Tag: THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES

Thursday, May 27th would be Vincent Price’s 110^th Birthday! Price was born here in St. Louis on this date in 1911 and is the most iconic movie star to hail from our city. Price, who died October 25^th 1993, was also a gourmand, author, stage actor, speaker, world-class art collector, raconteur, and all-around Renaissance man. Vincent Price was simply one of the most remarkable people of the 20th Century. Ten years ago we had the opportunity to celebrate his 100th birthday and St. Louis was the place to do it. VINCENTENNIAL, The Vincent Price 100th Birthday Celebration, an event that lasted through much of the Spring of 2011. The following year VINCENTENNIAL won two coveted Rondo Awards, one for “Best Fan Event” and a second for myself as “Monster Kid of the Year” for directing the event. The Rondo Awards are prestigious Fan Awards given out annually for the year’s best horror-related stuff–movies, magazines, articles, toys, etc.

The purpose of this article is to provide some background and take a look at Vincentennial Ten Years alter the eventl. As regular readers of WAMG know, I hosted the monthly film festival Super-8 Movie Madness at a local nightclub called The Way Out Club where I showed a dozen or so of the old condensed versions of movies on super-8 sound film. Sometimes I have theme nights. In July of 2010 I did a Charles Bronson night where I showed several condensed films starring the rugged actor and decorated the club with Bronson movie memorabilia. A close friend of mine, Maggie Sherrill, suggested I do a similar Vincent Price night the following spring and call it Vincentennial to tie in with his 100^th birthday. I thought it was a great idea and began planning Vincentennial, a one-night party at The Way Out Club. But the scope of the event grew in my head and I decided a full-blown film festival in conjunction with an exhibit would be more appropriate than a one-night film show. Everyone in St. Louis I ran the idea by thought it was a good one. Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria Price got involved in Vincentennial as I had contacted her very early in the process. She said she had thought St. Louis would be the perfect place to honor her father with an event like Vincentennial. She had even contacted the St. Louis Art Museum before I contacted her to see if they were interested in hosting something, but that venue was under renovation and she didn’t know where to turn. The other guest of honor that we thought was important to have was Roger Corman, who of course directed all the great Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe films in the 1960’s. I thought it was a long shot getting Corman to come, especially since we didn’t formally extend the invitation until November, but it turns out Corman’s wife Julie was from St. Louis and he agreed to attend if we flew her in as well. Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog magazine and author of the book Mario Bava All the Colors of the Dark, accepted our invitation to conduct two Corman interviews on the stage of the Hi-Pointe Theater. I knew that Tim had written a screenplay about Corman and the making of his 1968 film THE TRIP. I was surprised that Tim had never met Roger Corman.

The heart of Vincentennial was The Vincentennial Vincent Price Film Festival in St. Louis which ran 10 days and featured screenings of 20 Vincent Price movies. The fest started at the Missouri History Museum with a screening of THE FLY preceded by Michael Jackson’s Thriller complete with a Vincent Price look-a-like contest, dancers, and The Fly in attendance. The film fest then moved to the palatial Hi-Pointe Theater, an old-school style movie palace just a couple of blocks from where Vincent Price grew up.

May 21^st, we screened a 35mm print of TOMB OF LIGEIA (1965) at the spacious Hi-Pointe Theater preceded by an on-stage interview with Corman moderated by Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog magazine. This discussion centered on Corman’s collaborations and friendship with Vincent Price. On Sunday May 22^nd, we brought Corman back for a second interview, this time discussing his overall career as a director and producer of over 500 films. Corman spoke candidly about his start in show biz and the rigors of ultra-low budget filmmaking. He also shared amazing anecdotes about dropping LSD to research the filming of THE TRIP (Lucas has written a screenplay about this specific chapter in Corman’s life), and working with cult stars like Susan Cabot, Dick Miller, and Charles Bronson. Corman brought his career up to date with stories about his latest work producing an incredibly successful string of movies for the Sc-Fi channel with titles like SHARKTOPUS and DINOSHARK (and announced his newest title PIRAHNACONDA). Lucas asked great questions and Corman was gracious, candid, and forthcoming. This was followed by a 35mm screening of MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH.

Here’s Tim Lucas’ interview with Roger Corman May 22 2011 

Just before the second interview, Roger Corman was presented with a lifetime achievement award with a plaque created by local artist Tom Huck.

We also brought in several Vincent Price scholars to introduce the other films. Highlights of the Vincentennial Vincent Price Film Fest included:

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) was be presented in a stunning 35mm print preceded by Tim Burton’s 6-minute stop-motion animation short VINCENT with an introduction and post-film discussion by Richard Squires, creator of the Web site the Vincent Price Exhibit.

A William Castle Double Feature in ‘Emergo’ and ‘Percepto’ HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959) was presented in it’s original gimmick ‘Emergo’ followed by THE TINGLER (1959) also presented in it’s original gimmick ‘Percepto’ with introductions and post-film discussions by Film Forum’s Bruce Goldstein who helped recreate these gimmicks.

THEATRE OF BLOOD (1972) was presented in a 35mm print with an introduction and post-film discussion by Richard Squires,

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1962) at The Hi-Pointe, a double feature of THE RAVEN (1963) and THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971) held at LEE AUDITORIUM At the Missouri History Museum.

A Double feature of LAURA (1944) and DRAGONWYCK (1948) with introductions and a post-film discussion of LAURA by Washington U. film & media professor Gaylyn Studlar, David May Distinguished Professor in the Humanities and director of the Film & Media Studies program.

A Double feature of CHAMPAGNE FOR CEASAR (1950 – presented in 35mm) and BARON OF ARIZONA (1950) With introductions and a post-film discussion of CHAMPAGNE FOR CEASAR by Washington U. film & media lecturer Hunter Vaughan

THE WHALES OF AUGUST (1987) followed by VINCENT PRICE, THE SINISTER IMAGE, a 62-minute interview by journalist David Del Valle with an introduction by David Del Valle and an on-stage post-film interview with Victoria Price, author of “Vincent Price, a Daughter’s Biography”. conducted by Mr. Del Valle, seated in a way similar to the interview from 24 years earlier. Victoria really opened up about her father, the rest of her family and what it was like growing up as Vincent Price’s daughter.

WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968). This was the British cut of the film better known in the U.S. as THE CONQUEROR WORM and presented in a 35mm print with an introduction and a post-film discussion by Washington U. film & media professor William Paul.

An outdoor screening in Forest Park of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990) was preceded by Tim Burton’s VINCENT and Michael Jackson’s THRILLER on a giant inflatable screen.

Super-8 Vincent Price Movie Madness at The Way Out Club (2525 Jefferson Avenue in South St. Louis). This was a 100 minute show comprised of 5 Vincent Price movies condensed to 9 minutes each (CONQUEROR WORM, WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP, THE RAVEN, PIT AND THE PENDULUM, and MASTER OF THE WORLD), a 17-minute cut of THE MAD MAGICIAN in 3-D (we’ve got plenty of 3D glasses), 7 trailers from Vincent Price movies, and Tim Burton’s 6-minute short VINCENT. All of these are on Super-8 film with magnetic soundtrack and will be projected on a big screen. The at midnight May 27th (Price’s Birthday proper), we showed a 16mm print of DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS

On Vincent Price’s 100^th birthday, May 27^th, his daughter Victoria Price gave an amazing 2-hour plus multimedia lecture entitled The Vincent Price Legacy: Reflections From a Daughter at the Missouri History Museum. After local actor John Contini recited Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart, the audience was treated to a mesmerizing one-woman show performed by the charismatic Ms Price who held the standing-room-only audience spellbound as she brought her father back to life through reminiscing, photos and film clips. She even got her half-brother Vincent Barrett Price involved. ‘Barrett’ is famously known for his reticence when it comes to speaking about his famous legacy but he sat down for this occasion and let his sister film several minutes of fascinating testimonial. Here’s ten minutes of Victoria’s speech:

For most who attended several of the Vincentennial events, Victoria’s presentation was the highlight.

Victoria Price’s presentation at the Missouri History Museum and her half-brother Vincent Barrett Price

When Victoria Price was in town, we took her to her father’s high school, St. Louis Country Day School (now known as MICDS) where Cliff Saxton, the school’s archivist, showed her clippings and photos of her father in his youth that she had never seen. She toured the school’s Vincent Price Theater and was forced to sit in a hallway of lockers at the school during a tornado alert (she claims to have found this “very exciting”). The private school got the money ball rolling in terms of fundraising for Vincentennial and became the presenting sponsor of the event. Victoria also attended Robert Taylor’s gallery talk at The Sheldon while she was in town. Read Cliff Saxton’s article about Vincent Price’s school days HERE

Victoria Price with Cliff Saxton at her father’s High School and during a tornado alarm there.

Vincentennial: The Legacy of Vincent Price Exhibit opened at the Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis Friday, April 22nd. 2011 Despite tornado alerts and it being Good Friday, there was a turnout of over 250 enthusiastic people on hand for the opening night reception. The free wine, Stella Artois beer, and snacks were appreciated by the crowd who at one point were sent downstairs while the tornado alarms went off. Fortunately, the Vincent Price Exhibit was downstairs as well, and when the beer made it down there, it just became more of a party. I’m pretty sure Vincent Price was behind the wicked weather. The exhibition was underwritten by Mary Strauss and curated by Tom Stockman.

Vincentennial: The Legacy of Vincent Price is a one-of-a-kind exhibit of historical artifacts, movie memorabilia, and collectibles assembled from the collections of several Vincent Price fans from across the country. In honor of the upcoming centennial of his birth, this exhibit is designed to honor the life and career of one of the 20th century’s most remarkable men. Robert Taylor, Rick Squires, Jenni Nolan, and Cortland Hull are Price aficionados spread out across the U.S. who are all loaning items from their collections as well as some St. Louis-based collectors.

Robert brought some one-of-a-kind pieces from Price’s childhood and youth, Rick’s loaned just a fraction of his enormous collection of ephemera and collectibles from all aspects of Price’s career, and Cortland brought (among other things) his life-size figures of Dr. Phibes and Professor Jarrod from HOUSE OF WAX (which is wearing the actual costume Price wore in the film). MICDS (formerly St. Louis Country Day School, Price’s Alma Mater) lent items from their archives as well.

Other highlights in the exhibit include Vincent Price’s baby book, which chronicles his birth and includes his baby mittens, locks of hair, and other items; his high school yearbook; membership cards from his wallet; a sympathy letter he wrote to Evie Karloff on the death of his friend, Boris Karloff; a drawing by Price of the actress Helen Hayes when they were on-stage in London in the 1930s; a postcard to Vincent Price from Ernest Hemingway; theatre programs from his high school days through to his later years when he played Oscar Wilde onstage in the one-man show Diversions and Delights to great acclaim.

And of course there is lots of movie memorabilia. The original one-sheet poster from his 1938 film debut SERVICE DELUXE is displayed as well as other original vintage posters including those for HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, BARON OF ARIZONA, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, THE TINGLER (There’s an actual Tingler crawling up this poster, so scream for your lives!), HOUSE OF USHER, THE MAD MAGICIAN and many more. Also there will be original lobby cards displayed from LAURA, LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN, SONG OF BERNADETTE, TOMB OF LIGEIA, CONQUEROR WORM, PIT AND THE PENDULUM, and more. There are Vincent Price toys, comics, and other collectibles displayed as well as several resin model kits of Price from such films as PIT AND THE PENDULUM, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE RAVEN and a new resin kit from THEATER OF BLOOD that is making its world premiere at this exhibit.

Movie memorabilia displayed and Cortland Hull’s life-size figures

Robert Taylor, Sara Waugh, Rick Squires, Jenni Nolan and Cortland Hull are Vincent Price collectors scattered across the country and they all lent items from their collections as did several St. Louis-based memorabilia collectors. Robert and Sara lent one-of-a-kind pieces from Price’s childhood and youth, Rick lent just a fraction of his enormous collection of ephemera and collectibles from all aspects of Price’s career, be sure to link to Rick’s site at http://vincentpriceexhibit.com/), and Cortland brought (among other things) his life-size figures of Dr. Phibes and Professor Jarrod from HOUSE OF WAX, which wore the original outfit that Vincent Price wore in that 1953 film.

Some of the various Vincent Price figures, toys, and model kits

There were displays of movie and theater posters, stills, toys, and resin model kits in the exhibit as well. Rick Squires gave an informative exhibit talk at The Sheldon when he was in town as did Robert Taylor. The folks at The Sheldon estimated that over 10,000 people viewed the exhibit during its 4-month run.

With Cortland Hull just after we had set up his figures for the exhibit

Vincent Price Presents at Star Clipper, was an art exhibit that began April 29th at the gallery at Star Clipper Comics, St. Louis’ premiere comic shop that was located at 6392 Delmar Blvd. in the Loop area of St. Louis. TThis exhibit will featured paintings and illustrations of Vincent Price to tie in to Vincentennial,

The showcase artist for the exhibit is Joel Robinson, who created the vivid covers for the first eight issues of Bluewater Comics’ Vincent Price Presents series as well as the Vincentennial logo. Shana Bilbrey, popular genre artist and regular contributor to Little Shop of Horrors and other publications will display her take on Price as well as many St. Louis-based artists including  Sherry Nillissen, Richard Bernal, Aaron Anderson, Ron Lizorty, Jimmy Valentine, Paul Daly, Max Iver, Jeff Weigel, Russ Rosener, Barry Brosch,  Fred Meyer, and We Are Movie Geek’s own Jim Batts,.

The Magic Smoking Monkey Theater Group, an off-shoot of St. Louis Shakespeare, cleverly turned THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES into a hilarious Monty Pythonesque stage play that ran 8 performances to large crowds at the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission. St. Louis Shakespeare’s Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre had based their new play on the 1971 Vincent Price horror favorite. The parody was directed by Artistic Director Donna Northcott and features Richard Lewis as DR. PHIBES, Luke Lindberg as DR. VESALIUS, and Ben Ritchie as DET. INSPECTOR TROUT, with Nicole Angeli, Casey Boland, Jaysen Cryer, Ruman Kazi, Scott McMaster, Sarah Porter, and Jason Puff.

The Vincentennial garnered tons of high-profile publicity in the St. Louis media. I personally did about a dozen radio interviews and about a half-dozen local TV shows. The local arts paper The Riverfront Times gave Vincentennial a huge cover story (the on-line version of their article can be found HERE) and the city’s major daily The St. Louis Post Dispatch did several articles including the cover of their arts calendar section.

Examples of the high-profile publicity in the St. Louis media that Vincentennial received

I teamed up with Steve DeBellis, a well know St. Louis historian and published a 40-page all-Vincent Price issue of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat to tie into the Vincentennial. This paper comprised all new articles including:

– a cover story on the Vincent Price/Michael Jackson Thriller rap by Steve DeBellis complete with an original illustration by artist Jeff Weigel

– an article about Vincent Price’s High School days by Cliff Saxton, archivist at MICDS (Price’s alma mater) with info not seen in any Price biographies

– a testimonial by his THE FLY co-star David Hedison

– an article on Vincent Price’s top ten best films by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

– a map of Vincent Price St. Louis landmarks

– my interview with TOMB OF LIGEIA star Elizabeth Shepherd

– a look at Vincent Price’s fondness for the St. Louis Cardinals by Dick Pointer

– an article about Vincent Price’s family tree by Steve DeBellis

– an article by Irene Leland about her mother Dorothy who was engaged to Vincent Price in the 1930’s

– a reassessment of DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS by Dana Jung

– an article about Vincent Price’s cooking career by Rick Squires

– an article about Vincent Price’s TV work by Rob Levy

– a 4-page comic-strip biography of Vincent Price by We Are Movie Geek’s own Jim Batts – and much more

Jim Batt’s comic-strip biography of Vincent Price

Vincentennial was a huge success. Over 3500 people attended the The Vincentennial Vincent Price Film Festival and people came from all over the country (and the world) to see the exhibits and join in the celebration. Everyone in St. Louis loves Vincent Price and we’re all proud that this is his home town. Everyone seemed to remember seeing him at the Muny or speaking somewhere here. It was great talking to people about the event because everyone was so positive and wanted to talk or refer me to someone else who wanted to get involved. No one expressed disinterest. Vincent Price is the most iconic movie star to hail from St. Louis. He was also a gourmet chef, author, stage actor, speaker, world-class art collector, raconteur, and all-around Renaissance man. We had only one opportunity to celebrate his 100^th birthday and it was important to the people of St. Louis  that it was done right. Vincent Price (unlike Tennessee Williams, another St. Louisan whose 100^th B-Day was two months earlier) loved St. Louis and was proud of his roots here. He gave much to our city and Vincentennial was a way to honor the good will his memory generated.

   Born in St. Louis on May 27, 1911, iconic actor Vincent Price retained a special fondness for his place of origin, and that love was reciprocated with Vincentennial, a celebration of his 100th birthday in his hometown back in May of 2011 (for summary of all the Vincentennial activities go HERE).

In 2011, we asked Vincent Price’s daughter, Victoria Price, to write a testimonial about her famous father toasting him on the centennial of his birth, and here’s what she wrote:

When I was a little girl, I believed that to come from St. Louis made you a member of a very desirable club.

I got this impression because whenever my dad met someone from his hometown, he greeted him or her as though he had just found a long-lost friend. Immediately they would discuss where they had “gone to school,” which I later learned did not mean college, as it did everywhere else in America, but rather high school. They would then talk about all the places they loved – Forest Park, the Muny, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Arch, Cahokia Mounds, the Mississippi – and, finally, of course, each would wax nostalgic, for what seemed an inordinately long time, about the food! When the reminiscences came to end, they would part, friends for life. And all because they both came from St. Louis.

Growing up in Los Angeles, no one – least of all me – expressed this kind of pride of place. And I never heard people who came from other places ramble on with this kind of rapture about their hometowns. St. Louisans always seemed to find one another, which stood in marked contrast to most of the transplanted Los Angelenos I knew, who would go to great lengths not to be associated in any way with Peoria or Dubuque or wherever it was from whence they hailed.

The bottom line was that my dad loved being from St. Louis. He couldn’t have been prouder to be a hometown boy who made good. He always remembered his youth with joy – whether it was discovering arrowheads at the Cahokia Mounds, rooting for the perpetual underdog Browns, or buying his first piece of art at age 12 (a Rembrandt etching) from a local gallery. He was a proud alum of Country Day, and remained friends with many of his schoolmates for life – most notably, fellow art collector Buster May. He loved returning home to visit his parents, to perform at the Muny, to chat with Country Day students – and mostly to eat the food! Certainly my father’s love of food, which would lead him to author a cookbook Saveur Magazine would call “one of the 100 most important culinary events of the 20th century,” was nurtured in St. Louis.

So, it goes without saying, that he would have been overjoyed and deeply touched by the fact that St. Louis is throwing him his 100th birthday party. (And he was a man who loved to celebrate his birthday!) I am so grateful to everyone for putting on this wonderful Vincentennial! And I hope that, in celebrating his 100th, his fellow St. Louisans can discover not only more about Vincent Price, but also experience some of my dad’s joy in being from what he considered the best hometown in the world!

For fun, we at We Are Movie Geeks though we’d share our Top Ten “The Best of Vincent Price” article that we originally posted back in May of 2011 for the Vincentennial

Top Ten list written by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

10. LAURA (1944)
“I shall never forget the weekend Laura died”, is the first line, intoned by a somber Clifton Webb, of LAURA (1944), a glossy and gripping story of murder among the elite. Vincent Price often said that his favorite of the films in which he appeared was director Otto Preminger’s 1944 film noir, and most movie buffs who don’t like horror are quick to agree. As noirs go, it’s less a dark and dirty crime drama than most, more reliant on character and script, but it really is a classic and Price’s oily supporting performance is nothing short of sublime. The film pits gruff police detective, Mark McPhereson (Dana Andrews) against smug and cultured columnist, Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb). McPherson has been assigned to investigate the murder of Laura Hunt (a simmering Gene Tierney). Through a series of interviews conducted with potential suspects, McPherson builds his profile of the dead girl – all the while falling under the spell of her striking portrait. But the puzzle unravels when the murder victim materializes in a bizarre twist of fate that forces McPhereson to re-think his entire case. Vincent Price plays Laura’s fiancee, silver-tongued do-nothing gigolo Shelby Carpenter who gets mixed up in the mystery and is too charming for his own good. LAURA has an incredible adult script (the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar) with a fascinating story filled with unnerving plot angles, twists galore and hints of necrophilia and homosexuality. The film’s dialogue is particularly well done: intelligent, humorous at times, and enhanced by the snappy delivery and exchanges between all the actors. David Raksin’s grand musical theme has become a standard.

9. THE TINGLER (1958)
During the 50’s and 60’s one man was known in Hollywood for gimmicks that made his thrillers unique. That man was producer/director William Castle. He was a master of promotion refer to as ‘ballyhoo’. Castle began his career making low budget ‘B’ pictures for Columbia. In 1958 he left the studio to make MACABRE. Castle came up with a gimmick to attract people to the theatre. Each person who purchased a ticket was issued an insurance policy for $1000 against death by fright. And for good measure he hired ‘nurse’ to patrol the lobby. For his next picture he cast Vincent Price in 1959’s THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. Of course Castle needed a different gimmick, Instead of insurance, he presented this film in ‘Emergo’. At one point in the film a skeleton would swoop over the audience. Columbia was aware of the big box grosses for these inexpensive films and welcomed Castle back . For his return he came up with ‘Percepto’ to hype THE TINGLER. Once again Price starred, this time as Dr. Warren Chapin who’s studying the effects of fear on human beings. He believes a creature he dubs ‘The Tingler’ emerges from the spine at times of extreme terror. Only a scream would suppress it. Also in the cast as his aide David was Daryl Hickman, whose brother Dwayne ( TV’s Dobie Gillis ) would costar with Price in DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINES in 1965. For most of the film Price plays the role of a kindly physician until he conducts a fear experiment on his cheating spouse. Later Price has a wild, crazed scene during an experiment on himself. In order to experience pure fear he injects LSD that David Picked up at a pharmacy! Later he must wrestle with a slithering Tingler that he had extracted from a deceased woman. The highlight of the film is near the finale when that Tingler gets loose in a film showing an old silent film (perhaps inspired by the real Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax in L.A. ). The screen goes blank as the shadow of the creature crawls past while Price implores the audience to scream for their lives. Then ‘Percepto’ begins as patrons in certain wired seats get a slight electric jolt. In 1993 Joe Dante directed MATINEE, a lovely tribute to these popcorn flicks featuring St. Louisian John Goodman as a Castle-inspired character. If that peaked your interest, don’t miss a chance to experience this bit of showbiz history. And you’ll have even more admiration for Price as he delivers this loopy dialogue with a straight face.

8. THEATRE OF BLOOD (1972)
In the early 1970’s Vincent Price’s career was at a high point. The Doctor Phibes films were unexpected hits. How would he capitalize on these? In 1973 he took on a role in a film with a similar plot structure. In fact, many fright film fans consider THEATRE OF BLOOD an unofficial finale in a Phibes trilogy. Produced by United Artists rather then American International BLOOD differed from the Phibes film in that it was set in modern times and boasted one of the most prestigious casts that Price ever worked with. Price portrays Edward Lionheart , a stage actor thought to be dead , who returns to murder the critics that denied him a thespian award. Many of Britain’s finest stage and screen actors appear to be having a blast as the victims. The members of the Critic’s Circle are Michael Hordern, Robert Coote, Jack Hawkins, Arhur Lowe, Robert Morley, Dennis Price, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne, and Ian Hendry (his character is the only critic who has some sympathy for Lionheart ). Diana Rigg plays Lionheart’s daughter Edwina, a movie make up artist. Hendry and Rigg were both part of the TV series ‘The Avengers’, he in the first episodes as Dr. David Keel and she achieving worldwide fame later as Emma Peel. Speaking of TV, in 1989 Ms. Rigg would take over hosting duties from Mr. Price on the PBS ‘Mystery!’ series. In later years Price would refer to BLOOD as his favorite horror film for several reasons. The ingenious script has Edward dispatching the critics in murder scenes inspired by deaths in Shakespeare’s plays. This gave Price a chance to recreate several of the classic roles. He also gets to assume several disguises: a bobby, French chef, swishy hairdresser, and a masseuse who tricks Hawkins into believing his wife ( played by the British Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors ) is having an affair a la ‘Othello’. Price may also have had a soft spot for this film as he met the woman who would be his last wife, Coral Browne. The film has some great comic relief from Milo O’Shea and Eric Sykes as investigating officers who seem always two steps behind Edward. The film has great location work ( nothing was shot on studios sets ), brisk direction, and a witty script that blends suspense and humor. Vincent Price is a delight in this, perhaps, his last great horror film.

7. THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964)
Even though Richard Matheson’s novel I AM LEGEND has been filmed three times (officially), only one of the film versions worked with a script by Matheson himself (though billed as -‘Logan Swanson’). Originally a Hammer Film property (how great would that have been?), Matheson’s script was eventually sold to Lippert Productions and made cheaply in Italy with an Italian cast and crew, as THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964). For its bankable American star, Vincent Price was cast as the lead. Price was at the peak of his popularity from a series of brilliant Edgar Allan Poe adaptations directed by Roger Corman (the producers wisely emphasized the horrific elements of Matheson’s story with Price’s image in the advertising). But in LAST MAN Price delivers one of his best performances as the only ‘human’ left after a biological plague has decimated the population. Whether he’s dealing with feelings of loneliness and grief, or simply displaying human pettiness, Price imbues the film with a sense of quiet despair. Price appears in nearly every frame of the film, and dominates the story with his great persona. Today, despite its low budget and black & white cinematography, with its remarkable opening scenes of death and desolation, and of Price nightly withstanding the siege of ‘vampires’, the film is viewed as a highly influential (George Romero cites it as an inspiration) and memorable version of the famous tale.

6. THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971)
The unique touch of cult director Robert Fuest is evident throughout THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971) and its equally entertaining sequel DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN (1972). The bizarre, absurdist set design, the operatic musical score, and the grand performance by star Vincent Price all combine to create a truly surreal horror masterpiece. It is a testament to Price’s epic screen presence that he dominates the film without uttering a single word of dialogue! (Neither does his assistant, the beautiful Vulnavia). It’s true that he does speak offscreen through a microphone, but he carries both films by expressing his character mostly through action and facial features. Whether he’s playing his pipe organ with great flourish, displaying his whimsical glee at the fate of his enemies, or grimly resigning himself to the burning obsession which drives him, Price, even hidden underneath HOUSE OF WAX-inspired makeup–showcases yet again his ability to dominate a film. He is also obviously having great fun here under the guidance of Fuest, whom Price called “one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with.” A further multitude of riches await the fan in DR. PHIBES as well. Caroline Munro, in what must surely be her briefest film role ever, plays Phibe’s dead wife, and is shown only in still photos wearing snazzy 1920s outfits or as a lifeless body. The SAW film series owes DR. PHIBES a great debt, as several of the death sequences (especially the climactic ones) are very intricate mechanisms in which the victim decides his own fate. The film was also the only screen pairing of Price and the great Joseph Cotten, even though the men were lifelong friends from their days in Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre Company.

5. CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR (1950)
Many works of fiction have been said to be ahead of their time. In the world of motions pictures few are more prophetic than the 1950 comedy classic CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR. By that year, mind you, quiz shows were popular on radio and that young upstart television, but by the end of the decade these programs would inspire a national craze ( and a scandal later depicted in Robert Redford’s film QUIZ SHOW ). CAESAR foreshadows all this while showcasing some delightful performances by actors generally not known for big screen comedies. The plot centers on an unemployed genius Beauregard Bottomley played by one of Hollywood’s most celebrated leading men, Ronald Colman. He was best known then for roles in THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, LOST HORIZON, and RANDOM HARVEST, but today he may be best known as the vocal inspiration for cereal pitch man ( er..bird ) Toucan Sam. Beauregard shares a modest LA bungalow with his sister Gwenn played by Barbara Britton ( who later co-starred in TV’s Mr. and Mrs. North) who teaches piano and the film’s title character Caesar, a parrot with a taste for booze ( his exclamations, such as “get loaded!”,and “How about a short one?” are provided Looney Tunes’ man of a thousand voices Mel Blanc ). One evening the Bottomleys view a few minutes of a game show on a TV in a store’s window display. It’s ‘Masquerade for Money’ sponsored by My Lady Soap ( the soap that sanctifies ) and hosted by Happy Hogan ( Hmmm wonder if Stan Lee saw this? That name was given to Tony Stark’s driver/bodyguard in his Iron Man comic book stories a decade alter ) played by Art Linkletter who would soon have a huge TV hit with his transplanted radio show People Are Funny. Beauregard dismisses it until the unemployment office sends him to the My Lady Soap headquarters for a job interview with the company president Burnbridge Waters by Vincent Price. Price had been making films for twelve years, but this film shows a zany, comic style not yet seen on screen. When Waters concentrates he goes into a trance and almost becomes a wax figure. He’s arrogant, pompous, and dismissive especially with his squad of yes men ( which include Ed Wood regular Lyle Talbot, who played Lex Luthor in the serial ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN and Commissioner Gordon in the serial BATMAN AND ROBIN, and John Hart who would replace Clayton Moore as TV’s Lone Ranger for one season). Leaving Waters’s office after losing out on the job and being insulted, Beauregard decides to go on the My Lady sponsored quiz show. There he easily answers the questions, but refuses the prize money. He wants to return on the next show and go double or nothing. Waters is delighted when this turns into a ratings ( and soap sales ) bonanza, but is horrified when his questions cannot stump Beauregard, who intends to keep earning money until he owns the company. A rattled Waters sends Hogan out to romance info from Gwenn and he hires intellectual femme fatale Flame – Neill played by Celeste Holm ( the original Ado Annie in Oklahoma had won a supporting Oscar for GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT three years ago and was about to be seen in ALL ABOUT EVE ) to distract Bottomley. I don’t wish to reveal much more or  spoil the film’s great humor and surprises. The main reason to see is the delightful performance of Mr. Price. His droll wit would come through in his later work, but here he’s a whirling dervish of mirth-an inspired comic villain. A few years later Price and Colman would spar again in Irwin Allen’s campy THE STORY OF MANKIND, but here in CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR the laughs are intentional., and very, very plentiful.

4. THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964)

The famous AIP Corman-Poe series of films concluded with a great one-two punch: THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH and THE TOMB OF LIGEIA, both released in 1964. Corman had wanted to do RED DEATH immediately after the success of the first film in the series, HOUSE OF USHER. However, he had second thoughts when he realized the similarities between the story elements for RED DEATH and Ingmar Bergman’s THE SEVENTH SEAL, which had just been released a few years earlier. Since he did not want to appear to be copying Bergman, he decided to delay the project. This was a fortuitous choice, as THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH benefited from the wait by acquiring a larger budget, location shooting in England, and Corman’s experience on the previous Poe pictures. Drawing not only on Bergman, but also on the work of Hitchcock and German expressionist films, Corman created one of his greatest cinematic works of art. Working with the outstanding cinematographer Nicolas Roeg (later a unique & talented director in his own right), Corman used subdued primary colors (blue, yellow, white) to create a nightmarish quality that permeates the film. The color red does not appear until later, which makes its use all the more shocking. The sets (allegedly left over from bigger productions like BECKET and A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS) are amazing, and enhance the atmosphere even further. Shooting in England also allowed Corman to draw on the talented pool of actors there, such as Jane Asher, Patrick Magee, and Hazel Court. The real star of RED DEATH is, of course, Vincent Price, portraying the personification of evil, Prospero. Aside from the grand and sometimes witty dialogue, Price imbues Prospero with subtle shades of character. We can sometimes glimpse the depths of depravity lurking just underneath the urbane princely exterior, or the nearly hidden stirrings of conscience that he constantly subjugates to the power and corruption of his devil-worshipping personality. Of all the Corman-Poe films, RED DEATH was not Price’s favorite (he liked LIGEIA more), because he felt the story strayed too far from the original Poe material (even though it also contained elements from Poe’s Hop Frog). But in terms of sheer cinematic perfection, with its tone of impending dread, use of color, great performances, and visual style, THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH remains Corman’s masterpiece.

3. THE TOMB OF LIGEIA (1964)
The final entry in Roger Corman & Vincent Price’s six-film cycle of Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, THE TOMB OF LIGEIA was never a favorite to kids because of its lack of overt horror elements and its focus on gothic romance. The years have been very good to LIGEIA, now considered to be the most ambitious and mature film in the series and Price himself is on record as saying it was the best of his eight Corman collaborations. Price played British aristocrat Verden Fell, who believes his wife Ligeia, who’d committed suicide, will return from the grave and that her spirit has entered a cat. He meets Lady Rowena (Elizabeth Shepherd), her spitting image, and the two marry, opening the doorway for Ligeia’s revenge. Corman and crew returned to England after filming the previous entry, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH there, filming LIGEIA at the crumbling Castle Acre Priory in Norfolk, and the film benefits from the lack of stagy, claustrophobic studio sets that marked the rest of the series. In fact, the first twenty minutes takes place in the bright outdoors and that Fell has a medical aversion to sunlight seems appropriate, almost like they were cleverly building on what had gone on in the previous films. Elizabeth Shepherd was a beautiful and talented actress who had been hired to replace Honor Blackman on “The Avengers” TV series as the first Emma Peel but was fired and replaced with Diana Rigg before audiences were able to see her in action. Her Rowena is more fleshed out than any female character in the Price/Corman/Poe series. Unlike the morose, downcast women of the earlier films, Ms Shepherd wears a smile throughout much of the proceedings that grows more sinister as the story progresses, though her character isn’t immune from the same fate as most Poe women. It’s mostly a two-person drama and Ms Shepherd holds her own against Price, who’s at his most anguished. Screenwriter Robert Towne, who would go on to win an Oscar nine years later for CHINATOWN, provided a genuine, if suggestive, ghost story with a sense of realism missing from the earlier Poe films. Corman employed Arthur Grant, longtime director of photography for many Hammer horror films, including THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF and FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED and Grant utilizes the English countryside in ways he did not for Hammer.

2. WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968)
It’s likely that Vincent Price never delivered a better performance than the one he gave in WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968), the fact-based story of infamous witchhunter Matthew Hopkins and the barbaric acts he practiced in mid-17th century England. Price completely jettisoned his usual campy theatrics in favor of an appropriately low-key, sinister, and menacing depiction of a purely evil man who hides behind a mask of religious allegiance. Price plays Hopkins as an unmerciful fiend with a genteel manner and an appetite for torture, especially burning. The movie is cruel in its violence but also intelligent and effective and Price is relatively restrained in a complex role as a man who whose mission is to achieve confessions and take the lives of those marked as Satan’s helpers. Price regarded his performance here as the finest of his horror movie career. Director Michael Reeves and Price famously battled on set over the actor’s approach to playing Hopkins, and Price eventually agreed that Reeves was a genius and his insistence that Price subdue his performance was the right one. Reeves was just 25 when he directed WITCHFINDER GENERAL, his fourth film, but was no stranger to working with major horror stars. He previously had helmed CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD (1964) with Christopher Lee, THE SHE-BEAST (1966) with Barbara Steele, and THE SORCERERS (1967) with Boris Karloff. Price and Reeves were scheduled to re-team the following year for THE OBLONG BOX but Reeves was found dead of a barbiturate overdose in February of 1969 (some sources claim it was suicide). WITCHFINDER GENERAL is an extremely sadistic movie, but its details are based on fact. The Civil War in 17th century Britain was horrific and left people hungry and desperate. Accusing a neighbor of witchcraft had the instant benefit of claiming the property they left behind. Locals were eager to help Hopkins, even when he asks that the daughters of the men he imprisoned be brought to his bedchamber. The real-life Hopkins lived a long life and died of natural causes but the film gives him a bloody death, even though it’s unsatisfying to its young hero (played by Reeves regular Ian Ogilvy) who ends the film with the haunted refrain “You took him from me!”. When American International released this film in the U.S. in 1968 they changed the title to CONQUEROR WORM and tried to pass it off as one from their Edgar Allen Poe series by adding a few lines from the author’s abstract poem of that title. WITCHFINDER GENERAL is not only one of Vincent Price’s very best films but the black-hearted Mathew Hopkins is one of cinema’s most frightening villains.

1. THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1962)
Not much of Edgar Allen Poe’s short story which shares its title is on screen besides the eponymous torture device, but thanks to a deft screenplay by Richard Matheson, a pitch-perfect performance by Vincent Price, sure handed direction by Roger Corman, and the inspired casting of Barbara Steele, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM is an epic helping of gothic grand guignol that deserves its place on the top of this list. Vincent Price’s Don Medina is a much more lively than his Roderick Usher form the previous year. Price was often accused of overacting, but his frantic scenery-chewing was the correct style for this material. The casting of the otherworldly Barbara Steele shows that American International was properly impressed with her horror debut in the previous year’s BLACK SUNDAY (as they should have been), the Italian film they distributed and this was her stateside debut. Steele is something to behold in THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, slinking and smirking like a deranged cat around the torture chamber, driving Price and the audience to delirium. Steele wasn’t long for Hollywood though. She fled the set of an Elvis film the next year and returned to Europe where she starred in a string of unparalleled gothic horrors. Corman’s camera stays in time to the berserk performances of his two horror stars, as he experiments with odd lens techniques and hallucinatory framing and you’d never guess that THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM was shot on for only $200,000 as it is consistently dazzling to look at with spooky color camerawork by Floyd Crosby and imposing art design by Daniel Haller. Stock footage of the climactic torture sequence would later find its way into the 1966 spy spoof DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE, which also starred Vincent Price as well as GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI (also 1966). THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM is a fantastic and fascinating viewing experience that just keeps getting better with age.