(1963)
Dir - Sidney Salkow
Overall: GOOD
After a handful of Edgar Allan Poe vehicles had been collaborated upon by Roger Corman, American International Pictures, and Vincent Price, the latter jumped ship temporarily to star in and narrate the similarly designed Twice-Told Tales for United Artists. Switching the author from Poe to Nathaniel Hawthrone and titling the film after his short story collection of the same name, (though only one of the segments here actually came from said publication), Last Man on Earth director Sidney Salkow utilized Price in an identical fashion that Corman did in the previous year's Tales of Terror. In fact there is even more tie-ins to Price's earlier work in that the final segment to this anthology "The House of the Seven Gables" was already adapted two decades previously and likewise featured the actor. Twice-Told Tales is a period piece of course, but is very scant on the Gothic atmosphere that Corman feverishly utilized. This is not a handicap though as the comparably brighter colors and more streamlined cinematography differentiates it some. The stories themselves, (particularly the aforementioned "Gables" and opening "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"), certainly partake of some gruesome bits though and for a change, Vincent Price pretty much plays the doomed, barely if at all sympathetic bad guy in all three.
(1965)
Dir - Roger Corman
Overall: MEH
The final installment in Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe film series for American International Pictures was The Tomb of Ligeia, though Vincent Price would continue to appear in future Poe vehicles. A bit of a conundrum in that it looks and feels like any of the other Corman-styled vehicles of its kind, yet it seems less vibrant and inventive that the others in the series. Tales of dead wives haunting their still living, now eccentric husbands are a common staple, as are said husbands yielding to mania, cobwebs being everywhere, disturbing dream sequences, and setting the castle on fire for the finale. There are also some remarkable props and scenery on display, (including Egyptian statues and a diabolically decorated chamber room), and Vincent Price even gets to battle a tiny cat to the death. Still, this easily stands as the weakest entry into this franchise due to a draggy pace and again, perhaps too much familiarity making it tedious. On his personal end, Price is impervious to disappoint, but he still ends up short-changed here as his character's plight never really becomes all that engaging. He does look rather cool in those glasses though.
(1967)
Dir - Jeremy Summers
Overall: GOOD
Far more neglected than appreciated, The House of 1,000 Dolls is a Euro-trash thriller that is very atypical of Vincent Price's usual work at this point in his career. Supposedly, he signed on to the project without knowing what it was going to be about, (he was under contract still with American International Pictures, who distributed the film), and it is believable that he would have passed if given the opportunity. Script wise, the film is decidedly silly with a number of on-foot chase scenes, sleazy set pieces, doofy dialog, and an on-going mystery with a twist that would impress no one. That said, Jeremy Summers, (who is mostly known for directing a large number of episodes of The Saint), has a panache behind the lens that is auspiciously entertaining. The film is noticeably styled as an Italian giallo, (though that is not what it is), and has an odd, amusing sound design as well as much inventive camera work. There are also a few moments early on that are enticingly creepy, when the enigma of the plot still looms large. The films opening scene ends on just such a "hmmm...interesting" jump. Though it is easy to see why this is not one of the more well regarded Vincent Price movies, it may deserve a little more applause than it has gotten and can freely be relished as a hokey bit of fun at the very least.
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