page_title: The House That Dripped Blood
section_title: Plot
hierarchical_section_title: The House That Dripped Blood / Plot
caption_attribution_description: English: Italian language The House that Dripped Blood poster
context_page_description: The House That Dripped Blood is a 1971 British horror anthology film directed by Peter Duffell and distributed by Amicus Productions. It stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, and Jon Pertwee. The film is a collection of four short stories, all originally written and subsequently scripted by Robert Bloch, linked by the protagonist of each story's association with the eponymous building.
context_section_description: Framework
  Shortly after renting an old country house, film star Paul Henderson mysteriously disappears and Inspector Holloway (John Bennett) from Scotland Yard is called to investigate. Inquiring at the local police station, Holloway is told some of the house's history. He then contacts the estate agent Stoker (John Bryans) renting out the house, who elaborates further by telling Holloway about its previous tenants.
  Method For Murder (Fury #7, July 1962) 
  Charles Hillyer (Denholm Elliott), a hack writer who specialises in horror stories, and his wife Alice (Joanna Dunham), move into the house. Charles begins working on a novel focusing on Dominic, a murderous, psychopathic strangler; Charles becomes simultaneously enamoured and disturbed by the character. Charles soon starts to see Dominic (Tom Adams), who begins stalking and tormenting him.
  Charles begins seeing a psychologist, Dr. Andrews (Robert Lang), who suggests Dominic is a split personality formed by him getting into Dominic’s mindset to write the novel. Charles’s visions of Dominic become even more pronounced. He sees Dominic strangling Alice, only for her to claim that Charles had been strangling her. At another session with Dr. Andrews, Andrews suggests Dominic is the result of darker sides of Charles’ personality being released by writing the novel, though Charles is sceptical. Suddenly, Dominic arrives and strangles Dr. Andrews while Charles watches in horror.
  At the house, Dominic approaches Alice, only to reveal that he is actually Richard, her lover. Richard, an actor, had been pretending to be Dominic to drive Charles insane, so that Alice and Richard could take the money made from his novel and run off together. Alice gets a call from the police, and learns that both Dr. Andrews and Charles had been strangled to death. Alice asks Richard why he had killed them, as it was not part of the plan, only for Richard to reveal he now believes he is Dominic. Richard/Dominic then strangles Alice while laughing maniacally. He is later arrested by the police, still laughing.
  Waxworks (Weird Tales Vol. 33 #1, January 1939) 
  Retired stockbroker Philip Grayson (Peter Cushing) moves into the house. Though initially he occupies himself with his hobbies, he quickly becomes lonely. One day, while wandering around tow, he happens upon a wax museum. Grayson explores the museum and finds a sculpture of Salome which resembles a dead woman he had been in love with. The museum’s proprietor (Wolfe Morris) explains that he based the likeness of the sculpture after his late wife, who had been executed after murdering his best friend. Disturbed, Grayson vows never to return.
  His friend, Neville Rogers (Joss Ackland) arrives at his home while travelling on business. Grayson eagerly invites him to stay the night, and it becomes clear the two had both been romantic rivals for the same woman; however, the two had reconciled after her death. The next day, Grayson takes Neville around town, and the two spot the wax museum. Though Grayson tries to persuade him not to, Neville enters the wax museum and spots the sculpture, becoming obsessed with it. Neville tries to leave town, but is unable to abandon the sculpture. Staying at a local motel, he calls Grayson and informs him of his predicament. When Grayson arrives, he finds Neville has left for the wax museum. Grayson goes to the museum, and finds Neville’s severed head has been added to an exhibit. The proprietor arrives and reveals he had framed his wife for his friend’s murder, so that he could cover her corpse in wax and keep her to himself forever. However, men continue to become enamoured with her, and some, like Neville, become obsessed, which puts him into a murderous rage. The proprietor then murders Grayson with an axe, and adds his head to the Salome exhibit.
  Sweets to the Sweet (Weird Tales Vol. 39 #10, March 1947) 
  Widower John Reid (Christopher Lee) moves into the house along with his pyrophobic young daughter Jane (Chloe Franks). John hires former teacher Ann Norton (Nyree Dawn Porter) to tutor Jane. Ann gradually bonds wit
caption: Poster for Italian version
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