Bloodbath at the House of Death

It's a strange one indeed, for some time now there's been a ground swell of horror fans on various online forums asking after the whereabouts of any possible DVD release of a rarely seen and little known (outside of the cult film fan circles) horror comedy film called 'Bloodbath at the House of Death'.

Admittedly having pretty much bombed on its original UK theatrical release with a less than lukewarm reception from critics (and very much having any of its box office return being generated from the appearance of outrageous British TV star Kenny Everett and later respectable return on the rental home video market) I was very curious to see how the film would fare on its worldwide DVD debut more than twenty years after its first release. Welcomingly for those fans that have longed for the title it was being handled by rising stars Nucleus Films which meant not only a careful remastering but an inevitable special edition presentation; but would this be an all singing DVD 'mutton dressed as lamb' echoing its theatrical release in the 1980's or would we now be appreciating a sleeper horror comedy classic ahead of its time?

The film opens in 1975 at Headstone Manor (a popular businessman's retreat and girls summer camp, ahem, see where this is going?) where one night axe welding monks appear and brutally slaughter the 18 guest inhabitants (or is that 19? Sorry, in-joke for fans of the movie) in an assortment of bewilderingly bloody and amusing means.

As the titles roll the pace is well and truly set for the remainder of the movie as the investigating police (led in noteworthy style in a cameo by scripter Barry Cryer, the legendary comic writer talent whose work has been utilized by everyone from Stanley Baxter to the Two Ronnies over the years - a real pedigree comedy talent) go into full on bloody comedy mode whilst mauling over the various body parts strewn across the now crowned house of death in a fashion that wouldn't go amiss in any of the much later Scary Movie line.

The plot then moves to eight years later where a team of paranormal investigators (comprised of a collection of some of British TV's much loved personalities from the period including the aforementioned Kenny Everett, Pamela 'Not the Nine O Clock News' Stephenson, Gareth 'New Avengers' Hunt and Don 'Rising Damp' Warrington) are visiting the manor to try uncover the truth regarding the many stories that have arisen about the so called bloodbath manor.

En route to the manor Dr Mandeville (Everett) and assistant Barbara (Stephenson) pop into a local pub for directions and the first of many amusing genre movie references that pepper the movies running time (in this instance American Werewolf in London) in a scene that ends up so hilarious I was uncontrollably laughing out loud at the downright absurdity of it all (with the cast indulging in a hilarious spin on the Twelve Days of Christmas song, albeit referring to brutally murdered corpses!)

And it is 'absurd' that is the key word to keep in mind whilst watching the movie and it is also perhaps your tolerance for that absurdity that which will make or break your appreciation of the same. Things go from ridiculous to the riotously funny when the monks reappear seeking another bloodbath, led by horror icon Vincent Price (yes that's right) who delivers one of the films highlights when told to 'piss off' goes into a lengthy tirade that is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of even the most dour faced genre fan.

Of course, as was the case with much British humour of that period some of the gags completely misfire (and painfully so) but as is also the case with the work of folk like the great Barry Cryer (and as noted by Kenny Everett in the bonus interview feature) the gags come so thick and fast you've barely had time to stop groaning from the poor cracks when you'll find something that will have you laughing out loud.

Admittedly, I personally found the final reel to be somewhat disappointing following such a strong opening and build up but in balance the film actually surprised me with the fact that it has not only survived well but actually plays better now than when it was first released. Sure it's hokey and dated but if you go into it accepting that you'll have a lot of fun checking it out. By no means a masterpiece (but the same is true of any Abrahams, Zucker and Zucker flick and their many offspring) but for mindless comedy horror fun you really cant go wrong.

The print on this DVD debut is lovely, remastered from the original vault negatives it's never looked better. Lovely sharp anamorphic widescreen image with the option of the original mono or newly created 5.1 surround sound (I tend to stick to the original audio tracks but it's very considerate of Nucleus continually making a surround option available for folk!) So needless to say all you poor VHS collectors out there will find their beloved tapes of the movie now redundant (no more fluttery VHS pauses now when ogling Pamela Stephenson's boobies in the films infamous topless scene, now you have a pristine digital freeze frame to gratify yourself with!)

Extras wise, being Nucleus Films they don't disappoint - first up is a very rare interview with Kenny Everett promoting the films Australian theatrical release which captures well the great mans devilish sense of humour and reminds us all of what a great talent he was and why he's sorely missed. Next up are the UK and US trailers for the film which not only look good but are interesting to note for the not so subtle marketing differences (the US trailer plays, understandably, on the appearance of the late great Vincent Price). Other extras include the 'Running the Bloodbath' featurette, a stills gallery and a pdf file of the films script but these sadly where not completed yet in time for this advance screener disc (but knowing Nucleus track record the featurette will be very much worth the wait!)

It's taken 24 years to make its way back onto the horror scene but has it been worth the wait? Absolutely. An admirable (and at times downright hilarious) tribute to the talents of Kenny Everett and Barry Cryer that will I'm sure become a cult classic with this re-release as the film does indeed merit repeated viewing. The Airplane of horror movies and the perfect beer fuelled double bill companion for Carry On Screaming! Oh and for the record…two were axed, one hanged, two throats slit, four were garroted in bed, one spontaneously blew up, two were hit by lightning and six were wrapped in film and froze to death in the manor's freezer…but they were shot…or was that seven…sorry…go order 'Bloodbath at the House of Death' now!

Review by Alan Simpson