Do you like spooky stories? I do. One time, I heard a scary tale about a politician who actually did something they promised to do. Resign. OUCH! Whatever next I wonder? A movie which is a hodgepodge of Victorian ideals? Like this one Directed by Roger Corman; and Starring: Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, and Peter Lorre? It was made in 1962, and lasted for a whole 89 minutes.Tales of Terror: It's Terror Times Three
THE STORY:
Do you like scary stories, dear reader? If so, have a butcher's
at these three tales. Trust me. They all have some bite to them.
MORELLA:
Without a shadow of a doubt, the spectre of death is looming
large over the 'Locke Family' this murky evening. The lady of the house, Morella
Locke (Leona Gage), died many-many years ago, just after giving birth to her
daughter, Lenora (Maggie Pierce). The man of the house, Mister Locke (Vincent
Price), is feeling dead inside because of this close personal loss. And as for the daughter
of the house, Lenora Locke, she's recently returned home because she's dying of
a strange illness she's contracted.
Oh-Boy! That all sound's pretty bad, doesn't it? But trust
me. It all turns a lot worse next!
Sniff! Sniff! Can you smell fire?
THE BLACK CAT:
Now it's pretty safe to say that the drunken-lush come
cat-hater, Montresor Herringbone (Peter Lorre), has a very strained relationship
with the dandy wine-expert called Fortunato (Vincent Price).
Well, when he first claps eyes on him -- he hates him -- and
challenges him to a wine-tasting competition post haste. Next -- he starts to like
him -- and takes him home to meet his lovely wife, Annabel (Joyce Jameson). And
finally -- Montresor begins to hate Fortunato once again -- especially when he
discovers that both he and Annabel are sleeping with each other behind close
doors.
Ouch! That's a pretty dire turn up for the books, isn't it? But it's
not a dire as what Montresor does next to get his revenge! Psst! I give you a
clue. It involves: A drink. A cellar-wall. And a mangy-cat. Resulting in
someone loosing there head. Literally.
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALEMAR:
Whilst dying in bed of a painful illness, the erstwhile gentlemen,
Mister Valdemar (Vincent Price), has a very peculiar request to ask. Firstly,
he would like the hypnotherapist, Mister Carmichael (Basil Rathbone), to
prolong his last few moments on this planet with the use of metaphysical
technology. And then, once he's gasped his final breath, he wants his wife, Helene
(Debra Paget), to marry his doctor, James (David Frankham), so she can be happy
after he's gone.
Ahhh! Isn't that lovely of Mister Valdemar? Although I
wished I could say the same things about what next transpires! As spirits live
on - hypnotherapy wears a thong - doctors hold a gun - and the last battle is
fought when the dying is eventually done.
BANG!
THE REVIEW:
Off the cuff, please allow me to say that 'Tales of Terror'
was a very nice movie to watch. It's was timely. It was very well acted. There was a
lot of pathos behind it. And just like the three diverse stories on offer, it
was very diverse too.
Now where was I? Oh, yes! I remember. The diverse flavour of
'Tales of Terror'. But for me to explain to you what I mean by this factor, dear
reader, I think it best that I tackle each chapter of these three stories, one
at a time.
MORELLA:
To be absolutely honest with you, the only thing that I
didn't like about this particular piece; was that it was too short. Yeah.
Straight up. Once the story kicked in, and I finally figured out what the hell
was going on -- BOOM -- it finished in a flashing of a fake-fire.
It's a shame really. Because Vincent and Maggie really took
charge of this monologue driven section; captivating me to such an extent that
I wanted to know more about their relationship together, plus their
relationship with Leona's character by default.
Oh! That reminds me. I wasn't very keen on the scenario
relating to keeping the dead mother in bed for twenty odd years, melting away.
Nah! This felt a mite OTT for this type of tale. Plus it would have been nice
for the whole spiritual aspect of this segment to be explained a bit more also.
THE BLACK CAT:
Out of these three tales, I'd have to say that this one was
the best out of the bunch. Yeah. No word of a lie. I laughed. I chucked. I was
in suspense. And I was completely enamored by this chapter, from the very beginning
of it, to the very end of it.
For a start, Peter Lorre was a right hoot as the unsympathetic
drunk; lulling his way from scene to scene, in that doe-eyed way of his. Moreover,
Vincent Price played his character so camp, that it was a shock when it was
shown he'd been sleeping with the lovely, Joyce Jameson. Plus, in addition to
this, here and there, there were some very artistic Roger Corman flourishes on
show -- especially during the drinking or drunken sections of this tale.
Hey! Wait a minute. I think I best stop myself there. I have a
need within me to halt my critique about 'The Black Cat' until I eventually
get around to watching it's successor -- as stated in my trivia-splurge -- 'The
Comedy or Terrors'.
Stay tuned, folks.
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALEMAR:
One of the best aspects about this chapter -- apart from the
very plush way it was presented -- was the manner it which it tackled
the concept of metaphysics. To me, personally, the conceit about an open-minded
gentleman wanting to prolong his time of death by using this specialist method;
was very intriguing on a visceral level. I just hope that some up and coming
filmmaker gets to watch this episode, and runs with this concept in the near
future.
Also, I have to mention both Basil Rathbone and Debra Paget.
These two legendary actors aided this story immensely. Him with his stern demeanor.
And her with her elegant grace and pert cleavage.
All in all, 'Tales of Terror' was a very nice anthology film
to follow. Short in places. Funny in others. But always plush, well-acted, and intriguing
to sit through at any time of the day.
A class slice of cinema.
TALES OF TERROR
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
March 19, 2013
Rating:
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
March 19, 2013
Rating:
