The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
(On Cable TV, October 2022) Colour and Vincent Price remain the best assets of The Masque of the Red Death, one of many Edgar Allen Poe adaptations spearheaded by Roger Corman. Despite Corman’s reputation as an infamously low-budget exploitation producer, he directs this film and manages something quite enjoyable. Working with a bigger-than-average budget, he’s able to put together a credible representation of a fantasy world where the local lord promises his vassals protection from the plague, but doesn’t realize that the evil is already in the castle. Much of the action takes place in a large ballroom filled with colourful costumes and several extras—but none more interesting than a pleasantly overacting Vincent Price. The final moments of the movie are great fun. Corman hasn’t directed a better film. The result is still quite watchable, especially if you have a fondness for Price in full-ham mode.