1964 Directed by Roger Corman
Satan-worshiper Prince Prospero invites the local nobility to his castle for protection against an oncoming plague, the Red Death. He orders his guests to attend a masked ball and, amidst an atmosphere of debauchery and depravity, notices the entry of a hooded stranger dressed all in red. Believing the figure to be his master, Satan, Prospero is horrified at the revelation of his true identity.
i regret to inform that here in 2018 AD we now have a famously germophobic ruler who in making a pact with evil has sealed off the border to those fleeing death whilst amusing himself with games of cruelty and moral corruption directed at his courtiers who laugh uproariously as the whole of the world dies around us and it is not remotely as awesome as i had been promised. i await a refund and would like to speak to your manager.
woe betide those who believe stolen wealth and sufficient walls can keep from them that which awaits us all!
((tfw u get married to satan, drop a bunch of acid, die a thousand deaths and finally come down…
"Why should you be afraid to die? Your soul has been dead for a long time."
I found this to be sadly beautiful. A superlative take on Edgar Allan Poe's short story. Price is at his peak, and this is arguably Corman's finest hour.
First off, all hail those evocative opening credits! I love the splash of red, and that's a cool effect with the rose. It immediately hints at the level of class this Corman production possesses as a whole. The tale has Prince Prospero dismissive of the provincial types of the village he oversees, which is now dealing with a plague known as the Red Death. He burns the location in an attempt to contain the sickness. Meanwhile,…
As colorfully stunning as just about any Hammer picture of its time, each scene pops vibrantly with beautiful camerawork from Nicholas Roeg, all while Vincent Price achieves the perfect mixture of devilish charm and insidious evil.
This top tier adaptation of Poe’s short story once again shows the often undervalued directorial efforts of Roger Corman—who achieves more with less than just about anyone. I think The Haunted Palace and this may be my favorite of his ‘Poe Cycle’.
"Satan. The lord of flies. The fallen angel. [Vincent Price whisper the only way Vincent Price could whisper] The devil."
This the best looking of the Corman Poe adaptations (shot by Nicolas Roeg!) that I've seen, with a bold color palette leaning towards very-1964-modern psychedelic poster art shades of blue, teal and yellow (like this kind of), and of course deep, deep, deep red. Has almost the air of something like Fellini Satyricon, La Grande Bouffe or even Salo, ultimately less about Satanic evil and more about excess, greed, indulgence, wrath and cruelty: Real end of the empire human flaws that assure mutual destruction and total annihilation. These themes would resonate with Cold War era audiences as much as contemporary…
Brightly colored gothic horror inspired by Poe (and coming a lot closer to the original story than, say, The Raven), this is an eerily beautiful film. I actually was a bit shocked when Vincent Price outright declared his allegiance to Satan; I expected some sort of work around, some sort of avoidance of the topic. Instead, Corman's film embraced the villainy, declared Satan the master of the universe and the death of God, and then toppled it all with the most gorgeous grim reapers ever (fuck off, Gaiman). This is pre-psychedelic kaleidoscopy painted on the grimmest classic horror. Vincent Price seems to relish his role here, which turns what would be hammy into the exquisite.
December count: 94/100
One of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen. My adoration knows no bounds. There are so many masters woven into its fabric: Buñuel, Bergman, Dreyer, Demy. A finale channeling the spirit of Isadora Duncan.
Its list of pleasures is endless...
opulent bath tubs, sword fights, ape suits, kick-ass dwarves, décolletage, arrows shot in necks, orgies, a campy Vincent Price, a scary Vincent Price, disease, metaphysical pondering, theological debates, amusing voice dubs, Paul McCartney’s cute-as-a-button girlfriend, Satanism, Christianity, Pantheism, vicious bird attacks, interpretive dances, body paint, face paint, rooms with energies, blood, candles, draw bridges, dungeons, costumed balls, peasants, poor animal impressions, noblemen, jump scares, atmospheres, animated credit sequences, a perfect score, a cinematographer determined to blow your God damn mind...
A director in complete control of his craft.
A pop art masterpiece designed to smother your senses and consume your soul.
Surrender.
62/100
Why should you be afraid to die? Your soul has been dead for a long time.
El trabajo de Vincent Price es increíble, esa mezcla de encanto y maldad fue muy acorde a esta película y ciertamente hizo diferencia. The Masque of the Red Death es una película curiosísima, un especie de viaje sin retorno hacia la maldad latente, que Price alimenta con cada ligero paso que da por el gran salón de su palacio, entre depravación y oscuridad.
La esencia en sí del film es atractiva, tan llamativa como el personaje de Price, tan carismáticamente malvada como él, tan sugestiva y retorcida que no deja uno de interesarse, tan triste y deprimente que es imposible no sentir aprecio…
Two things kept going through my mind as I watched this:
1. I can't believe I get to study a film that is so joyously trashy
2. I really need to watch more Vincent Price stuff
A lot of gratingly slow segments that involve copious amounts of walking around with no payoff, filling time until the writers can figure out how to get to the slim pickings of the original story. Yet despite the pacing issues, this looks beautiful with lucid and punchy lighting and Vincent Price is on top form as the delightfully devious Prospero. The final act is genuinely brilliant too with flashes of avant-garde and subtle horror in its wicked dance number. All in all, this is a tolerable and occasionally electric work, more than evocative of its era.
Feels like a Hammer Film Productions take on the story, in that it doesn't quite pack the scares of the original story but it's quite fun in its own hammy way. The mise-en-scene was pretty fuckin' cool, though.
Vincent Price is in full creep mode and classes up the joint in this lush Poe adaptation.
Gleefully bleak and nihilistic, it was a real surprise to me.
One of the best films Roger Corman has ever directed, downright lavish compared to most of his output.
Film #23 of 2019.
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