Vincent Price on Blu-ray

[glennstl]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

Thanks for the Vol 3 reviews. No one ever talks about those movies, though it sounds like there's a good reason for that! I only watched Tower of London and it put me off watching more. And it sounds like that was the BEST!

You're welcome! And, yes, as much as I love Vincent Price movies, Collection III definitely contains the "least" of what is out. I'm glad they were put on Blu for sure. But many are not that enjoyable ( for me at least), especially when compared to Collections I and II and many of Price's single Blu movies, like House of Wax, MadHouse, Tales of Terror, etc.

[glennstl]

Well, this one is what it is ALL about. This movie is simply a classic. When you think of Vincent Price and his gothic horror movies (i.e. castles, stormy weather, dead relatives, torture chambers, cobwebs, ghosts, insanity, etc.) this is the movie that has it all. The plot likely doesn't need much explanation as it is so well known. Price plays a man suffering from the death of his wife. His brother-in-law stops at Price's vast estate and demands further answers of how his sister died. This is always a staple for me around Halloween. Can't get classier than this one.

Extras contain an intro/outro by Vincent Price from the Iowa TV specials. There's also included a rare prologue. Great stuff!

[happydood]

Originally Posted by glennstl

You're welcome! And, yes, as much as I love Vincent Price movies, Collection III definitely contains the "least" of what is out. I'm glad they were put on Blu for sure. But many are not that enjoyable ( for me at least), especially when compared to Collections I and II and many of Price's single Blu movies, like House of Wax, MadHouse, Tales of Terror, etc.

Yeah, thanks for affirming my resolve to not buy vol 3. I'm a huge fan and have everything EXCEPT for the vol 3 titles and so far have overcome my completionist ocd. Banshee is the only one I haven't seen and some folks over at the Classic Horror Film Board mentioned it as being the best title in the set. I'll just go back to a strong title on vol 1 or 2 or The Fly or House of Wax when I feel the urge.

[glennstl]

Masque of the Red Death is another great and classic Price/Roger Corman collabertation. Price plays an evil Prince Prospero who terrorizes his local townspeople while throwing his palace minions plenty of parties. Lurking around and throughout the plot is a mysterious figure in all red. What his purpose is and how it affects Price and others in the plot leads to some great moments. This one also is terrific for the gothic atmosphere created by Roger Corman. There's great music, castles, the evil prince, the mysterious figure in red, dream sequences, etc. This one is very good and is definitely one of the most classic Price/Corman films.

The extras contain a nice Iowa TV intro. by Price. There's also an informative 18 minute interview with Roger Corman about the making of this movie.

[glennstl]

The Haunted Palace is one of my favorite Price movies. Price plays a man who is married and moves into an ancient castle that one of his ancestors lived in over 100 years earlier. His long-ago relative was also burned at the stake and put a curse on the town. Once Price and his wife arrive, things start to get strange for them, with the town people and especially with Price, as he is slowly possessed by the ghost of his ancestor. Lon Chaney Jr. also plays a supporting role and it's fun to see he and Price work together. The ambience in this film is wonderful if you are a classic Price fan. It's got everything: creepy castle/mansion, witches burned at the stake, possession, unusual villagers, stormy/rainy weather, digging up graves, and even villagers ready to burn down the castle. Price does a nice job playing a man trying not to become like his evil ancestor.

Also included as an extra is a good interview with Roger Corman who gives some in-depth information about the making of the film.

[glennstl]

Just like The Pit and the Pendulum, this film is CLASSIC Vincent Price. It's got to be up there with 2 or 3 of his best movies. If you are a gothic horror fan at all, this one has everything: enormous house (which is basically alive), madness, characters buried alive, stormy weather, secret passages, a great musical score and other mysteries. Price plays Usher who lives in the house with his sister. He believes his family is cursed and that the house is like a living being. I'm sure every Vincent Price fan has seen this at least once. It's just as great on repeat viewings. Also great for Halloween or just any stormy night.

For extras, there is a nice intro. and outro. by Vincent Price. Another cool extra is a 40 minute audio interview with Vincent Price from 1988 in which he reflects on his career and some of his various films. There are also 2 seperate commentary tracks.

[glennstl]

Twice Told Tales is a great anthology film. I found myself liking almost all 3 films equally. The first tale is "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment". It concerns Price and his friend basically discovering the fountain of younth in a crypt. They discover they can become younger again and maybe even bring back the woman who died years ago that they both loved. This is a fun movie because it's almost partly sci-fi and also asks universal questions like, "If you could turn back time, should you?" Price's acting and the plot is very good in this one. The second story is "Rappaccini's Daughter". Price plays a man that is mysteriously very controlling over his daughter. When a local young man takes interest in the daughter, we learn why Price guards her so seriously. This is a fun one too. The final film is "House of the Seven Gables" in which Price plays a man secretly trying to find money/treasure buried in this house. It seems he will do almost anything to get it. This one is good but was my least favorite of the three. This anthology is overall a great set and has some of the famous gothic atmosphere that Price films are known for (some...not a ton).

There is an extra that very briefly reviews the overall plot of the three movies.

This isn't one of Price's major films, but it's a solid one.

[glennstl]

Tales of Terror is another 3 picture anthology featuring Price in each of them. It starts out with Morella, in which Price plays the husband of a long-dead wife. Price blames his daughter for Morella dying in child birth. Price tries supernatural means to revive Morella. This film is good for the classic gothic atmosphere seen in many Price films. It's an enjoyable watch. The second film is The Black Cat, featuring Price and Peter Lorre. It's basically a comedy where Lorre's character wants revenge on his wife and Price for cheating on him. Lorre works to make a suitable trap for the two of them. This one is also enjoyable due to the good comedy between Lorre and Price. The final film is The Case of M. Valdemar, also staring Basil Rathbone. Rathbone's character is a hypnotist who tries to give Price his wish to see what death is like. The film is more like the first one (Morella) in that it has more of the classic gothic Price qualities. While none of these three stories are outstanding, they are definitely entertaining and well worth watching.

The extras feature a good interview with Roger Corman, where he discusses these 3 films in the anthology which he directed. There's also a short "Trailers From Hell" featuring Corman discussing the 3 films.

[glennstl]

The first time I saw this movie, I didn't much care for it. I'm really into Price's early-mid 1960's AIP/Roger Corman films, with their typical gothic atmospheres. I also found most of the movie somewhat slow and also sometimes over-the-top. However, upon repeat viewings, I've actually gotten to enjoy it very much. Price does a great job playing Dr. Phibes, who is seeking revenge on the doctors that he blames for the death of his wife. He uses all sorts of ways to kill these doctors that are straight out of Biblical plagues. While watching each of his victims inevitably meet their end, it's entertaining (and sometimes somewhat shocking) the way Price does away with them. This is a different kind of Price movie in plot and tone, and has definitely grown on me over time. Plus, Joseph Cotton is in it, and he's one of my favorite classic Hollywood actors.



This sequel I would say I thought was decent. There's some entertaining parts with Price once again trying to get revenge on people that he blames for the death of his wife. He's also trying to gain a sort of immortality. This sequel, though, definitely doesn't reach the same heights in entertainment and shock as the first movie did. While it's good to see Price reprise the Dr. Phibes role, it kinda feels like "been there, done that". Overall, a decent movie that (other than a few scenes) I found somewhat forgettable.

[glennstl]

House of the Long Shadows (made in 1983) teams Vincent Price with three other classic horror stars: John Carradine, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Can't ask for much better of a cast than that. It's obvious while watching that the film is purposely a total homage to the old 1940's/1950's/1960's horror movies. As far as Price, while he shares the stage, he commands attention in all the scenes he appears in. While some parts of the movie are kinda slow, there's lots to love if you're a classic horror fan: creepy house, lots of stormy weather, mysterious characters, murder, plot twists, etc. While it's not one of Price's great roles, it's fun to see him in one of his later career roles.

For extras, there's 2 audio commentaries and also a good 15 minute interview with the director of the movie.

[glennstl]

House of Wax made Vincent Price's career. From this point on, his career took off. This is one of my favorite Price movies. The 3D in this movie is amazing looking. Price plays a sculptor who runs a wax museum. After a giant fire, he is badly burned and from this point on he tries to recreate his beloved wax creations using real (i.e. dead) people. This is a great looking movie with the way they did the sets. The overall plot I found really interesting and it's just a fun movie. It's also amusing to see Charles Bronson play an assistant of Price's. I've watched this in 2D and in 3D... and 3D is definitely the way to go. I would put this film up with 2 or 3 of my favorite Price films by far.

There is an awesome 45 minute extra included that traces the making of House of Wax and how it ushered in the 3D craze of the early 1950's. They really go into detail, not only on Price's career with especially this movie, but also the 3D in general. This is an extra that you really should watch if you're also a big fan of House of Wax.

[glennstl]

This is another Price movie (much like Dr. Phibes) that I wasn't crazy about when I first saw it. However, after re-watching, I have a new appreciation for it. Price plays an actor named Paul Toombes. Toombes' most famous role is playing a chracter called Dr. Death. Unfortunately for Toombes, disaster hits his personal life and he abandons his acting for years. Peter Cushing plays a business assosciate who convinces Toombes to come back to acting as Dr. Death. People then start ending up mysteriously killed. A reviewer somewhere said this film is basically Price's "Sunset Blvd." and it's really true as you watch this movie. In the movie, the characters watch real clips from Price's (or Toombes') career (clips from Tales of Terror, The Raven, Haunted Palace, Pit and the Pendulum and others). So, it's fun watching Price watch himself in other movies within this movie. While not a Price classic, Madhouse is a great and entertaining Price movie.

There's a 10 minute extra about the making of Madhouse which is definitely worth watching if you're a fan.

[oddbox83]

Madhouse is one that has grown on me too. I thought it was a mess when I first saw it, and my first rewatch didn't change that. However, the BD with the massively improved transfer over what came before has changed my mind and I found a lot there to enjoy.

It's quietly subtle I think, not one you can take at face value like many Price horrors. You've got to really tune into the satire for it to work, it's not as straightforward as Theatre of Blood.

[glennstl]

Price plays his role of hunting down witches well. However, it's not an "easy feeling" movie like so many other Price movies. For me, it's hard to get comfortable with and much interested in. I think it's because the tone is very dark and the picture is pretty depressing. It's just so radically different than most Price pictures (such as the Corman films). That's not to say it's a "bad" movie. The plot is somewhat interesting and all the actors do a decent job. But for me, it's too much of a dark, historical drama instead of a fun, creepy, gothic adventure.

The extras are awesome. There is a great 25 minute making of Witchfinder General. If you're a fan, this is an interesting extra. There's also a 1 hour interview with Price and it pretty much covers his entire career, sometimes film by film. Price offers many great insights about these movies in this interview. There is also a nice 45 minute interview with Price's daughter, Victoria, about her father where she gives a lot of personal insights into her father's career and Price as a family man.

[glennstl]

The first Fly movie is definitely a classic. There are some slow parts, but overall it kept me engaged. Price plays the brother of the scientist who becomes the fly. Price's role is relatively a small one in this film. But when on screen, he does a nice job. Overall, the plot of the movie is pretty good and the ending is a classic.

There are some great extras included. One is a 45 minute Biography episode on Price which gives a great overview of his career. There is also a 10 minute or so retrospective on all 3 fly films.




Return of the Fly takes place several years after the first movie. Price plays again the uncle to his nephew. The nephew is obsessed with carrying on the experiments of his father, while Price tries to convince him not to. Guess who wins that debate? This movie kinda falls into that category of "decent." There's nothing wrong with it, other than we've seen the basic story before, and this one isn't as good. Price also is not the star... I would call him more a supporting character almost (although he is in it a good deal). What's kinda odd is this one is in black and white (nothing inherently wrong with that)... while the first movie was in color. So, it kinda seems like a step back in some ways. Overall, Price pretty much plays the scientific/supportive uncle and does a nice job.

[glennstl]

This has been my 3rd or 4th time watching The Oblong Box over the past several years. Every single time I watch it, I find myself still slightly confused by the overall plot. For me, it's a movie (unlike all of Price's other movies) where I have to consciously be paying extreme attention while watching, due to the complex plot and all the characters running around. There are also several scenes that were filmed at night and therefore very dark... sometimes this leads to more plot confusion. The basic plot is Price and his brother are in Africa at the very beginning of the movie and Price's brother comes back badly deformed (he has to wear a red cloth hood/mask over his head) and is also now affected due to a voodoo ritual. The brother than goes around the village killing people. Christopher Lee also plays the town doctor who gets mixed up with Price and his brother. Price plays his role well, but this movie I still unfortunately find a chore to sit through. There's just too much confusion going on and several parts of the movie really drag. "Cry of the Banshee" is my least favorite Price film, but The Oblong Box is right behind it.

[glennstl]

The Mad Magician seems to be one of Vincent Price's least well-known films. This is limited to only 3,000 copies by Twilight Time. I think it would have been great in one of Scream Factory's Vincent Price Collections, but Twilight Time does a great job with it, too. Price stars as a popular stage magician that specializes in disguising himself and being able to change his appearances. He is also always working on "upping" his magic act... always looking for something newer and bigger and greater to work into his magic acts. His character fears his sponsor/boss is going to stop basically paying him for these acts, and so Price off's him. From there, Price is kinda "on the run" in most of the movie, working to kill off other characters and then assume some of their appearances to basically hide from the police in plain sight. I really love this movie. It comes in both the 2D and 3D versions, and the 3D version looks really great. The story is in many ways like House of Wax (also in 3D) and was only released one year only, kinda likely trying to cash in on Price in 3D again. I found the story to be really entertaining. It's fun to watch Price try to disguise himself, run his magic act and also keep one step ahead of the authorities. Price does a great job.

A nice extra included is a 20 minute "making of" the movie. It also goes into detail about how the 3D worked with the film.

[chriszilla]

Originally Posted by happydood

Yeah, thanks for affirming my resolve to not buy vol 3. I'm a huge fan and have everything EXCEPT for the vol 3 titles and so far have overcome my completionist ocd. Banshee is the only one I haven't seen and some folks over at the Classic Horror Film Board mentioned it as being the best title in the set. I'll just go back to a strong title on vol 1 or 2 or The Fly or House of Wax when I feel the urge.

Although Vol III is the "least" of the collections, in terms of number of films offered, and the overall quality, I can't imagine anyone who is a "huge" fan not wanting this set! For me, 4 of these 5 titles are films I will watch on a semi-regular basis; only CRY OF THE BANSHEE is disappointing (although again, if you're a big enough Price fan, you'd want to have it, I'd think).

MASTER OF THE WORLD is interesting, as it is a different role for Price, and it's fun watching A.I.P. try to do something with "A" picture aspirations, but not having the resources to pull it off. But the acting and story are engaging. It's noteworthy for the different role it gives Price, if nothing else. Plus, Charles Bronson!

TOWER OF LONDON may be low-budget, but I always appreciate seeing what Roger Corman can achieve with limited means. Price is good here. It almost feels like you're watching a stage play, which I guess could be a criticism for many people. I like this one a lot, and it's fun to contrast it with the 1939 version with Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone.

DIARY OF A MADMAN is awesome. I can't imagine anyone who is a Vincent Price fan not enjoying his performance. This is the very type of film most of us think of when we think of Vincent Price.

AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLEN POE really impressed me when I watched it recently. When it came out years ago as part of one of the MGM Midnight Movies DVDs, it didn't make much of an impression on me, probably because I was expecting something else. If you go into it with the attitude that you're watching Price doing a one-man stage production, it's outstanding. He really gets into it, and the extra feature about the making of it makes you appreciate Price's impeccable professionalism, no matter what the project. If you go into this one with the proper mindset, it's quite good.

So while I may give Vols I and II higher ratings overall, Vol III is still a must-have for someone who considers themselves a big Vincent Price fan.

[glennstl]

Originally Posted by chriszilla

Although Vol III is the "least" of the collections, in terms of number of films offered, and the overall quality, I can't imagine anyone who is a "huge" fan not wanting this set! For me, 4 of these 5 titles are films I will watch on a semi-regular basis; only CRY OF THE BANSHEE is disappointing (although again, if you're a big enough Price fan, you'd want to have it, I'd think).

MASTER OF THE WORLD is interesting, as it is a different role for Price, and it's fun watching A.I.P. try to do something with "A" picture aspirations, but not having the resources to pull it off. But the acting and story are engaging. It's noteworthy for the different role it gives Price, if nothing else. Plus, Charles Bronson!

TOWER OF LONDON may be low-budget, but I always appreciate seeing what Roger Corman can achieve with limited means. Price is good here. It almost feels like you're watching a stage play, which I guess could be a criticism for many people. I like this one a lot, and it's fun to contrast it with the 1939 version with Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone.

DIARY OF A MADMAN is awesome. I can't imagine anyone who is a Vincent Price fan not enjoying his performance. This is the very type of film most of us think of when we think of Vincent Price.

AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLEN POE really impressed me when I watched it recently. When it came out years ago as part of one of the MGM Midnight Movies DVDs, it didn't make much of an impression on me, probably because I was expecting something else. If you go into it with the attitude that you're watching Price doing a one-man stage production, it's outstanding. He really gets into it, and the extra feature about the making of it makes you appreciate Price's impeccable professionalism, no matter what the project. If you go into this one with the proper mindset, it's quite good.

So while I may give Vols I and II higher ratings overall, Vol III is still a must-have for someone who considers themselves a big Vincent Price fan.

Enjoyed reading your analysis of each movie in Vol. 3!

I agree completely that although Vol. 3 can't compete with Vol. 1 & 2, if someone is a Price fan, they should still pick it up.

I also really enjoyed "An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe" just as you stated. The first time I viewed this I liked it, but didn't think much more of it than that. However, upon viewing it a second time, I also found it to be really great. You read about all these stage plays Price did early in his career and also later. And this is great because it feels like the viewer could be sitting in a theater watching Price live on the stage. He really shows his dynamic acting range in these Poe plays. A real treat and one of the good reasons to pick up Collection III.

[chriszilla]

Originally Posted by glennstl

Enjoyed reading your analysis of each movie in Vol. 3!

I agree completely that although Vol. 3 can't compete with Vol. 1 & 2, if someone is a Price fan, they should still pick it up.

I also really enjoyed "An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe" just as you stated. The first time I viewed this I liked it, but didn't think much more of it than that. However, upon viewing it a second time, I also found it to be really great. You read about all these stage plays Price did early in his career and also later. And this is great because it feels like the viewer could be sitting in a theater watching Price live on the stage. He really shows his dynamic acting range in these Poe plays. A real treat and one of the good reasons to pick up Collection III.

Yeah, when I watched AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLEN POE recently, I imagined myself in a darkened theater, with Price up there on stage reciting Poe's stories. It's really a tour de force performance!

Thanks, by the way, for all of your write-ups that you've shared with us lately!