Tales of Terror
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| Tales of Terror | |
|---|---|
 Original poster of film |
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| Directed by | Roger Corman |
| Produced by | Samuel Z. Arkoff Roger Corman James H. Nicholson |
| Written by | Richard Matheson |
| Starring | Vincent Price Peter Lorre Basil Rathbone |
| Music by | Les Baxter |
| Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
| Editing by | Anthony Carras |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures MGM (VHS and DVD release) |
| Release date(s) | 4 July 1962 |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Tales of Terror is the title of a 1962 horror movie starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone, directed by Roger Corman, which comprised three sequences, each based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. The episodes are
- "Morella" (which actually resembles Poe's "Ligeia"),
- "The Black Cat" (which contains elements from "The Cask of Amontillado"),
- "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar."
Although loosely adapted by Richard Matheson, the half-hour format of each episode allows the script to remain a bit more faithful to the original short stories than the previous Price-Corman-Poe films had.
Contents |
[edit] Plot Summary
This anthology horror contains three short stories, the longest being “The Black Cat”, each with a brief preface from Vincent Price who features in all three narratives.
[edit] Morella
Lenora Locke travels from Boston to see her father and is horrified to find that the house is in ruins. Her father (Vincent Price) is in a terrible state: drunk, depressed and losing it. Lenora, unable to return to her home, in Boston, asks to stay with him and he at first is reluctant. He insists that Lenora killed her long dead mother in giving birth to her. In the house Lenora comes across a room where her hideously decomposed mother is still laid out on a bed. The father comes in enraged and together they discuss what had driven him to keep her and overcome their resentment toward each other. After Lenora reveals she only has months to live her father begs her to stay.
For a period things seem to be looking up as with the daughters help the father becomes his sober, sane self again and they spend some happy time together. However, it was not to last as one night a spirit, of Morella, comes into household and somehow kills Lenora. The father, hearing Lenora’s scream comes running but alas, is too late. Moments later the body re-awakens but protruding from beneath the sheet is not the blonde hair of Lenora but the black hair of Morella! The father pulls back the sheet to reveal an alive and aware Morella returned from the dead. Blaming their daughter for her death, she has come back for revenge. Vincent Price then runs to the room where Morella’s body was only to find Lenora’s decomposing body in its place. The father drops a candle in horror as his wife enters and Morella then strangles the father as the house burns to the ground.
[edit] The Black Cat
Firstly, we are introduced to the main character called Montresor Herringbone (Peter Lorre). Drunk and rambling he meanders his way home and forces his long-suffering wife, Annabel Herringbone, to gives him more money for drink. He hates his wife’s black cat which on appearance only stimulates his drunken rage further. Out on another night out he gets barred from the local pub and so on his wandering he comes across a wine tasting event and cannot believe his luck. In his intoxicated state he challenges the worlds foremost wine taster, Fortunato Luchresi (Vincent Price), to a wine tasting contest.
Fortunato Luchresi ends up having to carry a now very drunk Peter Lorre home where he meets Annabel and together they put him to bed. The story then cuts forward as Montresor in the pub describes how his wife now encourages him to go out and never withholds money from him anymore. The landlord reminds him that it is only since he brought Luchresi home that she does this. Montresor, livid, waits outside his house and, proving his suspicions, Lucressi emerges and kisses Annabel goodbye. Montresor enters the house acting normal and the viewer does not see what happens in the house that night. However, the next day Luchresi arrives to take tea with the couple but Montresor is the only one present. Montresor drugs then Luchresi with wine. When Luchresi awakens he is chained in the cellar alongside his love, Annabel, as Montresor builds up a walls so as to inter them prematurely.
After completing the wall, Montresor continues his life but is soon interrupted by two policemen who wish to conduct a search of the house. He agrees and all seems to be going well as they do not notice anything suspicious in the cellar but they are alarmed by Montresor's reaction to hallucinations of his dead wife and friend. Just as the police are about to leave an almighty screeching begins to come from behind the wall. The policemen knock down the wall and behind it they find the two dead people and the black cat, hated by Montresor, screeching from within. Montresor had accidentally sealed in the pet as well and ironically the cat he had once hated unknowingly proves him to be guilty of murder.
[edit] The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
M. Valdemar is dying from a painful and debilitating disease. To alleviate his pain he uses a hypnotist, Mr. Carmichael, to put him under various trances. After awakening from one of these trances he reveals to his wife (Helene)and his medical doctor (Dr. Elliot James) that he has agreed to allow Mr. Carmichael to put him under a trance the second before he is about to die. This trance will spare him from a slow and painful death and it will help Carmichael discover the mysteries of death. Both Dr. James and Helene are wary of Carmichael's intentions and feel that he only desires to control Valdemar. They express their doubts to Valdemar but he waves off their fears. As Valdemar approaches death he calls in Carmichael and Carmichael puts him under a trance. Valdemar dies painlessly but because of the trance he is stuck between the world of the living and the dead. He is now under the complete control of Carmichael. In his death trance Valdemar begs Carmichael to release his soul so he can die, both Dr. James and Helene beg Carmichael to release Valdemar. But Carmichael refuses.
Months pass, and we see that Carmichael has moved into the Valdemar home and Valdemar is still lying in the bed in which he died. During that time Dr. James and Helene have moved out. They are planning to marry (one of Valdemar's last requests) but want to free Valdemar from Carmichael's control before doing so. In a last ditch attempt to free Valdemar they return to the house to force Carmichael to release him from the trance.
Carmichael brings the couple to Valdemar's room but again refuses to release him. Instead, he tells Helene and Dr. James that Valdemar had changed his mind about Helene's future nuptials. Valdemar now wants her to marry Carmichael -- he then commands Valdemar's corpse to repeat the new request. To Dr. James' surprise Helene agrees to marry Carmichael and asks Dr. James to leave. Once alone Helene confronts Carmichael. She says she knows Carmichael forced her dead but hypnotized husband to make the new request and will only marry him if he releases Valdemar. Carmichael mocks her and says that he will never release Valdemar and that now he will control her too.
Distraught, Helene tries to leave the house. In a rage Carmichael attacks her. As Helene screams for help the dead Valdemar begins to stir. Suddenly he sits up and beings to approach the horrified Carmichael (and Helene). Dr. James, who is just leaving the house, hears Helene's screams and races back to Valdemar's room. Breaking down Valdemar's bedroom door he discovers a semi-conscious Helene. As he carries her out of the room they both turn and see the putrid body of Valdemar lying on top of the dead Carmichael, who likely died of fright.
[edit] Notes
- A mixture of glue, glycerin, corn starch and make-up paint was heated and then poured over Vincent Price's head to give the impression of his face melting away. The substance was so hot, that Price could only stand it for a few seconds.
