‘A trilogy of shock and terror’
Tales of Terror is a 1962 American horror anthology film directed by Roger Corman from a screenplay written by Richard Matheson and based on Edgar Allan Poe stories; they involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a selfish alcoholic and his wife’s black cat; and a mesmerist who prolongs the moment of a man’s predicted death.
The movie is the fourth in the so-called Corman-Poe cycle of eight films. It was produced by Corman plus Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson of American International Pictures (AIP).
The Alta Vista production stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Debra Paget, Maggie Pierce, Leona Gage, Joyce Jameson and David Frankham.
Plot [contains spoilers]:
‘Morella’:
When Lenora Locke travels from Boston to be reunited with her father in his decrepit and cobwebbed mansion, she discovers him drunk, disordered, and depressed. He refuses her company, insisting that she killed her mother Morella in childbirth. Lenora then discovers her mother’s body decomposing on a bed in the house. Lenora cannot return to Boston and remains in the house to care for her father. His feelings soften towards her when he learns she has a terminal illness.
One night Morella’s spirit rises, and kills Lenora in revenge for her childbed death. Morella’s body is then resurrected, becoming as whole and as beautiful as she was in life. This is in exchange for Lenora’s body, which is now decomposing where Morella lay. Morella strangles her horrified husband as a fire breaks out in the house. Then Morella and Lenora return to their original bodies, Lenora smiling as she lies on her dead father, the rotten Morella cackling as the flames consume the house and all three bodies of the Lockes.
‘The Black Cat’:
Montresor Herringbone hates his wife Annabelle and her black cat. One night on a ramble about town, he happens upon a wine tasting event and challenges the world’s foremost wine taster, Fortunato Luchresi, to a contest. Herringbone successfully identifies each wine, but becomes drunk. Luchresi escorts him home and meets his wife.
Time passes, and Annabelle and Luchresi become intimate. The cuckolded Herringbone then entombs them alive in an alcove in the basement. However he cannot escape “seeing” and “hearing” both the black cat and the murdered couple taunting him. The authorities become suspicious and two policemen visit the house to investigate. Hearing screeching behind a basement wall, they knock the wall down to discover the dead lovers — and Annabelle’s black cat.
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‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar’:
Dying from a painful disease, M. Ernest Valdemar employs a hypnotist, Mr Carmichael, to alleviate his suffering by putting him under various trances. He then remains between the worlds of the living and the dead. In a trance, Valdemar begs Carmichael to release his soul so he can die, but Carmichael cruelly refuses.
Months pass and Valdemar’s putrefying body remains in his bed under the complete control of Carmichael. The hypnotist tries to force Valdemar’s wife, Helene, to marry him. When she refuses, he attacks her. Valdemar’s putrid body rises from the bed and kills Carmichael. Helene is rescued by Valdemar’s physician, Doctor Elliot James, and carried from the scene of horror.
Reviews:
“‘The Black Cat’ was the big standout for me. This has hilarious performances from Price and (especially) Lorre and the horror content is also fairly potent. There’s a bizarre nightmare sequence where Price and Jameson rip off Lorre’s head and throw it around like a ball and even stranger hallucinations that feature an iguana, tarantulas, snakes, an alligator and, uh, crabs and a lobster. Great stuff!” 3 out of 5, The Bloody Pit of Horror
“Tales of Terror is still held up today as a very important horror film because of the people who put it together. As far as I’m concerned, the more horror films starring Vincent Price, the better. Tales of Terror is a wonderful film, and despite pacing issues within the stories as they relate to a complete piece, it’s still (and it should be no surprise) an eminently watchable film.” The Digital Bits
“The third one is the most straightforward horror story of the bunch, and it is also quite good, with Price joined by Debra Paget and Basil Rathbone. In many ways, this movie paved the way for both The Raven and The Comedy of Terrors. My favorite moments are from the middle story; the great wine-tasting sequence is a classic.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“Corman’s direction is exemplary and, allied to Crosby’s evocative cinematography, Haller’s lavish-looking art direction and excellent performances from the principals, makes this one of the best AIP/Poe adaptations.” Alan Frank, The Horror Film Handbook (Batsford, 1982)
” …a compelling study in three different moods, with ‘The Black Cat’ operating most successfully as a study in ghoulish humor. The silly tone would later dominate Corman’s The Raven, but it already works like a charm here as an extended sketch. Lorre in particular dominates his every moment on film and proves to be a fine comedian, while his wine-tasting scene with Price has justifiably become a fan favorite.” Mondo Digital
“The anthology format suits Poe’s short stories well and the thirty minutes allowed for each story gives them a lot more time to develop than the rather rushed feel of the chapters in the better-known Amicus horror anthologies of the late 1960s. Matheson adapts the stories well, keeping Poe’s atmosphere if not his original stories. Corman, Crosby and Baxter again ensure the film looks and sounds great and Vincent Price gives a superb trio of leading performances.” Mondo Esoterica
“Peter Lorre gives a hilarious performance – the wine-tasting contest between he and Vincent Price is a comic gem. Not to mention the surreal vision of a dream sequence of Vincent Price and wife playing catch with Peter Lorre’s head.” Moria
“Tales of Terror, being an anthology film, stands as more of a mixed bag, in which Matheson sometimes seems to be chafing at his task of dramatizing Poe’s curious meditations on death, love and eternity. Indeed, the anthology starts out with one really good segment, one merely adequate segment, and one that looks like Matheson just going through the motions.” Naturalistic! Uncanny! Marvelous!
” …a wonderful Poe adaptation precisely because it captures the range that the writer often exhibited in his own literature. The various tales reveal Poe’s trademark paranoid characters, his vivid imagination, and even his morbid sense of humor. Poe’s reputation as a dreary, even deranged individual often precedes him and overshadows the wry, even witty humor he could display when necessary.” Oh, the Horror!
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“Tales of Terror is not the best of the Corman-Poe films but is still a lot of fun. There are plenty of great moments and performances that make the film a success.” Rock! Shock! Pop!
“The shorter running time for each of these stories means that they cut to the chase quicker than the others in this series, leaving not much room to build up the atmosphere of dread and morbidity that were the trademark of the Corman versions of Poe. Price stars in them all, and gets to be initially serious, next playful, and finally inert for the last story.” The Spinning Image
“Classy, classic, cruel, comedic; Tales of Terror has Vincent Price drinking alcohol in all three stories and spelling out every plot detail. One of the film’s best features is its photography. It is precise, always colorful, shiny, and textured. The set design is uncanny.” 2.5 out of 4, Tales of Terror
“A trilogy of classic Edgar Allan Poe stories gets the Roger Corman treatment – with above average results […] Well done overall and a pleasure to see Price, Lorre and Rathbone in the same vehicle.” The Terror Trap
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A Lancer book novelisation of the film was written by Eunice Sudak (X; The Raven).
Trailer [720p]:
Filming locations:
Virginia, USA
Filming dates:
November 28, 1961, onwards
Release:
In the US, Tales of Terror was released by AIP as a double feature with Panic in Year Zero!.
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