I watched TALES OF TERROR (1962) yesterday afternoon. It’s the third film in the Edgar Allan Poe/Rogert Corman cycle of color Gothic horror films from the 1960s. Instead of expanding a short story and adding a larger narrative to the original material, here director Corman and screenwriter Richard Matheson adapt three Edgar Alan Poe stories with all three episodes starring Vincent Price.
The first, MORELLA, is a delightfully moody and twisted little tale of familial relations between a widowed man (Price) and his estranged daughter, whom Price blames for the death of his wife. I won’t say more as the revelations at the end are truly surprising. I haven’t read the original Poe story but I’m going to look in my one volume book of Poe stories to see if it’s in there.
The second story, THE BLACK CAT uses elements from the title story, mixed liberally with material from Poe’s THE CASK OF AMONTALLIDO into a comedy horror pastiche that is genuinely funny in several parts. Price is over-the-top as the snobbish wine taster Prospero while Lorre practically steals the show with his portrayal of the drunken sot Montresor. I’ve read Poe’s BLACK CAT and it’s a very good horror story. The film version goes more for laughs and manages to hit the target more often than not.
The final entry, THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR is pure bliss. Price again stars as a man hoping to cheat the exact moment of death through the help of mesmerist Basil Rathbone. What a treat to see this genre veteran giving his best in the twilight of his career. And it’s hard to take your eyes off of the gob-smackingly beautiful Debra Paget. The climax of the film is one ooey-gooey mess that manages to pack a punch.
I enjoyed TALES OF TERROR thanks to the craftsmanship of Prices, Corman and Matheson and behind-the-camera talents cinematographer Floyd Crosby and art director Daniel Haller.
Recommended.
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