Vincent Price Collection II was released on Blu-ray on Oct 21 by Scream Factory.
Cinapse and Scream Factory are giving away a copy of this amazing set; check out the contest post!
There is a rather lengthy list of cool as hell B movie actors. Adrienne Barbeau, Tim Thomerson, Bruce Campbell, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Fred Williamson and Warren Oates are just a handful of favorites springing to mind. I love these people. We all do. The appeal of the B picture and their stars work their way under audiences’ skin in many ways, and most of the previously mentioned actors have shown up in low budget comedies, horror films, action pictures, westerns, and a few earnest dramas over many years. It is in the horror genre, however, that we find the highest number of treasured classics, charming failures, and true masterpieces, and in an astounding majority of them, we also find the incomparable Vincent Price.
Our dear friends at Scream Factory have taken it upon themselves to collect and distribute Price’s most notable appearances, complete with Criterion Collection-level obsessive curation. Now, I can’t speak to whether or not the digital transfers were taken directly from original film prints, but the Blu-ray release of The Vincent Price Collection II offers an overwhelming hoard of fascinating supplementary audio/visuals.
Before we get into all of that, how about a rundown of the movies in this collection?
THE RAVEN
One of two “Corman Poe Cycle” films offered here, The Raven has very little to do with its source material. Basically, it begins with Price’s recitation of the classic poem which is interrupted by the titular bird appearing to him and “tapping on his chamber door.” So, he is visited by a Raven… and then the Raven is Peter Lorre and he needs to be made human again so he and Price can go seek revenge on the evil Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff). You know, it’s “The Raven”… until it REALLY isn’t. To Karloff’s chagrin, Lorre and Price spent a lot of time goofing on the production by ad-libbing and injecting comedy into what could have otherwise been a mostly dull affair. You can almost feel the movie slowly bending to their tongue-in-cheek will as it is tugged along to a joyously low-budget final wizard duel between Karloff and Price.
THE COMEDY OF TERRORS
On the page, The Raven was not intended as a comedy, but thanks to its cast’s artistic freedom, it succeeded as one. A year later, Corman wrangled his three horror heavyweights again, plus the great Basil Rathbone, with every eye focused on being funny. Ironically, it didn’t completely flourish. It has its moments, but I couldn’t get invested until the outrageous climax. A fight between Rathbone, Lorre, and Price, teetering on delirium, makes for extremely entertaining viewing. Karloff is almost unrecognizable, donning heavy makeup and a much heavier English accent. Peter Lorre is also unrecognizable at times because he had to be replaced by a stunt double wearing a Lorre-mask more terrifying than that of Michael Myers’ during his more physically demanding scenes.
THE TOMB OF LIGEIA
Now shit gets real. This little wonder has justifiably been considered Corman’s best Poe film. There is possession, romance, Vincent Price dressed more pimp than Dracula, the full extravagance of Gothic Horror, and exquisite performances. Elizabeth Shepherd, playing the romantic lead, does some particularly great work here. Basically required to play a double-role (occasionally appearing as an embodiment of Ligeia) she shines almost as brightly as Price. I had watched one of only two total stinkers in this collection just before seeing Ligeia and I can’t tell you what a shock it was to see him work in a more competent production. I had previously seen Price in several other movies, but I had never seen him so deftly handle a character as rich as Verden Fell. Watching him work in this cinematic achievement is a delight, especially during the finale, wherein Price pulls a whip (inexplicably from a curtain) and fights a tiny, soul-stealing black cat like a lion-tamer. Perfect Corman whackiness.
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
Remember those “stinkers” I mentioned earlier? This is Stinker #1. The audio is a mess, it is boring and poorly written, and it abandons all the fun stuff Price is doing during the apocalypse (mostly shopping for garlic) for a long, long, long, long, long flashback explaining how a virus turned everyone into to zomb-pires. This is the first film adaptation of the original novel “I Am Legend,” and it feels like the filmmakers lazily tried to take the most important elements of the story and fit them as easily as possible into the movie. Nothing seems to matter much to anyone, except those who put their hands on the camera. Some good shooting in this one, but it can’t save us from a mostly subpar endeavor.
DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN
WOAH! I had never heard of this small franchise before pressing play, and now I feel like a fool. It opens with a quick recap of the semi-psychedelic prelude The Abominable Dr. Phibes. My girlfriend and I turned to each other in unison and exchanged a knowing look, a look that says, “You don’t have any idea what the fuck that was, either, do you?” Stoked to see what would happen next, we were treated to a tremendously entertaining movie. Price plays an inventor who has lost most of his real face and the ability to speak. He wears prosthetics, speaks through a device he can plug into any kind of horn (including a sousaphone at one point), and he seeks a mythological river he believes will bring his wife out of suspended animation. I could say a lot about this movie, but again, Price’s acting is the most significant element in the film. He never speaks on camera, yet either miming to a pre-recorded performance, or reacting to some poor intern stuck with reading his lines to him, you rarely have the time to stop and think about the process, because there is so little disconnect between him and the disembodied voice. You almost believe he is speaking through that plug in his neck.
THE RETURN OF THE FLY
Stinker #2. I had never seen either Fly film in its entirety before catching the second installment in what I discovered is a trilogy. I can’t speak for the need to see the original movie, but I can tell you to skip this one and search the Internet for the “Guinea pig with human hands scene” to save you some time. Garbage cinema should be full of joy, and I can find none in this idiotic sequel. Plus, Price barely has 20 minutes of screen time.
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
The William Castle classic still plays in all its campy bliss decades later. The producer/director was a master of cinema fun. You may not want to call him an artist, but what is wrong with turning your premiers into spook houses? Why not shock a handful of unsuspecting audience members with vibrating seats? At House on Haunted Hill, an appropriately timed skeleton called “Emergo” was flown over the audience. I always enjoy seeing Castle flicks, and this one is an unexpectedly creepy watch every time.
There are a total of fourteen films between volumes I and II, and although the first release held such beloved titles as Masque of the Red Death and Theatre of Blood, I am still surprised by the line-up. No Tingler? No House of Wax? Here’s hoping for a Volume III!
THE PACKAGE
Every film is presented in the cleanest possible HD. For the most part, they look great and sound great (especially the MGM lion… did they start giving that cat steroids, or what?).
There are far too many special features to list in an already-too-long review, but here are a few of my favorite highlights:
- Intro and Outro by Vincent Price: a few films are bookended, just as they were when broadcast by IPTV back in 1982, by the man himself, reflecting on the production and how he felt about the movie: STUPID COOL!
- Interviews with Screenwriter, Richard Matheson (he worked on The Poe Cycle, mostly): short, sweet, and interesting.
- Working with Vincent Price: featurette detailing his relationships on and off screen with his fellow actors — he was loved by all of them.
- Endless Audio Commentaries, New and Old: actors, writers, film historians and even Roger Corman provide valuable insights for certain movies.
- Plus: Trailers, Stills, and a one very strange feature continuously playing trailer after trailer from dozens of Vincent Price movies.
After consuming this wealth of material, I have an even greater appreciation for a man I already admired. He was a true gentlemen, an enormous talent, an icon, hard working, humorous, and he was humble and handsome, to boot.
When you think about it, Vincent Price just might have been the perfect movie star.
YOU NEED THIS. BUY IT WITH CURRENCY.
This could be you…
