The House That Dripped Blood is a British horror film of the anthology subgenre. It was directed by Peter Duffell with a script written by Robert Bloch. It was produced by Amicus Productions and premiered in the United States on April 2nd, 1971. The film features four vignettes titled "Sweets to the Sweet", "Waxworks", "Method for Murder", and "The Cloak". The House That Dripped Blood brings together famed horror icons Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, both of whom are known for playing opposite one another in the "Hammer Horror" films of the 1960s. Other notable actors include Denholm Elliott and Jon Pertwee.
Inspector Holloway of Scotland Yard is investigating the disappearance of a famous Hollywood actor named
Paul Henderson. He interviews the estate agent of Henderson's last known residence, A.J. Stoker. Stoker tells him that the house Henderson had rented has a history of macabre occurrences, resulting in several deaths. He chronicles three separate instances involving the house's past, and then gives Holloway his testimony concerning Paul Henderson. Holloway does not believe in superstitious folklore, so he goes to the house himself to investigate on his own. There, he learns to his utter horror the truth about what happened to the famous horror actor.
Production on The House That Dripped Blood began on June 29th, 1970. Principal filming concluded on July 28th, 1970.
The movie was shot at Shepperton Studios in Shepperton, Surrey, England. The waxworks building and antiques shop scenes were filmed at Community Hall in Weybridge.
There are a total of twenty-two credited cast members in this film.
Paul Henderson makes reference to the 1931 film Dracula, which starred Bela Lugosi. Henderson remarks about how he preferred this version of the film as opposed to the newer ones. Humorously, the newer films he speaks of stars Christopher Lee as Dracula, who also appears in this film.
