tale of a gypsy caravan caught in an
avalanche and of a mother killing one child to feed his blood to her baby.
Dani now knows for sure that the baby is Nicole Chapelle. Yes, Nicole
killed those women to satisfy her need for blood. Yes, Nicole killed
Darvas because he was about to unveil her story. Now Nicole must kill Dani
to safeguard her secret.Nicole hypnotizes Dani to confess to all the murders, then she forces
Dani to stab herself. But Charles interrupts them in the nick of time.
Nicole escapes, runs to the theatre where she hides under the stage and is
accidentally speared during the final scene of the show. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.]

Tags: murder

Review:
Meanwhile, new Theatre director Phillipe Darvas (the great Christopher Lee , still performing), son of the old director, vows to dedicate his life to the Theatre, as did his father.
At the opening night cast party, patroness Mme Angelique (Evelyn Laye) requests that Darvas give a preview of coming attractions, so Darvas asks Dani Gireaux (Lelia Goldoni) and newcomer Nicole Chapelle (Jenny Till who receives an "introducing" credit) to play a scene from 'The Witches of Salem'.
This exciting , bizarre film contains tension , thriller , drama , mystery , plot twists and shocks , including decent scares with tense terror sequences especially in its final part , in a creepy denouement .
A Theatre of Death, or Grand Guingol theatre, is nearby and a great success, thanks in large part to the efforts of its somewhat mysterious, demented, hypnotic director Phillipe Darvas.
Christopher Lee plays the director in this above-average horror-mystery.
Production values are pretty good, and the film boasts some fine scenes such as when two actresses rehearse a Salem witch-burning scene for the first time whilst one is hypnotized by Lee and the house of the director is a truly scary place with a very good painting of Lee that has eyes cut out and a back panel.
Quirky and exotic (loved the risqué voodoo dance towards the end- great bra!) this has a great atmosphere throughout and with super cinematography is always good to look at.
Set in a Paris within a sensational theatre depicting ghoulish and bloodthirsty pieces we get Lee getting involved with hypnotism and the ladies to great effect.
The plot centers around the cast of a Grand Guginol theatre group.Guginol refers to bloody & horrific explotative plays.The troupe is lead by the cold & cruel Darvas.(Darvas is wonderfully played by Christopher Lee).Darvas thinks nothing of ridiculing & humiliating his cast to get exactly what he wants.
Seemingly he has no soul and no regard for human emotions other than acting them out.A series of vampiric murders is tied in with the theatre group.Is Darvas more than just a Svengali?
In Paris a series of grisly murders are taking place, in which the victims are stabbed with a knife that leaves a triangular wound and then are drained of their blood.
Marquis has a girlfriend called Dani Gireaux (LELIA GOLDONI) who is an actress at the "Theatre De Mort" - the "Theatre Of Death" where the principal themes of the plays are murder and mayhem.
The company is run by the eccentric and obsessive Philippe Darvas (CHRISTOPHER LEE) who becomes the chief suspect because when Marquis gives him a lift home and tells him that a knife that resembles the murder weapon was found among his props, he seemed eager to get out of the car and continue on foot.
Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise and the police must either find Darvas' killer or the true culprit...THEATRE OF DEATH begins slowly and tamely (in every murder sequence the camera moves in for a close up of the victim's terrified face then cuts away to the next scene).
However, it cannot be denied that this is a unique film in its own right as it features one of Christopher Lee's best performances and it deals with an ingenious modern day vampire story, which is far more realistic than the mythical vampires that Hammer dealt with.
However, what makes the film unique is that it packs an ingenious twist at the climax and as a result the film has given us these hackneyed horror clichés before throwing them to the winds and when the identity of the killer is finally revealed it comes as quite a surprise as every one is expecting it to be Christopher Lee's character as this is a part that everyone associated with him at the time.
Theatre of Death isn't a particularly bad film, but it's a disappointing one as it really could have been a lot better.
The film plays out something like a British version of the popular Italian 'Giallo' subgenre, and features Christopher Lee as the head of a Parisian theatre.
The film makes this theatre its central location, and it provides a good place for a macabre tale like this to take place.
Two years earlier, Mario Bava showed how a colourful location could benefit a movie about various people being killed with Blood and Black Lace, and it would seem that director Samuel Gallu realised how this could be used as the theatre at the centre of the tale utilises a bright colour scheme, similar to the one in Blood and Black Lace.
The theatre at the centre of the film specialises in horror productions, and this is taken to a new extreme when performers at the theatre begin turning up dead.
We focus on a police inspector who is tied to the murders through his attraction to one of the performance artists, and he soon realises that there could be a link between the murders and the theatre.For a plot like this to engage the audience, it needs both thrills and intrigue, and while this film has both; it doesn't utilise either to a satisfying degree, and this makes the resulting movie rather cold and difficult to engage with.
The acting is above average for this sort of film, however, and lesser known members of the cast manage to stand out despite Christopher Lee's massive star profile.
The film seems to have taken influence from the prolific Italians on the actress front, as Theatre of Death features some beautiful women, which bodes well with the grandiose central location.
Christopher Lee doesn't deliver his best performance in this film, and really never breaks a sweat in the lead role, but it's always a pleasure to see him.
Full credit goes to the film for the ending, however, as the film comes good by the time of the climax, even though the mystery could have gone on a little longer, had it built up more tension.
Overall, this is a decent enough movie; I wouldn't recommend going into it with high expectations, but Theatre of Death is worth seeing for fans of this sort of film..
Regardless this is a very good murder mystery which keeps one on one's toes and guessing right up till the end.
Julian Glover is the real star of this film as former police surgeon Charles Marquis who has taken it upon himself to investigate the mysterious murders which involved victims being stabbed in the neck and drained of all their blood?
or perhaps the explanation is something else entirely?This one kept me entranced to it until the end and while the conclusion does disappoint slightly, I still would recommend this one to fans of murder mystery and horror..
The reason for this is that, while it stars Hammer regular Christopher Lee and has a horror based story, it is set in chic Paris and, more importantly, it looks absolutely gorgeous.
It may be a low budget movie but it looks absolutely great and that kind of craftsmanship counts for a lot in my book.The setting is a theatre based on the famous Grand Guignol of Paris.
Lee plays the intense, sadistic theatre director and he comes under suspicion when a series of serial killings occur that have all the hallmarks of a vampire attack.
It stars Christopher Lee, Julian Glover, Lelia Goldoni, Jenny Till, Evelyn Laye and Ivor Dean.
Music is by Elisbeth Lutyens and cinematography by Gilbert Taylor.Out of Pennea Productions and filmed in Techniscope/Technicolor, Theatre of Death is based in Paris and finds Lee as a suspicious and bombastic theatre owner whose plays deal in the macabre.
This is definitely tugging on the coat tales of Hammer Horror, that much is pretty evident from the opening credits, but although blood letting is in short supply here, this is a very nifty and beautiful little creeper.
More concerned with the mystery elements than scare tactics, Gallu and Taylor soak the picture in glorious colours and Guignol like atmosphere, and with Lee on blunderbuss overdrive and Lutyens' eerie music hovering spectrally over the top of plotting, this is very much a production of some distinction.Will it scare you?
But with good twists married to the excellent tech credits, this is very much a horror film for the old classic purists.
Not to be confused with the 1973 Vincent Price/Diana Rigg movie "Theatre of Blood," "Theatre of Death" (1966) gives us the story of a serial killer in modern-day Paris, who stabs victims and drains their blood (kind of like a 20th century Jacques the Ripper).
The director of the local Theatre of Death, a Grand Guignol-type of entertainment, falls under suspicion, and, as played by that former neck nosher himself, "Mr. Tall, Dark and Gruesome," Christopher Lee, is is easy to see why.
Yes, despite that gruesome title, and Mr. Lee's presence, this film IS more of a mystery thriller than a horror picture.
THEATRE OF DEATH Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (Techniscope)Sound format: MonoMembers of a Parisian Grand Guignol theatre fall under suspicion when the opening of their latest play - featuring a vampire - coincides with a series of murders in which the victims are drained of blood.Timid shocker, the feature debut of noted playwright and TV/radio producer Samuel Gallu ("Give 'Em Hell, Harry!").
While the theatrical milieu evokes a Gothic tone, the script unfolds like a UK variation on BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964), in which a series of crimes are traced back to a playhouse run by Christopher Lee, an unpleasant Svengali-like character whose sinister demeanour pegs him as an obvious suspect right from the start (which means he's clearly innocent - or does it?).
A mix of detective story and vampiric horror, it has a neat twist, and a mundane cast, with Christopher Lee hamming it up as usual.
There`s just something about him that makes he think that he`s a sort of British William Shatner in that he`s both totally over the top and very hammy at the same time , and his performances aren`t helped by the fact he`s played a lot of bad guys in very bad movies .
Mind you he was an absolute revelation in THE LORD OF THE RINGS and he was also very good in ATTACK OF THE CLONES And to be honest Lee does give one of his better performances in THEATRE OF DEATH .
That`s the sort of role Lee plays here as an acting teacher with lines like " Look at you .
" where you can insert your own punchline about Lee`s acting style if you want to be cruel Of all the cast Christopher Lee probably gives the best performance since the rest of the actors are very disappointing especially Julian Glover .
The audience are only reminded the film is set in France when one of the characters mentions it on screen A word of warning - If you`re going to watch THEATRE OF DEATH expecting a horror film you`re probably going to be disappointed since it`s far more of a murder mystery / whodunnit rather than a straight horror movie.
Samuel Gallu's "Theatre of Death" starts out interesting but peters out once Christopher Lee disappears.
Christopher Lee plays a really impressive role, as does Leila Goldoni, but the movie would've been a whole lot better had Lee stayed in the whole thing.Does anyone know if Samuel Gallu directed any other movies?.
This is a suspenseful murder mystery set in Paris.
Christopher Lee plays Philippe Darvas, the director of a playhouse named The Theater of Death.
A troupe of young actors specialize in gory Grand Guignol plays at the Theatre of Death in Paris, France.
Said plays are directed by the cruel, exacting and domineering Philippe Darvas (the great Christopher Lee in peak haughty'n'nasty form).
Director Samuel Gallu relates the engrossing story at a brisk pace, does an expert job of creating an eerie, misty atmosphere, and stages the murder set pieces with a reasonable amount of skill and style (there's some really nifty use of dissolves and freeze frames).
Moreover, the cast all give solid and impressive performances: Julian Glover as dashing, humane coroner Charles Marquis, Lelia Goldoni as fragile, troubled, seasoned actress Dani Gireaux, Jenny Till as sweet eager ingénue Nicole Chapelle, Ivor Dean as the shrewd Inspector Micheaud, Joseph Furst as helpful psychiatrist Karl Schiller, and Evelyn Laye as classy theater owner Madame Angelique.
Forensic doctor Charles Marquis (Julian Glover) visits his actress girlfriend Dani Gireaux (Leila Goldoni) who has a staring role in the Theatre du Mort's latest production, at a party held by the Theatre's own Philippe Darvas (Christopher Lee) he hypnotises another actress named Nicole Chapelle (Jenny Till) who then almost murders Dani in a trance before Charles stops her.
Charles comes to the conclusion that the killer think of themselves as some sort of Vampire & suspects Darvas but when he to is found dead Charles has to rethink...Originally released in the US under the alternative title of Blood Fiend this English production was directed by Samuel Gallu & was one of several similar sounding films that took some mundane establishment & added some sort of sensationalistic word to make a cool sounding title like Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), Circus of Horrors (1960) & Theatre of Blood (1973) which is not to be confused with Theatre of Death as one stars Vincent Price & is a class while the other features Christopher Lee is is a bland & forgettable mix of ideas.
The script can't quite decide what it wants to be, it's part murder mystery, part thriller, part stage musical, part Vampire horror film & part detective drama as none of it really gels together that well.
The twist ending is alright, it has no great impact other than it being unexpected & a bit bizarre but at least this is one aspect where Theatre of Death is mildly effective.
A rather lethargic & bland film overall I would find it hard to recommend Theatre of Death of anyone, watch the infinitely better Theatre of Blood again instead.The killings are spliced into the film almost at random, none of the victims have any connection to anyone else in the film until the end & there's little build-up to them & we never see that much anyway.
The acting is alright, Christopher Lee gets top billing but only features in the first half of the film.Theatre of Death is a bit of a bore really, I can't say I liked it that much although it looks nice enough & while the twist ending is abrupt & out of context with anything that has gone before it's different & unexpected I suppose.
"Theatre of Death"'s biggest mystery is whether Christopher Lee's presence is a red herring or not; I will not spoil the answer, of course, but I will tell you that he doesn't have as many scenes as you might think.
Solid, understated acting by the four principals also helps what turns out to be a good little horror story.
This little thriller plays more like an Italian giallo than your typical British horror film along the lines of Hammer, Amicus and the rest.
The film is thus very arty and nice to look at, and the murder-mystery type plot keeps you guessing until the very end.
There are also some good set pieces, with the witch burning being the most arresting, while at the end a half-naked woman indulges in some voodoo dancing.The acting is uniformly good, with Julian Glover a strong, if not likable, hero type, and with extra attention being paid to the female characters in the film, which is unusual and pleasingly different (frankly I'm fed up of the girls being just the victims or the romantic interests).
However, as you might have guessed, it's Christopher Lee who deserves the acting honours here, although he only appears in roughly half of the film before disappearing.
"The Theatre of Death" is a troupe of actors in Paris who put on Grand Guignol type productions.
Their director is a cruel, demanding tyrant named Philippe Darvas (Sir Christopher Lee) who manipulates his performers in nasty ways in order to get the kind of performances that he wants.
Concurrently, a series of vampire-like killings is plaguing the city, and easygoing police surgeon Charles Marquis (Julian Glover) takes the case.
Charles is dating one of the troupes' stars, Dani Gireaux (Lelia Goldoni), and he finds that the murders seem to be leading back to the theatre.Stylishly directed by Samuel Gallu, this slick British production (even though the characters are supposed to be French, very few of the actors bother with attempting French accents) tells a reasonably absorbing mystery.
It's a good looking film and fairly effective as a horror story, with a respectable amount of bloodletting.
Please note that the phrase in this comment's headline isn't necessarily a negative criticism towards the movie, but a direct quote spoken by the almighty Christopher Lee as he portrayed a director of horror plays himself in this rather mediocre, but nevertheless overlooked late 60's chiller.
Mr. Lee once again dominates the screen as the arrogant and truly sardonic Philippe Darvas, creator of macabre and blood-drenched plays in the Parisian "Theatre of Death".
Real murders are committed in the streets simultaneously and the police investigators promptly link them to the theater and its eerie set pieces, since none of the victims have any blood left in their bodies.
The film has a strong and compelling first half, but it all goes down together with Lee. When Darvas disappears, the atmosphere and definitely the dialogs become a little dire and uninteresting.
"Theatre of Death" is a type of Gothic horror effort, with rather neat costumes and an excellent theater setting.
Certainly worthwhile for fans of contemporary British horror, but no patch on the Hammer highlights of that time (on which director Samuel Gallu obviously wanted to cash in).