R-rated early 80s’ horror spoof with Brit humor
Several years after 18 people die at a cursed manor in England, six diverse researchers go there to investigate the mysterious goings-on.
“Bloodbath at the House of Death” came out the same year (1984) as another horror comedy featuring a group of paranormal investigators, “Ghostbusters,” but this is more akin to “High Spirits,” which debuted four years later. Unlike those flicks, this is more of a spoof, and R-rated at that, with silly references to “Carrie,” “The Shining,” “Alien,” “An American Werewolf in London,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “The Invisible Man” and “The Legend of Hell House,” amongst others, like “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” on and on.
Some jokes work well enough while others fall flat with critics arguing that the movie is a bore and guilty of “the crime of attempted comedy.” Yet you can’t beat Vincent Price in his old age (72 years-old during shooting), who has about five scenes in the first hour and a memorable sendoff. Meanwhile blonde Pamela Stephenson and brunette Cleo Rocos are highlights on the feminine front, although they’re underused.
I’ve heard it said that the various slayings and gory bits are very “disturbing,” which I suppose would be true for children. It’s obvious to teenagers and adults, however, that the entire flick is a joke and so you just laugh with the bloody mayhem. Anyone who takes it seriously needs to visit the psych ward. That said, there are a couple of effectively creepy moments, such as the manifesting of the body replacements.
It runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot at Northaw Place and Northaw and Cuffley, just north of London in Hertfordshire, as well as Potters Bar, which is southwest of there.
GRADE: B-
