“Haven’t I convinced you of my sincerity yet? I’m genuinely dedicated to your destruction.” Yup. Got it. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, and Jeff Mohr – as they revisit a cast and crew that, by now, seem like old friends in Tales of Terror (1962).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 92 – Tales of Terror (1962)
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Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife’s black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man’s death.
IMDb
- Director: Roger Corman
- Writers: Richard Matheson (screenplay), Edgar Allan Poe (based on the stories by)
- Cast
- “Morella”
- Vincent Price as Locke
- Maggie Pierce as Lenora Locke
- Leona Gage as Morella Locke
- Edmund Cobb as Driver
- “The Black Cat”
- Vincent Price as Fortunato
- Peter Lorre as Montresor Herringbone
- Joyce Jameson as Annabel Herringbone
- Wally Campo as Barman Wilkins
- Alan DeWitt as Chairman of Wine Society (as Alan DeWit)
- John Hackett as the Policeman
- “The Case of M. Valdemar”
- Vincent Price as Valdemar
- Debra Paget as Helene Valdemar
- Basil Rathbone as Mr. Carmichael
- David Frankham as Dr. James (Valdermar’s physician)
- Scott Brown as the Servant
- “Morella”
Your Decades of Horror Classic Era Grue-Crew make another trip to the land of Roger Corman, Richard Matheson, and Vincent Price in Tales of Terror, the fourth of the eight films in the AIP-Corman-Edgar Allan Poe group of movies. This one is Whitney’s pick and in support of that pick, she says, “I mean, it’s Vincent Price!” She also appreciates the comedic center segment, “The Black Cat” and even more so because comedy is hard. You can’t go wrong with Matheson is Chad’s first take and he loves being able to see these legends in the same film. This is a first time viewing of Tales of Terror for Daphne, here for a repeat appearance after joining us for our episode on The Phantom Carriage (1920). She loves the variations she sees from Vincent Price as he portrays three different characters and is impressed with the strong and well-developed characters throughout, even though they are in short segments. Jeff also agrees that Tales of Terror is an excellent showcase for Price’s acting talents and absolutely loves Peter Lorre, one of his favorite actors.
This is a fun entry in the AIP-Corman-Poe canon, made even more enjoyable with the supporting cast of Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Joyce Jameson, Debra Paget, David Frankham, Maggie Pierce, and Leona Gage. Tales of Terror is currently available to stream from Amazon Prime and EPIX, and on a Blu-ray disc from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Check it out!
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. In the next episode, they will discuss a movie chosen by Jeff which will be Hammer’s Quatermass and the Pit (1967), written by Nigel Kneale and directed by Terence Fisher. You’ll want to be there for that one!
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To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
Jeff has written for Horrornews.net and SQ Horror Magazine. He currently writes for Gruesome Magazine and is a co-host of the Decades of Horror podcasts - The Classic Era, 1970s, and 1980s - and the Gruesome Magazine Podcast.
