The Tomb of Ligeia

The genius of Edgar Allan Poe lies in his ability to create atmosphere and to draw us in with the power of his magically evocative language. As not a great deal happens in his stories and his characters are thinly drawn, film adaptors feel obliged to invent, expand, elaborate and embellish and this, the last of Roger Corman's versions of Poe, is certainly no exception. The liberties taken and the additions made by Robert Towne are too numerous to mention and include mesmerism and a hint of necrophilia!

The major change is that the marriage between Verden Fell and his second wife, Lady Rowena, is based upon love and not mutual loathing. Their characters have been fleshed out in the forms of Vincent Price as Fell and the lovely Elizabeth Shepherd as Rowena. Unfortunately Mr. Price's persona and air of mystery are unable to compensate for the fact that he is simply too long in the tooth for the role whilst Rowena's freedom of spirit and sensuality make her overpowering attraction to him faintly ludicrous. It is of course highly unlikely that the film would have received financial backing had Mr. Price not been in it.

As one has come to expect from Mr. Corman this film has excellent production values and art direction and is aided by a strong supporting cast.

Poe died in comparative poverty but his works have supplied a framework by which film-makers have enriched themselves. Mr. Corman especially has helped keep Poe's name alive but one must never lose sight of the original stories which remain, of their type, unparalleled.

Very fine Poe adaptation. I had always reckoned Masque of the Red Death, from the same period to be far superior, but not so. Viewed again this is very well put together, especially the first half, which is really only setting the scene for the Poe tale to be told. Not quite as stylish as the aforementioned film, this is still, nevertheless, possessed of a very strong dream like quality and builds scarily as doors rattle, animals squawk and the inevitable black cat scrambles, leaps and screeches. Wonderful setting of Castle Acre Priory helps give the film greater authenticity and Corman mixes the Shepperton Studio interiors well with the beautiful Norfolk countryside and the marvellous grandiose priory remains. I don't know why the tomb of the title had to be so shining white and new looking but never mind, a really good Corman outing with excellent performances from Price and the leading lady Elizabeth Shepherd, who regrettably seems to have otherwise worked almost exclusively in television. She has real presence here in a double role successfully mixing the seductiveness of Lady Rowena and the satanic steel of Ligeia.

I was asked recently if I could name any genuinely scary films made before The Exorcist in 1973. The only titles I could come up with were Rosemary's Baby and Night of the Living Dead from the late '60s. I could suggest many horror titles made before 1970, but none were genuinely flesh-crawling enough to make the list. At the time, I had not seen The Tomb of Ligeia. Now I have seen it and, wow! This is one seriously under-rated gem.

It is one of the many Roger Corman films from this era based on an Edgar Allan Poe story. Intelligently scripted by Robert Towne, and acted to perfection by Vincent Price and Elisabeth Shepherd, this film is a treat from start to finish. Shepherd plays a well-to-do lady in Victorian England who falls in love with a mysterious loner (Price) who resides in a crumbling abbey and seems haunted by memories of his previous (now-dead) wife Ligeia. She marries Price, but her chances of love are blighted by spooky happenings which may be the work of the ghost of his jealous ex-bride.

The dream sequence, featuring a dead fox hidden in a bouquet of flowers and a terrifying metamorphosis midway through a passionate kiss, is a marvellous and memorable scene. All scenes featuring the weird black cat are eerily effective. There's also a wonderfully creepy hypnotism episode. The photography is lovely, with colourful outdoor lensing of a real English abbey and superb blending of light and shadows during the ghostly indoor sequences.

So, if you're after a truly spine-tingling film from before 1970 - here you go!

Of all the collaborations between director Roger Corman and sensuous, creepy actor Vincent Price, this is probably their best. There's the small cast of characters, mainly Ligeia, buried in a marble tomb in the grounds of a sinister old abbey, Rowena, a lady horserider looking for someone she can be 'drawn' to who is more interesting than her beau Christopher, and Verdon, Ligeia's bereaved husband, with his black shades and mood swings. There's also a cat. And this cat is really the true star of the film, watching, attacking, influencing.

The film benefits from its heavy use of locations, and makes it stand apart from the studio interiors of other adaptations. This is a decadent, decaying England with strange happenings and curses. It is a superb film, and lifts the Shepperton Poe adaptations to a new level.

One of the Roger Corman/Vincent Price 'Poe collaborations', based on Poe's short story Ligeia. Price plays Verden Fell, a man who believes himself haunted by the spirit of his dead wife. When Fell remarries, his new wife also feels Ligeia's presence - which she believes is trying to kill her. Ultimately, Fell must face Ligeia - whether real, or just a manifestation of his obsession - and purge her from his life.

Price is on form. Elizabeth Shepherd does well in the dual roles of Ligeia and new wife, Rowena. Filmed in England, several British character actors (Derek Francis, Richard Vernon, Frank Thornton) make welcome appearances, and Castle Acre Priory in Norfolk serves as a picturesque and atmospheric location. Corman's direction is tight, maintaining an underlying sense of unease, building to a fiery climax. 7/10.