The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Synopsis: The great Vincent Price stars in this moody horror film--arguably the best in a series of atmospheric Edgar Allan Poe adaptations directed by Roger Corman in the 1960s. Price plays Prince Prospero, a sadistic Satan-worshipping nobleman in medieval Italy whose masquerade ball becomes an... The great Vincent Price stars in this moody horror film--arguably the best in a series of atmospheric Edgar Allan Poe adaptations directed by Roger Corman in the 1960s. Price plays Prince Prospero, a sadistic Satan-worshipping nobleman in medieval Italy whose masquerade ball becomes an orgy of death and depravity as a plague ravages the countryside. Jane Asher costars as Francesca, a beautiful peasant girl whom Prospero saves from the dreaded Red Death so that he can seduce her into becoming a bride of Satan. Meanwhile, his already-converted wife (Hazel Court) is making her final, fatal pact with Lucifer, and Prospero himself has a date with destiny when a mysterious, uninvited figure appears at the masque. The clever script by Charles Beaumont also adapts Poe's "Hop Toad," the story of a grisly revenge enacted by a dwarf during the course of the evening's nightmarish festivities. Benefiting from great cinematography by Nicolas Roeg, lavish sets, and some delirious dancing, this engaging, macabre little tale lands in a nice spot between high art and high camp and is considered by many fans and critics to be the pinnacle of Corman's prolific career. [More]