Once again Vincent Price stars for director Roger Corman in The Tomb of Ligeia, the last of Corman's eight Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, a film graced by a script by Robert Towne and moody cinematography by Nicolas Roeg. Price has the creepy lead role of Verden Fell. In 1821, when Verden's wife Ligeia (Elizabeth Shepherd) dies, she is buried in a churchyard, despite the parson's objections that she can't be buried there since she isn't a Christian. Before the grave is closed, abetted by the
screech of a black cat, Ligeia eyes shoot open, startling Verden, who becomes convinced that she is not dead. Months later, Lady Rowena (also played by Shepherd) is thrown from her horse and lands at the foot of Ligeia's grave. Verden tends to her and soon falls in love with her. They marry and move into Verden's gloomy Gothic abbey, where Rowena begins to have strange dreams involving Ligeia and a black cat. One night she awakens to discover a dead fox in her bed. When Ligeia's grave is exhumed, instead of Ligeia's corpse, a wax figure is discovered. Then Rowena finds, to her horror, Verden in the arms of his dead wife in a hidden room of the abbey. Having hypnotized Verden before she died, Ligeia had Verden convinced she will live forever. Verden, now possessed by the spirit of his dead wife, takes a torch to the abbey, trapping himself and Rowena in the flaming conflagration. But Christopher (John Westbrook), an admirer of Rowena, endeavors to rescue Rowena from the flames. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
An excellent conclusion to the [AIP Poe] cycle, and a fine achievement of penny-pinching filmmaking of the sort that Corman did better than anyone else.
...visually sumptuous as the fetid ambience of English ruins such as Stonehenge and a 900-year-old abbey fills every widescreen inch.... Price [is] the romantic lead and the (admirably restrained) vessel of necrophilic madness.
On MGM's 'Midnite Movies' double-feature disc, The Tomb of Ligeia looks gorgeous with a sterling print, sharp definition, and ripe colors in its full 2.35:1 (anamorphic) widescreen.
Nice paring of legends Vincent Price and Roger Corman. Solid '60's Gothic horror.
May 9, 2009
Randy Tippy
Super Reviewer
This is one of my favourite Corman movies and favourite Price movies. Plus, it's got a cat, I love cats. I love the story too, it's very much like Poe's stories. And it has great atmosphere. I highly recommend it.
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