USA, 1962
89m
35mm film, Panavision (anamorphic), colour, 2.35:1
mono, English
An American anthology horror film directed by Roger Corman and based on short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Production began under the title Poe’s Tales of Terror on 28 November 1961 1Variety vol.225 no.5 (27 December 1961) p.18.
Plot Summary
A trilogy of stories adapted from the stories of Edgar Allen Poe. A man and his daughter are reunited but feelings over the the death of his wife still run high with catastrophic and horrific results; jealousy rears its ugly head when a down-and-out challenges a wine devotee to a drinking competition and falls for his wife; at the point of dying, an agonised man is hypnotized to keep him in a limbo between life and death.
Credits
Crew
Directed by: Roger Corman
© by Alta Vista Productions MCMLXII [1962]
An American International picture. James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff have presented
Executive Producers: James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff
Produced by: Roger Corman
Screenplay by: Richard Matheson
Based on three Edgar Allan Poe stories [Morella, The Black Cat and The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, with material additional from The Cask of Amontillado]
Director of Photography: Floyd Crosby
Film Editor: Anthony Carras
Music by : Les Baxter
Sound: John Bury
Wardrobe: Marjorie Corso
Makeup: Lou La Cava
Special Effects: Pat Dinga
Photographic Effects: Butler-Glouner Inc.
Production Design and Art Direction: Daniel Haller
Cast
Morella
Vincent Price as Locke
Maggie Pierce as Lenora
Leona Gage as Morella
The Black Cat
Vincent Price as Fortunato
Peter Lorre as Montresor [Herringbone]
Joyce Jameson as Annabel [Herringbone]
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
Vincent Price as Valdemar
Basil Rathbone as Carmichael
Debra Paget as Helene [Valdemar]
David Frankham as Dr [Elliot] James
also
Lennie Weinrib [policemen]
Wally Campo [barman Wilkins]
Alan DeWitt [chairman of wine society]
John Hackett [policemen]
Ed Cobb [driver]
Scott Brown
Alternative Titles
Cuentos de terror – Argentina, Venezuela
Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Terror
L’Empire de la terreur – France
Der Grauenvolle Mr X – Germany
Historias de terror – Spain
Kauhutarinoita – Finland
Poe’s Tales of Terror – shooting title
I racconti del terrore – Italy
Rædslernes trio – Denmark
Schwarze Geschichten – Germany
En Studie i skräck – Sweden
Links
See also
Due occhi diabolici (1990)
Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001)
House on Haunted Hill (1999)
Matinee (1993)
Extracts included in
Madhouse (1974)
Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature (2001)
References
Periodicals
- Castle of Frankenstein no.3 p.4
- Castle of Frankenstein no.4 p.6
- Strange Adventures vol.2 no.7 (no.19 August 1990) pp.7-10 – illustrated article (The curse of Corman by Tony Cotterell)
- Variety vol.225 no.5 (27 December 1961) p.18 – credits, production start date (Hollywood production pulse)
- We Belong Dead no.29 (Autumn 2021) pp.12-13 – illustrated article (The black laboratory of John Llewellyn Probert: The black cat o’nine tales by John Llewellyn Probert)
Books
- American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography by Rob Craig pp.359-360
- American International Pictures: A Filmography by Robert L. Ottoson p.84-85 – credits, synopsis, review
- The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror by Phil Hardy (ed.) p.146
- Classic Horror Films and the Literature That Inspired Them by Ron Backer pp.151-155
- Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914-2008 by Bruce G. Hallenbeck pp.214 – credits
- A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series by Ken Hanke pp.219-220; 223
- Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema by Jonathan Rigby p.121
- Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures by Mark Thomas McGee pp.198-200, 276; 325
- Feature Films, 1960-1969: A Filmography of English-language and Major Foreign-language United States Releases by Harris M. Lentz III p.452
- The Films of Vincent Price by Iain F. McAsh pp.18-19; 43
- Horrorshows: The A-Z of Horror in Film, TV, Radio and Theatre by Gene Wright p.263 – credits, review
- Merchant of Menace: The Life and Films of Vincent Price by Denis Meikle pp.157-166; 360-361
- Reference Guide to Fantastic Films by Walt Lee p.474 – credits
- Richard Matheson on Screen: A History of the Filmed Works by Matthew R. Bradley pp.101-107
- Rock ‘n’ Roll Monsters: The American International Story by Bruce G. Hallenbeck pp.131-134; 290
- Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Film Sequels, Series, and Remakes by Kim R. Holston and Tom Winchester p.169
- Sixties Shockers by Mark Clark and Bryan Senn p.378
- Vincent Price: The Art of Fear by Denis Meikle pp.85-89; 224
- Vincent Price Unmasked by James Robert Parish and Steven Whitney pp.109-110; 213-214
- Women in the Horror Films of Vincent Price by Jonathan Malcolm Lampley pp.63-72; 192
