A Orgia da Morte

Once again scripted by Charles Beaumont and produced/directed by Roger Corman, Masque of the Red Death is a much-beloved horror film from a lost era. Movies will never again be made quite like this. It's filled with the same mad characters, gorgeous sets, and colorful dream sequences we're used to seeing from Corman. Vincent Price, however hammy he may be, is perfect as the Satan-worshiping Prince Prospero. This very well could be the most evil I have ever seen Price. The cast is fine but Patrick Magee is definitely worth mentioning. He is delightfully wicked. And the character of the Red Death itself is cryptic and cool. This is one of the most colorful horror pictures ever made. The sets are grand, the story is marvelous, and the ending is brilliant. Masque of the Red Death is perhaps the most expensive Poe production, but it's still not Corman's best. I leave that honor to The Pit and the Pendulum.

A reviewer linked to this site described "The Masque of the Red Death" as Bergmanesque. A Roger Corman film Bergmanesque? Since I've only seen one Ingmar Bergman film, and it bored me silly, this was not much of an endorsement.

When I was a kid and Corman's Edgar Alan Poe adaptations were new, they scared the be-jeebers out of me. So would have "The Masque of the Red Death". After watching the movie recently, I didn't gain any insight into Mr. Bergman's film style, but I was entertained. And happily, the movie is free of the campy acting that seeps into so many of the Corman opus. Especially good is Vincent Price as the Satan-worshipping Prince Prospero, in whose castle his debauched guests wait out the plague that is ravishing the countryside. Dark and grotesque, this is an excellent example of Corman's work. Actually, one of the best I've seen.

Roger Corman frequently gets a hard time from misguided movie snobs who look down on b-grade and exploitation movies. While Corman undoubtedly was involved in more than his fair share of silly schlock (usually as a producer rather than a director), he also made some wonderful movies that are criminally underrated. Some of his best movies as a director were the series of Edgar Allen Poe adaptations he made in the Sixties starring horror legend Vincent Price. 'The Masque Of The Red Death' is quite possibly the very best in the series. It is certainly the most unusual and imaginative. Now I'm not sure whether it was filmed in Britain or not, but Price is supported by a largely British cast which includes Jane Asher ('The Stone Tape'), Hazel Court (Hammer's 'Curse Of Frankenstein'), and the legendary character actor Patrick Magee ('Dementia 13', 'A Clockwork Orange'). That and the fact that the cinematographer is none other than Nic Roeg(!), later to become famous for such classics as 'Performance', 'Don't Look Now' and 'The Man Who Fell To Earth', leads me to believe that it was made in England. The involvement of the aforementioned, and a strong script co-written by the talented Charles Beaumont (try and track down some of his short stories, you'll be impressed), make this a memorable experience. But Corman's direction should be given credit, and the single best thing about it is Vincent Price himself, who gives one of his very best performances. This movie has it all, striking visuals, an intriguing plot (with a stronger Satanic theme than generally seen in most mainstream horror movies), good acting, suspense, plenty of atmosphere, and some striking dream-like imagery many have compared to Bergman's 'Seventh Seal'. 'The Masque Of The Red Death' is one of Roger Corman's greatest achievements and one of the very best horror movies made in the 1960s. It has lost very little of its impact over the years and is still essential viewing for any horror fan, or anybody who appreciates imaginative cinema.

No need to go into storyline details after so many reviews. Looks like Corman's movie is Bergmann for the rest of us. The screenplay's heavy with philosophical themes about God, evil, and death. However, except for the themes and some of the imagery, the movie's a stylistic opposite of the grim Swedish filmmaker's Seventh Seal (1956). Here candy box colors are lavishly piled on top of one another. No shades of gray or bleak shorelines to depress viewers. Instead, it's manic gaiety interspersed with diabolical games of death and corruption. Looks to me like meaningful horror can be done even with a vivid color scheme, contrary to what some b&w purists have held. Then too, the movie shows that Price is quite capable of giving a non-hammy performance as his icily heartless Prospero proves in a tailor-made performance.

For a minute, however, I thought Hollywood might actually carry through with a tough- minded existential theme (a morally indifferent world) that is suggested by such remarks as our making our own heaven and hell or death being the only overarching reality. But no. Even death, it seems, has a soft spot for love and lovers. So at the last minute Hollywood sneaks in, after all. Nonetheless, the movie's easily the best of Corman's adaptations of Poe, echoes of Bergmann or no.

"The Masque of the Red Death" is another in the series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations from Producer/Director Roger Corman. It has been compared in style to the films of Ingmar Bergman (particularly in the dream and masquerade sequences) and is one of Corman's personal favorites from the series.

The evil Prince Prospero (Vincent Price) discovers the "Red Death" in a tenant farmer village and burns it down. He takes protesters Juliana (Jane Asher), her father (Nigel Green) and her lover Gino (David Weston) to his castle, imprisoning the men and taking Juliana into his household. There she meets Prospero's mistress Juliana (Hazel Court) who becomes jealous of her.

On hearing mysterious noises one night, Francesca wanders through the cavernous castle and discovers that Prospero and Juliana are satanists and have plans to bring her into the "fold". Prospero believes that his "master" will protect all who are within his walls from the "Red Death". He arranges to have all of his so-called friends brought into the castle where they are entertained by their host. He announces that the evening will climax with a midnight masquerade ball. But an uninvited guest crashes the party.

Vincent Price is really nasty in the lead and gives one of his better performances. Jane Asher is appealing as the young Francesca and the lovely Hazel Court makes a beautiful bride of satan. This film is aided by the fact that it was filmed in England and was able to employ many gifted English character players in the supporting roles. In addition to those mentioned, there is Patrick Magee as Alfredo, who is equally as evil as Prospero, Skip Martin as the dwarf Hop Toad, little Verina Greenlaw as the dancer Esmeralda and Robert Brown as a prison guard.

This movie has to be viewed in wide screen in order to appreciate the panoramic shots within the castle, the beautiful color photography and the eerie shadows of the night.

Useless Trivia Dept.

1. Jane Asher is the sister of Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon pop music fame;

2. She was also linked romantically with Beatle Paul Macartney at the time this film was made;

3. Nigel Green would achieve greater fame as Inpector Nayland Smith in the Fu Manchu series with Christopher Lee; 4. Although I can't confirm this, I swear that that is Christopher Lee's voice coming from the red cloaked figure.