The Masque of the Red Death

A masterpiece of the macabre. Looks and sounds fantastic, the story is fun and interesting, and Price delivers a brilliant performance as the evil Prince Prospero aided by a script that perfectly suits his style.

Much better than it has any right to be. The hallucination sequence is obviously influenced by Anger and brilliant in its own right, and the end squeezes in a bit of understated theology.

This movie far surpassed my expectations. It is striking to see the portrayal of a world that definitely contains a supernatural cosmic order but has such a confused moral code that conveys something closer to amorality.

It's great to see such a risky genre picture. Even though all the risks don't pan out (the dated "trippy Satan hallucination" sticks out as one such example), there are more hits than misses: the gorgeous use of color in the sets/costuming, the bleak amorality that pervades the film, and the commanding performance of Price as one of film's most sadistic villains all contribute to an atmosphere of fantastic dread.

The best of Corman's Poe adaptations, this is arguably Rog's greatest directorial effort ever, even reaching into Ingmar Bergman territory -- especially in those eerily poignant tableaux showing a crimson-cloaked Death marching wearily but inexorably through ravaged, fog-enshrouded forests. Price plays decadent, sadistic, Devil-worshipping Prince Prospero. While there are touches of humor here, this is a generally somber affair reeking of depravity and doom.

Bordering on greatness, this is definitely the best LOOKING of the Corman/Poe/Price series (thanks to Nicholas Roeg). Great ending too!

Ranks at the top of both Prices and Cormans careers with excellent cinematography from Roeg. The Poe connection is a bit sketchy, but that's the norm really (not unlike filmed Lovecraft tales). Oh, and this movie finally confirms what most of us knew all along: That Price is in a league with Satan.

A very entertaining and very handsomely made Poe adaptation. Price is excellent value for money as usual - a complete bastard. Patrick Magee is generally a bastard in everything I've seen him in as well. I didn't recognise Jane Asher at first - she used to be on telly making cakes, but she does fine here. If some of it doesn't pay off entirely, there's still plenty to enjoy.

Very fun, sometimes accidentally so. The original story always fascinated me, and this take on it is curious and interesting. It turned a short story into a full movie by heavily exploring satanist panic themes, and by including in parts of another of Poe's stories (the little people and the monkey thing). They want you to know of the rich men's debauchery, and they try to make up for the less impressive painted sets and theater accessories by adding layers of sins. The ending disappoints a bit

It's fun to see all these villainous characters, particularly Vincent Price, talking so openly about their love of Satan. There's nothing to do but hold bomb-ass parties and be openly, flamboyantly evil. Included some striking costume designs, and some subplots that didn't have much of anything to do with anything, featuring a little girl who was supposed to be playing a little person, so they dubbed her with an adult's voice.

Suffers perhaps inevitably from the need for having to flesh out what is after all a rather slight story plotwise. And Asher behaves as though she's Marcia Brady stumbling into a nest of Satan's handiwork; she seems rather comatose throughout, and is exactly the same at the end as she was at the beginning. But Price's villain is indeed a formidable one. Additionally, the sets are quite colorful and imaginative, thus helping to make this movie an unending feast for the eye.

Price's Prospero is the ultimate douchebag. The ending surprised me, much better than any Shyamalan twist.

So intellectual that only Roger Corman could have gotten away with making it, thus proving the old Vulcan precept "Only Nixon could go to China". Brilliant, unforgettable work from all concerned

That first hour is pretty draggy, especially for a B-movie (and knowing this is from a *short* story). But the last twenty minutes goes all out with some low-tech sequences that turn this into a much better movie than what I was expecting.

Definitely great to look at w/ alot of colorful production design. Corman also delivers some eye-catching pans & compositions. Price is also great playing one of the most evil characters in film history, which is inherently compelling, as it is when things veer into Satanism, which is unexpected for '64. But there are 2 tangential subplots (Juliana & the dwarf) which build to not much & padding (the hallucination). W/ Death as a main character it also becomes too stylized & easily resolved.

Omg That hallucination scene. I mean in general the look of this thing is crazy. The colours pop! Bizarrely beautiful ending

This was always my favorite Poe story because it's just about everyone dying. This adaptation adds a love story that is met with expected indifference. The visual feast of lavish sets and costumes more than makes up for it though. Price is as decadent as ever. It was worth the watch if only because I got to use the word lavish in this very review. Something about a Winnie the Pooh doll thrown haphazardly on the floor that eliminates using that word even in the sacredly guarded guest room.

Corman made this in like two weeks on no budget, and still made something with a killer (heh) ending. Like a true G.

Price is fun as always, but it lacks a bit of momentum and a lot of its impact relies on the subject matter which isn't all that interesting 50 years later.

Of Roger Corman's Edgar Allen Poe adaptations this one is by general consensus the best one. Nice use of color. Very literate screen play. Price is very effective and his "hammy" acting style is totally appropriate here.

Decent horror.

Satanism chic.

"Death has no master." Corman knows what this needs: Just slather everything in technicolor, have a good and an evil woman, and let Vincent Price vincentprize. Sure it's slow in the middle, but it takes Poe with just the amount of goth-opera seriousness it needs for the plot to work and for Price's smug villain (how did he play villains and heroes with the exact same energy?) to have a canvas to paint on. "You're mad!" "Yet I live and you will die." Sic transit gloria mundi.

Everything in this film seems totally heightened and unsubtle by modern standards-But it’s all good fun.

Surprisingly great, easily the best of Corman's & Price's that I've seen. Gorgeous use of color and a fantastic ending.

A goofy but mostly fun low budget B movie that has some A movie production values due to borrowing some Oscar nominated sets that had been used on the higher budget Becket earlier in the year. There are some very memorable images here (the hallucination film, for instance), some of the cinematography is stunning, and Price is fun as always. Didn't quite all come together for me, but there's a lot to like here.

Vincent Prick

Vincent Price really makes this movie work. The sets are also quite good.

70.1.

Terrifying and made my skin crawl. One of Price's best and most evil performances.

A B-movie with some flourish, MASQUE's best qualities involve its use of color and Price's all-in hammy performance. The final masquerade ball in particular has a great atmosphere.

The artiest and most contemplative of the Poe series, with nods to Bergman and a semi-serious contemplation of the nature of evil. Price is in top form, but, as always, Magee walks off with the film.

Hail, Satan; Smoke meth.

"Just because Corman is incapable, which he is, of making a Bergman film, it's unfortunate that that didn't happen." http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/12/episode-84-edgar-allan-poe-adaptations.html

Roger Corman #8

69.500

Vincent Price makes every movie better by approximately 30 percent. I've done the math, I know.

Price really annoys me here.

Roeg's beautiful cinematography, and Robert Jones' colorful art direction more than make up for Vincent Price's lackadaisical meanderings as the notorious Prince Prospero.

70.750

A fun movie, with a great visual style. Price puts on an engaging performance, and most of the supporting players are a blast to watch.

One of the first Vincent Price movies I ever saw, it's a campy presentation of plague and death during the Middle Ages, with a great ending.

Really boring