This has a wonderful central idea which will appeal greatly to anyone who's ever had a bad review - a Shakespearean actor goes around killing critics who have him bad write ups using murder techniques specified in tales of the Bard - and a legendary cast - Vincent Price in the lead, supported by Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Robert Morely and others - plus much genuine cleverness - adapting Shakespeare murders to the modern day - that you don't entirely mind that the movie is at heart a rip off of The Abominable Dr Phibes....
You've got Vincent Price playing a mad genius whom everyone thinks is dead taking revenge on a group of people, knocking them off one by one via some ancient method, using a beautiful female accomplice who is mostly silent, with most of the people dying deserving it except for one "good" on, and the investigation led by a middle aged character actor playing a policeman, the female accomplice dies at the end as the police close in.
Diana Rigg is a much better actor than any of Price's Phibes' co stars, but actually that's distracting here because she's so obviously under-utilised - she gets to dress up in some wacky outfits, including a moustache and crazy 70s wig, and has a decent enough death scene, but you wish she'd been given more of a character to play. It might have helped tackle some of the repetitive nature of the story by having her do something more interesting than just support her father.
Price is in outstanding form, having terrific fun with his murderous ways and getting to perform great slabs of Shakespeare - this was one of his favourite roles and no wonder. And yet, his protagonist here is much less touching than Dr Phibes (at least in the first movie) because he's driven by ego and revenge more than love.
I was also annoyed by the depiction of Ian Hendry as a "good" critic - with his really nice apartment, and black skivvies, and comb over hair and massive side burns, he's not a very engaging or likeable hero, more like a spoilt little brat, but I think we're meant to have sympathy for him (he's brave at the end not backing down on his reviews, he gets the last line). When he tells Rigg "I only gave your dad bad reviews because I wanted him to try something other than Shakespeare" I felt like stabbing him myself. I hate critics who use that argument. If that's what you want then actually write it - or turn director/writer and give him the role! Anyway, my own prejudice coming out there.... Still, it meant for me he was a critic who I wanted to die and I had to be stuck with him living.
It looks handsome, the supporting cast is a lot of fun: I mean Harry Andrews, Coral Browne, Dennis Price, Diana Dors, Morley (who has to eat his own dogs!), Arthur Lowe, Milo O'Shea, Robert Coote.
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