Nevermore: Vincent Price & Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe Adaptations

Vincent Price’s velvet tones have never been better than when he worked with famed schlockmeister Roger Corman. Price added a sense of class to the horror genre and Corman’s films in particular. On occasion the actor could swerve into camp territory, but oh what glorious territory that is. Price could make even the most ludicrous dialogue sound like Shakespeare and it’s always an immense pleasure to watch him on screen. Cinema (and and not just horror cinema) needs more actors like him.

As a horror icon, Vincent Price was beloved by many, however he never felt that he got the respect that he deserved as an actor (he was right – he didn’t). Critics often lambasted Price for his ‘hammy performances’ and this irked Price. It’s better to be too broad than too bland. 

In the 1960s Roger Corman and Vincent Price made seven Edgar Allan Poe adaptations together: Pit and the Pendulum, Tales of Terror, The Raven, The Haunted Palace, House of Usher, The Raven and The Tomb of Ligeia. They are all classics