The first side of the first of three Price/Corman(often)/Poe(often) double feature DVDs (Midnight Movies) found for a deal at Blockbuster. This one is 3 gruesome tales.
As in other Poe/Corman/Price movies, the sets, makeup and lighting are rich, despite the small budget (by today's standards). The thing is, that without the distraction of things blowing up spectacularly, and by the confinement of a limited set, the focus is on the characters and the story. Two out of the three Tales of Terror are excellent, if only for their fascination with the macabre. Morella is OK, with the actresses being quite beautiful amid chaos and destruction, but is just a taster for the last two. Black Cat is fine, with Peter Lorre standing out, even alongside the standard that is Price. The fate of he and she is not one to be desired, tho is perhaps too like Cask of Amontillado. Valdemar is cheesy, but challenges the viewer to cast of disbelief and consider vegetative perpetuity. ... and for that alone, it stands apart. Perhaps not everyone's cup of blood, but it works for me!
As in other Poe/Corman/Price movies, the sets, makeup and lighting are rich, despite the small budget (by today's standards). The thing is, that without the distraction of things blowing up spectacularly, and by the confinement of a limited set, the focus is on the characters and the story. Two out of the three Tales of Terror are excellent, if only for their fascination with the macabre. Morella is OK, with the actresses being quite beautiful amid chaos and destruction, but is just a taster for the last two. Black Cat is fine, with Peter Lorre standing out, even alongside the standard that is Price. The fate of he and she is not one to be desired, tho is perhaps too like Cask of Amontillado. Valdemar is cheesy, but challenges the viewer to cast of disbelief and consider vegetative perpetuity. ... and for that alone, it stands apart. Perhaps not everyone's cup of blood, but it works for me!