Tales of Terror

1962
Approved
1h 29m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

8.7K

YOUR RATING

Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, and Debra Paget in Tales of Terror (1962)

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1 Video

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Comedy Horror Mystery Thriller

Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.

Director
- Roger Corman
Writers
- Richard Matheson
- Edgar Allan Poe
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

8.7K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Roger Corman
Writers
- Richard Matheson
- Edgar Allan Poe
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations total

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The "Black Cat" segment was recycled for "The Comedy of Terrors (1963)" (even the presence of a meddlesome cat). Many of the same actors appear in both films, only here Peter Lorre plays the drunk married to devoted Joyce Jameson, with Vincent Price introduced as the third member of the triangle; in "Comedy of Terrors" Price and Lorre exchange roles, and Jameson essentially repeats her performance. Not only that, but Price's line "What place is this?" from the "M. Valdemar" segment of "Tales of Terror" is recycled as a running gag for Basil Rathbone in "Comedy of Terrors".

Goofs
When Morella takes control of Lenora's body, as Vincent Price walks up the last time before the reveal, you can see a red backstage light in the "window."

Quotes
Montresor Herringbone: Haven't I convinced you of my sincerity yet? I'm genuinely dedicated to your destruction.

Alternate versions
The shots of Valdemar 'liquefying' over Carmichael were originally cut from the UK cinema print and later restored for video.

Connections
Featured in Nightwatch Presents Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of Terror (1973)

User reviews87

Review

Featured review

7/10

Pretty good

Another of the Roger Corman/Vincent Price films based VERY loosely on three Edgar Allan Poe tales.

The first is "Morella" where a dying girl comes to visit her father (Price) and find out why he abandoned her as a child. It has to do with her mother (Morella) and her death. Well-done but it doesn't make a lot of sense.

"The Black Cat" is about a man (Peter Lorre) finding out his wife is cheating on him with someone else (Price). It's pretty good but Lorre's acting turns it into a comedy more than a horror story.

"The Case of M. Valdemar" has an evil mesmerist (Basil Rathbone) keeping a man's spirit alive while his body wastes away. Well-done with a pretty gruesome ending.

Basically this a good anthology of horror stories. They're well-produced, well-acted and written. Just don't expect them to be anything like the Poe tales (especially "Morella"). GREAT liberties have been taken with the stories--they just use them as a starting point and build on it.

Also try to see it letter-boxed--the pan and scan TV version is pretty terrible.

I give it a 7.