The House That Dripped Blood ( 1971)
Jon Pertwee makes a memorable appearance in this Amicus horror anthology. He plays the latest resident to go missing from the titular house, Paul Henderson, a temperamental actor cast as a vampire in a cheap horror movie. He also appears to be wearing his Doctor Who clobber – crossed with Shaft. Nick: I’d have loved to see Pertwee playing a pimped- out Doctor. Ian: He’s like the Mack on the way to the player’s ball. Jordan: Those were the days when you could wear a silk neckerchief and not get chased out of town. Nick: I tried that once and got chased out of town by the SFX team. Pertwee’s sat in a car opposite ’ 70s horror queen Ingrid Pitt. Russell: Ingrid Pitt looking like Liz Shaw there. Nick: And of course she was in “The Time Monster” playing the Queen of Atlantis. Russell: They’re even riding in a car which looks like Bessie. Ian: It’s all connected! Henderson shows up on set. Unimpressed, he puts his hand through one of the polystyrene walls. Ian: Don’t try that at the BBC, you’ve got five years of this coming up! Nick: It’s nicely satirical given that Amicus was so cheap. Jordan: And you could imagine Pertwee wasn’t averse to acting like a prima donna. Unhappy with the wardrobe department’s choices, Henderson visits a costume shop to buy a cloak. Nick: “I’d like a cloak with a red lining, something that an angry Scotsman might wear…” Russell: And now he’s wearing the frilly shirt! Jordan: Did he just walk off a BBC sound stage and start filming this? Back on set Henderson puts the cloak on only to unwittingly take a bite out of Carla. Nick: Ah, the same cross- eyed acting as when he was attacked by the Nestene. Ian: Do you think that’s Jon Pertwee’s orgasm face? Jordan: Well, that’s the Third Doctor ruined for me. Troubled by his vampiric turn on set Henderson puts the cloak on in the privacy of his home only to grow fangs and start to fly! Nick: Where’s that spooky wind from? Why is there a gale inside? Jordan: Those teeth are too close together, looks daft. Russell: Good flying effect though, I can’t see the cables. Henderson invites Carla round to show her the cloak’s effect, only to discover she’s switched it for a fake and has the real cloak herself. Ian: He can’t get it up. It’s never happened before, honest! Russell: You can see the cables this time, boo! With the illusion shattered the gang moves on to the final part of the evening’s entertainment.