The Haunted Palace / The Tower of London

Starring:Vincent Price, Michael Pate, Joan Freeman, Robert Brown (XI), Bruce Gordon (II), Joan Camden, Richard Hale (II), Sandra Knight, Charles Macaulay, Justice Watson, Sarah Selby, Donald Losby, Sara Taft, Eugene Martin, Gene Roth, Paul Frees, Morris Ankrum, Debra Paget, Lon Chaney Jr.
Director: Roger Corman
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Lovecraft, not Poe
Poe meets LOVECRAFT
Visually Poe, Visionary Poem.
Best Lovecraft adaption
Great.

The Haunted Palace / The Tower of London
Starring: Vincent Price , Michael Pate , Joan Freeman , Robert Brown (XI) , and Bruce Gordon (II)
Director: Roger Corman
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009PY4D
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Customer Reviews:

Lovecraft, not Poe.......2006-12-29

This move was marketed as a Poe adaption, because of the immense popularity of the Poe films, starring Vincent Price. It was, however based off of "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by HPL, but is so much like the Poe films, that it can easily be loved by fans of both.

Excellent acting by Price (as always), and great filming by Corman makes this a must have for Poe and Lovecraft fans alike.

But it, watch it, love it.

9 out of 10 elder gods recommend it

Poe meets LOVECRAFT.......2006-07-22

What a COOL film! Very different feel to the other 7 Corman-Poe films, perhaps because it's really an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward". Corman hated repeating himself, but AIP kept saying "Do another Poe film!" TALES OF TERROR was an anthology-- 4 stories adapted into 3 segments (tricky how they combined 2 similar stories into one, although, I noted how the film version LOST some of the "logic" of both originals), and THE RAVEN was done with a lot of humor. This time out, Corman wanted to do another writer... but the studio STILL wanted Poe, so they changed the title to market it AS a "Poe", and had Vincent Price reciting lines from the poem of the title to reinforce it.

Price-- Lon Chaney Jr.-- Elisha Cook-- and a number of other less-known characters actors I recognized (but don't recall by name). What a cool cast. I know Lovecraft had some running themes in a number of his stories, about "the elder gods" who ruled Earth in the dim past who wanted to return and used men to try and "open the gates". This film really encapsulates all of that so perfectly, I don't think I've ever seen a better use of the themes, except perhaps in Archie Goodwin's VAMPIRELLA comics (which in turn were, I feel, SWIPED by the 1st BLADE movie!!).

Compared to all the "characters" he created in the other films, Price almost seems to be playing HIMSELF this time-- at least, when he's Ward. When he's Ward's ancestor-- returned as a ghost and POSSESSING Ward, then he's like Price, "plus". There's a scene where the guy, who can't seem to get rid of "Ward's wife", decides to "exercise his husbandly perogative"-- and as the scene progresses, I was reminded of the behind-the-scenes stuff on FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED, where, legend has it, someone said, "This part's kinda dull. How about a RAPE scene?" In Price's case, it never goes too far, but it definitely works. The doctor character who befriends the Wards keeps coming up with logical, "rational" psychological reasons for what's going on-- but I feel sure the wife believed her husband REALLY WAS possessed by someone else. Which he was!

By the way, if you've ever seen it, NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS-- the 2nd DS film, the one with David Selby & Kate Jackson-- is really an updated swipe of THE HAUNTED PALACE. The DS film ends badly and pointlessly... It was only later when I saw PALACE the 1st time, that I realized the stories were almost identical. Except-- where NoDS ends, that's the point where PALACE really gets good! PALACE also has a "bad" ending-- but it's a much more SATISFYING one.

Visually Poe, Visionary Poem........2006-01-29

I think definitely Edgar Allan Poe is most creative Writer that have ever world. So then Vincent Price is most creative(as sinister image, overwhelming Performance, Charismatic persona, Charicteristic role-play) actor that have ever world. It follows from the foregoing that Roger Corman is a creative translator of an image, but faithful. I think they are marvelous trio. Price-Corman team made successful a succesion of their movie. 'The Haunted Palace' is one of them.

Best Lovecraft adaption.......2005-11-24

Another dreamy sort of late night period piece thriller is The Haunted Palace. This HP Lovecraft adaption ( The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and possibly the only good adaption of a Lovecraft book) stars the master of thrilling creepers Vincent Price and fits in with his other Roger Corman directed Poe series films. Talk about looking better than even, this is one of the best looking old films I've ever seen! The color and detail of this 1963 film just leap off the screen at you. It's also a fast becoming my demo disk for Component vs S-Video display, partly because it looks particularly bad in S-Video due to it's use of dark on dark scenes. Also included on this DVD is another Price thriller The Tower of London and a quite excellent Making Of interview with Roger Corman. The Haunted Palace stands right up there with two of my favorite thrilling spooky films, The House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler, both also starring the prince of fear, Vincent Price and available on DVD.

Great........2005-08-07

Both movies are fabulous, although Vincent Price seems more at home with his role in The Haunted Palace. Highly recommended.

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