(1962)
Dir - Roger Corman
Overall: MEH
Roger Corman was embittered with the Tower of London co-producer Edward Small's continuous involvement and interference, only discovering that the film was to be in black and white just before shooting began. The end product contains a marvelous portrayal from Vincent Price who deforms his own body and shows many different facets of Richard III, from almost childlike awe, terror, and confusion from his ghostly tormentors, to ruthless, evil ambition, to genuine grief from his actions. Aside from that, the film is somewhat blotchy. It is basically a scrambled conglomerate of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Richard III, (obviously), as well as random moldings of the real-life historical figure and Corman's own stylistic interpretations of Edgar Alan Poe. Being in black and white though, it ends up unintentionally cheapening the movie and removing it from the expressive, Gothic tone of Corman and Price's Poe works. Also, the rushed plot, (due to numerous re-writes on Small's insistence again), flows distractedly, where everything seems to happen in about the span of a few days when it should have transpired over years. Still, Price kills it and Corman's hands seemed to have been tied to a large extent, so its marginal failure is easily forgivable.
(1963)
Dir - Roger Corman
Overall: GREAT
Out of the eight Vincent Price/Roger Corman adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's works, The Haunted Palace is the only such one to be shoe-horned in there, primarily due to American International Picture's urging. Corman deliberately wanted to step away from Poe for this go-around and instead do a H.P. Lovecraft story, (The Case of Charles Dexter Ward in this case). Yet to keep the same marketing strategy as they already had in place, AIP had him change the title and add a line from a Poe poem at the very end, thus its inclusion in the series. No matter the source material though, as this is thankfully a textbook Corman/Price vehicle with all the Gothic, fog-laden, dead trees, spooky castle, secret passages, hidden caverns, angry villagers, and setting fire to things hallmarks. Some brief screen time from a Lovecraftian entity is also a nice touch. Speaking of which, Lon Chaney, (in his only Corman-helmed appearance, allegedly stepping in for Boris Karloff who was suffering from an ailment at the time), is here playing one of Price's caretaker/fellow sorcerers in the two horror icon's only on-screen pairing. Price then of course is stellar in a familiar duel role, where both madness and villainy gradually overtakes him.
(1968)
Dir - Michael Reeves
Overall: GOOD
One of Vincent Price's most troubled film shoots inadvertently gave him one of his best, subdued performances as the self-appointed witch executioner Mathew Hopkins in Witchfinder General. Filmmaker Michael Reeves, (who only directed three movies in his short lifetime, dying of an accidental alcohol and drug overdose only nine months after General's release), clashed endlessly with Price throughout the entire process. The feeling was mutual as both parties greatly detested their working relationship, (Reeves aggravated nearly all of the strife by openly disrespecting Price and proclaiming how he was being forced to work with him, having initially written the part of Hopkins for Donald Pleasence). Yett despite Reeve's unhealthy inability to convey his instructions or appreciation to his actors, the result was a camp-less one from Price and a rather bleak, primitive look at the lawless witchcraft hunts during the English Civil War. Historical certainties are greatly compromised to keep the film's running time moderately sufficient, but the grim tone is kept in check despite the Hopkins character ultimately being too imprecise to get a foot hold on. As one of Price's darker and most unsympathetic roles though and as an entry into the agonized witch trial sub-genre, it is a stellar piece of work.
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