The Masque of the Red Death / The Premature Burial

Starring:Vincent Price, Hazel Court, Jane Asher, David Weston, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Robert Brown, Julian Burton, David Davies (II), Skip Martin (II), Gaye Brown, Verina Greenlaw, Doreen Dawn, Brian Hewlett, Sarah Brackett, Jane Evans (II), Ronald Curran, Roy Staite, Jill Bathurst
Director: Roger Corman
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The Masque of the Red Death (1964) is Roger Corman's, and most people's, choice as the best of the Edgar Allan Poe pictures. Masque offers the expected creepy atmosphere and violence against peasants, plus metaphysical ponderings and pointed satanic cruelty. (Corman was operating as much under the influence of Ingmar Bergman as of Edgar Allan Poe.) Nicolas Roeg's color cinematography and Daniel Haller's elaborate production design would be stellar in any Hollywood A-movie; the mono-colored rooms of the prince's castle are a startling effect. Vincent Price is in fine fettle as Prince Prospero, the devil-worshipping sadist who throws lavish parties while the countryside is ravaged by the plague.

The Premature Burial (1962) substitutes Ray Milland in the usual Price role. He's a snarky landowner (with a sideline in art--dig those mod paintings) haunted by the fear of being buried alive. This single-minded focus limits the film, but it also adds to the smothering sense of anxiety that prevails throughout its unhealthy scenario. Luscious Hazel Court is Milland's new missus, and old-school cameraman Floyd Crosby proves his facility for photographing women in a classical style. Lots of cobwebs-on-candelabra in the customary Corman-Poe manner, with special emphasis on Milland's crypt, with its supposedly foolproof exit schemes. --Robert Horton
Description
The Masque of the Red Death: Death and Debauchery reign in the castle of Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), and when it reigns... it pours! Prospero has only once excuse for his diabolical deeds--the devil made him do it! But when a mysterious, uninvited guest crashes his pad during a masquerade ball, there'll be hell to pay as the party atmosphere turns into a danse macabre!

Amazon.com

The Masque of the Red Death (1964) is Roger Corman's, and most people's, choice as the best of the Edgar Allan Poe pictures. Masque offers the expected creepy atmosphere and violence against peasants, plus metaphysical ponderings and pointed satanic cruelty. (Corman was operating as much under the influence of Ingmar Bergman as of Edgar Allan Poe.) Nicolas Roeg's color cinematography and Daniel Haller's elaborate production design would be stellar in any Hollywood A-movie; the mono-colored rooms of the prince's castle are a startling effect. Vincent Price is in fine fettle as Prince Prospero, the devil-worshipping sadist who throws lavish parties while the countryside is ravaged by the plague.

The Premature Burial (1962) substitutes Ray Milland in the usual Price role. He's a snarky landowner (with a sideline in art--dig those mod paintings) haunted by the fear of being buried alive. This single-minded focus limits the film, but it also adds to the smothering sense of anxiety that prevails throughout its unhealthy scenario. Luscious Hazel Court is Milland's new missus, and old-school cameraman Floyd Crosby proves his facility for photographing women in a classical style. Lots of cobwebs-on-candelabra in the customary Corman-Poe manner, with special emphasis on Milland's crypt, with its supposedly foolproof exit schemes. --Robert Horton

Description

The Masque of the Red Death: Death and Debauchery reign in the castle of Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), and when it reigns... it pours! Prospero has only once excuse for his diabolical deeds--the devil made him do it! But when a mysterious, uninvited guest crashes his pad during a masquerade ball, there'll be hell to pay as the party atmosphere turns into a danse macabre!

Customer Reviews:

Masque is spectacular.......2007-06-10

This is why I bought the disk, The Premature Burial is a good bonus.

Masque of the Red Death is thought by many to be Roger Corman's best of his Edgar Allen Poe movies. I'd have to agree, from those of them I've seen. The Red Death is a plague-like sickness that strikes and will spare very few, particularly when the Red Death incarnate decides to come after you. The movie shows the disparities of medeival society, and you get a feel for how the rich were just slaves to their senses. Vincent Price is wonderful as the evil (by choice) Prince Prospero, and it is good to see him get what happens in the end.

The Premature Burial isn't a bad little film on it's own, and would have stood up for being a lead on many of the other doubles from this genre. All-in-all one great, and one good, film. For the price it can't be beat! Highest Rating

a "Masque" worth attending again and again.......2007-04-01

This review concerns only "The Masque of the Red Death"(though "The Premature Burial" is also enjoyable). I have seen almost every Horror film ever made(with the exception of mid80's through modern day "direct to video" insults made with a mind toward turning a quick buck) and this is one of the very few that I could watch almost every day. WHY? Difficult to say...it is perverse, yet redeeming. Lushly beautiful yet cruelly ugly. The babes are sexy and Vincent Price is greasily, gleefully wicked in just ONE of his many bravura performances. Perhaps it is the use of the Bava-like colours(especially cool are the various "Angels of Death" that appear) and the superior music(check out the closing credits....even THEY are exciting!) I don't know how Roger Corman ended up making this(not to denigrate him, but this movie is so masterful and artistic it can not even be compared to most of his other output!) It creates a claustrophobic atmos-fear of building tension as well as madness and IMPENDING DOOM...I've read about that with other films, but this is one of the few(along with Kubrick's "Shining", of course) that actually delivers that. In my opinion, THE best adaptation, by Corman or anyone else, of Poe(Corman also does a great job adapting Lovecraft in the Poe-titled "The Haunted Palace", which is actually Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward") "Masque" survives as a beautiful, dream-like, creepy film......"it is time for a NEW dance to begin: The Dance of DEATH"! launches an eerie "dance number" that certainly does NOT include Gene Kelley or any crummy animated penguins!

Masque of the Red Death.......2007-03-29

Masques of the Red Death does not follow the storyline of Poe's story enough for me to use in the classroom. However, the tension and suspense is great.

Not the best of the poe adaptations.......2007-02-25

The editorial review goes on about how lavish a production this movie was. It really wasn't. Simply having a few cheap props, mono coloured rooms and a cast of extras dancing about doesn't mean much. Pit and the Pendulum was the most lavish production. Pit also had superior music. Masque suffers from a bland plot. The only thing that saves the movie was Price.

It should also be noted this dvd is not a quality dvd. It may not play in all players. I think this is the last "midnight movie" double features I buy. This is my second. The other plays in my computer's dvd player, both sides. This dvd only plays one movie on my computer's dvd player. No doubt these dvds are being ran off in someone's garage.

Vincent Price Movies.......2007-01-24

Thank you so much for helping me get "The Masque of the Red Death" & 'The Premature Burial" with Sir Vincent Price. I had looked for it on a number of sites & even my dvd club @ Columbia House, but no-one had it. But Amazon did! Thank you

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