Canned Ham Is Worthy of Price

Vincent Price, one of the biggest hambones in horror, will haunt a couple of spots Friday night as UC Irvine and the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton present a pair of his movies.

UCI screens the 1973 cult favorite “Theatre of Blood” as part of its “Films We Love to Watch but Were Afraid to Admit” series. Toying with his image, Price plays a gasbag of an actor enraged by all the bad press he keeps getting. As Edward Lionheart, he decides to murder every critic who panned him over the years.

The Muckenthaler has picked a lesser flick for its outdoor “Monsters by Moonlight” series. “The Mad Magician,” released in 1954, gives Price the opportunity for more mayhem, this time as a magician (“The Great Gallico”) who slays other magicians for pleasure and profit.

Price, of course, was actually a well-respected, serious character actor during his early days in Hollywood, giving sturdy performances in such films as “Laura” (1944) and “Keys of the Kingdom” (also 1944) before turning to horror in the ‘50s. His trademark became broad acting-up, and a B-movie star was born.

In various interviews later in his career, Price often pointed out that the hamminess was intentional, to enliven pictures that weren’t very good and give himself some fun along the way. Whatever the reason, he really did it up big in “Theatre of Blood.”

Except for his early days, Price never did receive much positive critical attention, and that knowledge helps to make his mistreatment of all those mean-spirited reviewers a kick. Lionheart is a Shakespearean actor, and a wacky one. After learning that he didn’t win a prestigious London prize, he goes on a rampage.

There’s some style in Anthony Greville-Bell’s screenplay; he has Lionheart kill everyone off in Shakespearean ways. The first critic (Michael Hordern) to go is slain like Caesar in “Julius Caesar,” and scenes from “Cymbeline,” “Richard III,” “Othello” and others figure in later carnage.

Director Douglas Hickox loves blood and black humor as well. One alcoholic critic is drowned in a vat of wine, and Hickox gives Price plenty of chances to chomp the scenery. Reviewers at the time actually cheered Price’s performance and even gave “Theatre of Blood” the nod as a pretty decent movie.

“The Mad Magician,” though, is just a stinker. Director John Brahm doesn’t bring any elevating cleverness to this low-budget job, and even Price looks more foolish than funny. Muckenthaler will present it as originally intended, in 3-D, so maybe that’ll help.

What: “Theatre of Blood” and “The Mad Magician.”

When: “Theatre of Blood” at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday; “The Mad Magician” at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Where: “Theatre of Blood” at UC Irvine Student Center Crystal Cove Auditorium; “The Mad Magician” at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W. Malvern St., Fullerton.

Whereabouts: For “Theatre of Blood,” take the San Diego (405) Freeway to Jamboree Road and head south. Go east on Campus Drive and take Bridge Road into the campus. For “The Mad Magician,” take the Riverside (91) Freeway to Euclid Street and head north to Malvern.

Wherewithal: $2 and $4 for “Theatre of Blood”; $3 to $5 for “The Mad Magician.”

Where to call: (714) 856-6379 for “Theatre of Blood”; (714) 738-6595 for “The Mad Magician.”