SusannahTALES OF TERROR
March 24th 2008 04:18
TALES OF TERROR (1962)
Starring: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone.
Screenplay By: Richard Matheson, based on the stories by Edgar Allan Poe
Directed By: Roger Corman
Another selection of cinematic adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories, which seemed to be very fashionable in the 1960’s. Again, there are three stories together as one film, but this time all by the same director and all starring Vincent Price.
The first story is “Morella,” about a young woman, Leonora Locke (Maggie Pierce) who has not seen her father since she was a young child. She comes home, to his incredibly gloomy and decrepit mansion, to see him. Vincent Price plays her father, a man who has spent the last twenty years morning his wife after she died giving birth to their daughter, and with her dying breath, blaming the child for taking her life. He does not welcome his daughter, who he also blames for his wife’s death. But would he really sacrifice his daughter if he could have his wife back? And who does the spirit of his dead wife really want revenge on? This story is easily the weakest of the three. The set looks suspiciously the same as another Poe adaptation, House of Usher, and has a similar plot as well. The acting is good, but the ending does not make a lot of sense.
More entertaining is the second segment, “The Black Cat,” which is actually an amalgamation of the Poe stories “The Black Cat,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Peter Lorre plays Montresor Herringbone, a hopeless drunk, who does not work, and forces his attractive young wife Annabel (Joyce Jameson) to give him what little money she makes so he can buy alcohol. One night he goes to a wine tasting (in order to get free wine presumably) where he makes the acquaintance of Fortunato (Vincent Price), an expert wine taster, and challenges him to a wine tasting duel.
Because he is inebriated, Fortunato has to help Montresor home, where he meets Montresor’s attractive and neglected young wife. Mrs Herringbone’s pet black cat, who Montresor hates, also takes a liking to Fortunado. Fortunado and Annabel Herringbone thus embark on an affair, for which Montresor decides to get his revenge. But has he thought of the black cat, who does not take kindly to any ill treatment of its mistress?
This is a very entertaining story. Peter Lorre makes a fantastic drunk, with plenty of comedy milked from his drunken scenes, but he is also sinister when the time comes. Vincent Price is also suitable fruity and snooty as the wine snob. The story is compelling, and the ending suitable creepy.
The last story, “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” is the most creepy, and has the most horrible and satisfying climax of the three. Basil Rathbone plays a hypnotherapist, Carmichael, who uses hypnotism to help ease the pain of the dying Valdemar (Vincent Price). Together they decide to experiment to see if they can use hypnotisim to prolong the life of Valdemar when the time of his death approaches.
Valdemar has a beautiful young wife called Helene (Debra Paget), who Carmichael covets. Valdemar sees her attraction to the handsome young Dr. James (David Frankham), and blesses their union after his death. But Carmichael has other ideas. Gaining control of Valdemar’s spirit with hypnotism, he blackmails Helene, saying unless she marries him instead, he will never release he husband’s spirit. But is Valdemar as much in his power as he thinks? The best of the segments, this explores a creepy premise well, and finishes off the story, and the film, with some gory special effects and Vincent Price in top horror acting mode. Tales of Terror is for anyone who is a fan of cheesy sixties horror.
Starring: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone.
Screenplay By: Richard Matheson, based on the stories by Edgar Allan Poe
Directed By: Roger Corman
Another selection of cinematic adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories, which seemed to be very fashionable in the 1960’s. Again, there are three stories together as one film, but this time all by the same director and all starring Vincent Price.
The first story is “Morella,” about a young woman, Leonora Locke (Maggie Pierce) who has not seen her father since she was a young child. She comes home, to his incredibly gloomy and decrepit mansion, to see him. Vincent Price plays her father, a man who has spent the last twenty years morning his wife after she died giving birth to their daughter, and with her dying breath, blaming the child for taking her life. He does not welcome his daughter, who he also blames for his wife’s death. But would he really sacrifice his daughter if he could have his wife back? And who does the spirit of his dead wife really want revenge on? This story is easily the weakest of the three. The set looks suspiciously the same as another Poe adaptation, House of Usher, and has a similar plot as well. The acting is good, but the ending does not make a lot of sense.
More entertaining is the second segment, “The Black Cat,” which is actually an amalgamation of the Poe stories “The Black Cat,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Peter Lorre plays Montresor Herringbone, a hopeless drunk, who does not work, and forces his attractive young wife Annabel (Joyce Jameson) to give him what little money she makes so he can buy alcohol. One night he goes to a wine tasting (in order to get free wine presumably) where he makes the acquaintance of Fortunato (Vincent Price), an expert wine taster, and challenges him to a wine tasting duel.
Because he is inebriated, Fortunato has to help Montresor home, where he meets Montresor’s attractive and neglected young wife. Mrs Herringbone’s pet black cat, who Montresor hates, also takes a liking to Fortunado. Fortunado and Annabel Herringbone thus embark on an affair, for which Montresor decides to get his revenge. But has he thought of the black cat, who does not take kindly to any ill treatment of its mistress?
This is a very entertaining story. Peter Lorre makes a fantastic drunk, with plenty of comedy milked from his drunken scenes, but he is also sinister when the time comes. Vincent Price is also suitable fruity and snooty as the wine snob. The story is compelling, and the ending suitable creepy.
The last story, “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” is the most creepy, and has the most horrible and satisfying climax of the three. Basil Rathbone plays a hypnotherapist, Carmichael, who uses hypnotism to help ease the pain of the dying Valdemar (Vincent Price). Together they decide to experiment to see if they can use hypnotisim to prolong the life of Valdemar when the time of his death approaches.
Valdemar has a beautiful young wife called Helene (Debra Paget), who Carmichael covets. Valdemar sees her attraction to the handsome young Dr. James (David Frankham), and blesses their union after his death. But Carmichael has other ideas. Gaining control of Valdemar’s spirit with hypnotism, he blackmails Helene, saying unless she marries him instead, he will never release he husband’s spirit. But is Valdemar as much in his power as he thinks? The best of the segments, this explores a creepy premise well, and finishes off the story, and the film, with some gory special effects and Vincent Price in top horror acting mode. Tales of Terror is for anyone who is a fan of cheesy sixties horror.
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