Villian(s)  Witchcraft, vampire

Actor(s):  Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Denholm Elliott, Ingrid Pitt

Brief Description  The House That Dripped Blood (1971) is a classic British horror anthology film produced by Amicus Productions, directed by Peter Duffell, and written entirely by Psycho author Robert Bloch. The movie connects four macabre vignettes through a central, eerie country manor where each previous tenant met a tragic or terrifying end.

Plot:
Scotland Yard Inspector Holloway is dispatched to investigate the sudden disappearance of Paul Henderson, a famous horror film star who recently moved into an old country estate. Holloway interviews the local police and the estate agent, Mr. Stoker, who reveals that Henderson is merely the latest in a line of tenants to vanish or die. Disregarding warnings, Holloway visits the abandoned house at night, descends into the dark cellar, and discovers a horrific fate waiting for him, effectively closing the loop on the house's curse.

Charles Hillyer (Denholm Elliott), a struggling horror novelist who moves into the house with his wife, Alice, hoping the isolated atmosphere will spark his creativity. Charles begins writing about a psychopathic, maniacal strangler named Dominic. Soon, he suffers vivid hallucinations and spots Dominic lurking around the estate gardens and inside the house. Charles fears he is losing his mind. Dominic is actually an actor hired by Alice and her secret lover, Richard. They plotted to drive Charles insane to have him committed. However, the scheme backfires when the hired actor stays too deep in character and murders Alice, leaving Richard trapped in the house with a real monster.

Philip Grayson (Peter Cushing), a lonely, retired stockbroker seeking a peaceful life in the countryside. While exploring the nearby town, Grayson wanders into a creepy wax museum. He is struck with obsession by a wax figure of a beautiful woman who looks exactly like a lost love from his past. Later, his friend Neville Rogers visits and is similarly mesmerized by the same figure. The museum's eccentric proprietor reveals that the wax figure is actually the preserved, dead body of his unfaithful wife, whom he decapitated. Overwhelmed by the exhibit's dark allure, a fight ensues; the proprietor murders Neville, cuts off his head to add to the display, and Grayson meets a similarly grim fate.

John Reid (Christopher Lee), a cold, strict widower who moves in with his young, sheltered daughter, Jane. Reid hires a sweet governess, Ann Porter, to tutor Jane. Ann grows deeply concerned by Reid’s harsh treatment of his daughter, noticing he bans Jane from playing with toys, going to school, or interacting with other children. Ann secretly buys Jane a doll, which the child uses to practice strange rituals. Reid is not abusing Jane out of cruelty, but out of absolute terror; Jane's late mother was a witch, and Jane has inherited her powers. Jane uses the doll as a voodoo doll against her father. She melts it in the fireplace, causing Reid to suffer a agonizing chest pains and die while Ann watches in horror, realizing she enabled a monster.

Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee), an arrogant, theatrical horror actor who moves into the house while filming a low-budget vampire movie nearby. Demanding absolute realism for his role, Henderson goes to a local occult shop and purchases an authentic, antique black cloak from a mysterious shopkeeper. When he wears it, he discovers he cast no reflection, gains the ability to fly, and develops a sudden craving for blood. The cloak belonged to a real vampire. Henderson's co-star, Carla (Ingrid Pitt), turns out to be an actual vampire herself. She welcomes him into her nocturnal world, sealing his fate and setting up his disappearance that prompts the inspector's initial investigation.