Hallowe'en Horror Movies - Tales of Terror

A bit of good old harmful fun with Roger Corman and his pals, this time. Nothing too serious, here, but horror does not have to be modern, gritty, or especially realistic to work.

Having adapted three of Poe's best--known tales, Corman moved on in 1962 to produce a portmanteau of three short stories. Here you will find fairly free adaptations of 'The Black Cat', 'Morella', and 'The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar'. The stars are Basil Rathbone, Peter Lorre, and Vincent Price, each turning in full-blooded performances. Old-school costume Gothic has seen something of a revival lately, so it's worth noting that, along with Hammer, Corman was responsible for the first post-war horror movies in  glorious 'color'.

Each story is distinctly different from the original text. 'Morella', a very brief tale, becomes a distinctly Freudian and very weird drama. Vincent Price's daughter Lenora visits her old dad and finds him living in perpetual mourning for Morella, Lenora's mother. Because she died in childbirth he blames his daughter for her death. When Lenora reveals she is dying, however, he begins to be reconcile to her. However, Morella rises from the dead with vengeance in mind...

'The Black Cat' is a comedy interlude, albeit very dark comedy. Peter Lorre is a drunken cuckold who hates his wife and her cat. Vincent Price appears in the role of the wife's lover, and both end up being walled up alive, along with the moggie. Of course the police turn up, and we all know what happens then. It's the weakest segment, but watching Peter Lorre is always enjoyable, and his bulging-eyed, red-faced villain is as much a Poe-esque creation as any etiolated gentleman-scholar.

'The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar' sees Basil Rathbone as a hypnotist employed by a dying Vincent Price to alleviate his suffering. The hypnotist becomes a little too interested in Valdemar's wife, however. The evil hypnotist tries to force Mme. Valdemar to bend to his evil desires by refusing to release her husband's soul from its rotting corporeal form. This proves unwise...

Compared to the previous two movies in this informal series, Tales of Terror is rather small fry. But its one of the lesser-known portmanteau/anthology movies, and passes the time nicely. Watch with a cup of tea and some shortbread, if you don't have any Amontillado in the house.