HORROR 101 with Dr. AC: CORMAN, PRICE, & POE in '64: THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH/THE TOMB OF LIGEIA

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964) d. Roger Corman (USA/UK)
THE TOMB OF LIGEIA (1964) d. Roger Corman (USA/UK)

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We at HORROR 101 would like to honor the passing of the late great Roger Corman by highlighting two of the more unusual efforts in his now-classic series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, both of which premiered in 1964 and both starring the inimitable Crown Prince of Horror, Vincent Price: The Masque of the Red Death and The Tomb of Ligeia.

On May 9, 2024, cinephiles everywhere bid adieu to one of the true giants of modern-day Hollywood, Roger William Corman. The producer of nearly 500 films and director of 50, Corman also served as mentor for countless writers, directors, actors, and technicians who proceeded to shape the face of Hollywood in the 1960s, 70s, and beyond.

While Masque revels in extraordinary colors and production design, Ligeia enjoys on-location exteriors shot in the English Countryside, with both films borrowing sets from far more expensive British studio productions. Corman was also blessed with fantastic collaborators, such as screenwriters Charles Beaumont and Robert Towne, and cinematographers Nicholas Roeg and Arthur Grant.

For his part, Price rises to the occasions admirably, offering a subdued and sinister turn for the former, and a restrained variation on his usual “madman clinging to sanity” for the latter. The screen icon is ably matched by his co-stars which include Jane Asher, Patrick MaGee, Hazel Court, Elizabeth Shepherd, Richard Vernon, John Westbrook, and Oliver Johnston.

Tonight, AC and his awesome panel of guests (Christianne Benedict, Jessica Dwyer, Dan Kiggins, Larry Sternshein) pay tribute to the closing chapters of the AIPoe cycle, classics that have endured for six decades, and will likely endure another six or more.