Roger Corman is fondly remembered for his Edgar Allan Poe adaptations in the early 1960s. With The Haunted Palace, Corman takes his inspiration from another great horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and creates an eerie, atmospheric bloodcurdler. The trump card is Vincent Price's portrayal of the main character(s). Price is brilliant as the tormented hero slowly corrupted by an ancestral curse, shading his gradual descent into evil with clever understatement. Whenever the film slips into one of its periodic lulls, we can always rely on Price to keep our attention until the lull has passed.
Warlock Joseph Curwen (Vincent Price) is burnt at the stake by his Arkham neighbours for crimes of witchcraft. During his dying moments, he plots his revenge by placing a terrible curse on them. Curwen's curse seems to have its desired effect, as the subsequent generations are plagued by the birth of disfigured mutants into their families. Over a hundred years later, Charles Dexter Ward (Price again) an ancestor of Curwen arrives in the village of Arkham with his beautiful wife Ann (Debra Paget) to claim his inheritance of the Curwen castle. The villagers are immediately distrustful of Charles it doesn't help that he bears an uncanny resemblance to his great grandfather, nor that they are constantly reminded of Curwen's legacy by the presence of accursed mutants in their village. Charles and Ann do not believe in such supernatural nonsense and prepare to move into their inherited home. They are further encouraged to stick around by the castle caretaker Simon (Lon Chaney Jr), though it becomes increasingly apparent that Simon has an ulterior motive for wanting them to stay. Gradually, Charles begins to act more and more out of character, and it emerges that his body has been possessed by the spirit of Joseph Curwen. For a century he has waited for his chance to wreak terrible vengeance upon the villagers who killed him . and now his time has come.
Corman generates creepy visuals despite his shoestring budget and hasty shooting schedule. Swirling fog, creaking doors, cobwebbed corridors and disorientating shadows permeate the story, lending a well sustained atmosphere of dread. Kudos is due to Daniel Haller for his effective art direction, depicting a wholly believable period village shrouded in fear and secrecy. In the acting stakes, Price is ably supported by the ghoulish Chaney, while Paget does a convincing enough job as his wife. The story is simple but effective there have been so many variations of this basic premise that most viewers will figure out with ease what is going on well before the characters manage it. But bear in mind the film was made in 1963, a time when its plot twists and "shock" revelations probably raised plenty of goosebumps. And even now, almost 50 years on, the film's eerie mood still retains the power to unsettle. The Haunted Palace is a good, effective, old-school screamer a worthwhile nostalgia trip for those who lament the fact that "they don't make 'em like they used to".
Warlock Joseph Curwen (Vincent Price) is burnt at the stake by his Arkham neighbours for crimes of witchcraft. During his dying moments, he plots his revenge by placing a terrible curse on them. Curwen's curse seems to have its desired effect, as the subsequent generations are plagued by the birth of disfigured mutants into their families. Over a hundred years later, Charles Dexter Ward (Price again) an ancestor of Curwen arrives in the village of Arkham with his beautiful wife Ann (Debra Paget) to claim his inheritance of the Curwen castle. The villagers are immediately distrustful of Charles it doesn't help that he bears an uncanny resemblance to his great grandfather, nor that they are constantly reminded of Curwen's legacy by the presence of accursed mutants in their village. Charles and Ann do not believe in such supernatural nonsense and prepare to move into their inherited home. They are further encouraged to stick around by the castle caretaker Simon (Lon Chaney Jr), though it becomes increasingly apparent that Simon has an ulterior motive for wanting them to stay. Gradually, Charles begins to act more and more out of character, and it emerges that his body has been possessed by the spirit of Joseph Curwen. For a century he has waited for his chance to wreak terrible vengeance upon the villagers who killed him . and now his time has come.
Corman generates creepy visuals despite his shoestring budget and hasty shooting schedule. Swirling fog, creaking doors, cobwebbed corridors and disorientating shadows permeate the story, lending a well sustained atmosphere of dread. Kudos is due to Daniel Haller for his effective art direction, depicting a wholly believable period village shrouded in fear and secrecy. In the acting stakes, Price is ably supported by the ghoulish Chaney, while Paget does a convincing enough job as his wife. The story is simple but effective there have been so many variations of this basic premise that most viewers will figure out with ease what is going on well before the characters manage it. But bear in mind the film was made in 1963, a time when its plot twists and "shock" revelations probably raised plenty of goosebumps. And even now, almost 50 years on, the film's eerie mood still retains the power to unsettle. The Haunted Palace is a good, effective, old-school screamer a worthwhile nostalgia trip for those who lament the fact that "they don't make 'em like they used to".