Madhouse (1974)

1974's "Madhouse" marked the last film that Vincent Price made for AIP (American International Pictures). The film itself was considered a box office failure and many critics claimed that it was the end of the low budget horror movies of the 1970's as pictures like "The Exorcist" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" soon took over movie screens across the nation. "Madhouse" did feel a bit redundant at this point in Mr. Price's career. How many times can he have a cheating wife or a girlfriend with a sordid past. Or how many times can he play a character with a struggling career wanting to make a comeback or demand the respect of the audience or critics? "Madhouse" is a who-dun it murder mystery, a prelude of sorts to the modern day slasher flick.

Paul Toombes is a washed up horror actor whose career spiraled out of control after his fiancée was murdered and he was committed to an insane asylum after being cleared as the prime suspect. Years later, Toombes is hired to star in a television series in England, portraying his famous Dr. Death character that made him famous in his past. Before filming even begins, people around Toombes are found murdered in similar styles that characters in Dr. Death films had been killed off. Evidence stacks against Toombes as the body count climbs and he is forced to race against the clock before the killer is finally revealed.

Theatre of Blood (1973)

Being a huge fan of Shakespeare, it was really fun seeing Vincent Price delivering so many great lines and soliloquies in the 1973 horror film, "Theatre of Blood", and is now my favorite Vince Price film. This was one of Vincent Price's favorite movies as well because it gave him the chance to deliver such lines after finding it difficult to be cast in a Shakespearean play or movie since he was typecast to horror films. The film is fun, campy, violent, and very clever in my opinion. It feels very 70's and British, which in this case is a wonderful thing. At times it does feel a bit redundant but overall it's a thrill ride that plays an unique sense of tribute to the Bard.


Edward Lionheart is a passionate Shakespearean actor who has just completed his final season of performances. When it comes time to receive his naturally expected award for the "Critics Circle Award for Best Actor", he is stunned and personally humiliated that he lost unanimously. After grabbing the award that was awarded to him, Lionheart gives an impassioned rendition of Hamlet's third soliloquy before jumping off the edge of the building and into the water below. Years later the critics are being killed off one by one by Lionheart, each in a fashion that resembles a death scene from a Shakespearean play; with each death following the order of the plays that Lionheart appeared in during his final season. Lionheart is able to trick each critic into believing that he's someone else before revealing himself and delivering a delicious quote from Shakespeare as he makes his killing blow. Believing Lionheart to be dead, the prime suspect is Lionheart's daughter. To prove her innocence, Lionheart reveals himself to one of the critics and allows him to live, just so he can tell the police that it is Lionheart who is behind the murders. With just one critic remaining, the police narrow in and trap Lionheart before he can make his escape. Like a true artist, Lionheart knows how to make the ultimate exit.

Favorite moment - I love the scene in which Lionheart is playing Shylock from "The Merchant of Venice", and how he plays with the critic who has been tricked into reading the role of Antonio.

Lionheart as Titus

Lionheart as Shylock

Lionheart receiving his award at last

Witchfinder General (1968)

"Witch Hunter General" delivers a drastic change in mood, the level of violence, and the kind of character that Vincent Price portrays compared to any of his earlier films. The innocent and campy effects are gone and have been replaced with scenes of torture and streaks of red paint that supposed to be blood. The film feels too adult and R rated for Vincent Price to be in but it was just the first of many that would showcase the esteemed actor in such a dark manner; I simply wasn't ready to see him as a lecherous, dirty old man who exchanges promises for sexual services. The film itself feels like it belongs on cable TV and shown during a midnight time slot.


Matthew Hopkins is the Witch Hunter General, dealing out his sense of justice from town to town by judging and executing those accused of witchcraft. He is assisted by John Stearne, a man who loves torture more than any man should. They cross paths with a young Roundhead named Richard Marshall while they are on their way to the interrogate Richard's fiance Sara and her uncle. Sara gives herself to Hopkins in order to stop her uncle's torture, but when Hopkins leaves for other business, Stearne kills the man and rapes Sara. When Richard Marshall finds out, he swears to kill Hopkins and Stearne, tracking them down as they continue to reap sexual favors and killing innocent people accused of being witches.

Matthew Hopkins, the Witch Hunter General

Hopkins and Stearne torturing Sara

Richard and Sara's wedding

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

I have read and I'm a huge fan of Richard Matheson's story "I am Legend", a story that has now inspired three different film versions. While each version attempts to recreate the intense and terrifying world that is described in that book, the first film that attempted to do so failed horribly. Richard Matheson himself was hired to co-write the script but soon left the project in disgust over how his story was being twisted and treated. "The Last Man on Earth" is ultimately a plodding, slow, ridiculous mess starring Vincent Price as Dr. Robert Morgan. Price's narration and acting feel tired and phoned in, as he also knew how much the script had been altered from the original story. The film is made even more difficult to watch due to the low film quality that makes it seem like the movie was originally filmed as a silent movie or shortly after they were able to add a suitable soundtrack to films.


Dr. Robert Morgan is the last normal human on Earth. Everyone else has been turned into vampire-like creatures that walk around and faintly moan like zombies at night. Dr. Morgan spends his days tracking down and killing the vampires, dumping their bodies into a fire pit. He eventually meets Ruth, a woman who may or may not be infected. Dr. Morgan's hopes are dashed when he finds out that she is infected. He finds a cure for her but it's too late when Ruth's friends come and save her and kill him for his actions against the vampires.

The Tingler (1959)

"The Tingler" is the second film to come out in 1959 that was directed and produced by William Castle and starring Vincent Price. This time around the movie opens with a monologue by Mr. Castle, who is speaking directly to the audience, encouraging them to scream out loud because it just might save their lives. Castle had installed a buzzer to the bottom of many of the seats in the theaters that were screening "The Tingler", which would go off at the right moment. A silhouette of the Tingler creature was also made to move in front of the movie projector to indicate that the creature was there in the theater itself. While full of gimmicks, "The Tingler" isn't nearly as dull as "The House in Haunted Hill" although the effects in the movie were just as silly. The one exception is a scene where the water in the sink, bathtub, and a hand rising from the blood filled tub are filmed in color against a black and white setting. The film itself was purposely filmed in black and white just so this scene could have that moment of intensity and awe.

This was the fifth horror film that Vincent Price had appeared in and this is when he earned the moniker as the "Master of Menace".


Dr. Warren Chapin has discovered a parasite attached to the spine of every human that is responsible for the tingling sensation that people feel when they're scared. He becomes obsessed in wanting to know what real terror is like and even tries some LSD to see if he can enter a terrified state of consciousness. Meanwhile, a deaf and mute woman that Dr. Chapin had prescribed some sleeping pills for has died; her husband, an owner of a movie theater that screens only silent movies, is actually the murderer. Dr. Chapin performs an autopsy on the wife and removes her Tingler, which is still alive. The Tingler breaks free and runs amok within the theater, causing terror and panic. Dr. Chapin is able to capture the creature and announces that the only way they can contain it is to place it back into the deceased body in which it came from. Doing so temporarily animates the corpse, which gets it's revenge on it's former husband.

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

William Castle was a famous director who added gimmicks and effects to some of the movie theaters where his films were shown. While this added to the viewing experience to those that went to those theaters, it's a shame that Mr. Castle didn't have the faith that his films were scary enough to stand on their own. Or maybe he did realize that his films weren't that scary and that they needed all the help they could get! A great example of where one his films fails to deliver any real scares is his original version of "House on Haunted Hill". Starring Vincent Price, this film lacked the same intensity and thrills that "House of Wax" had, which was made six years earlier. "House on Haunted Hill" had a great premise but the effects in the movie feel more like set up for the effects and gimmicks that took place in the theaters. As a combined piece of performance art, "House on Haunted Hill" excels while as a horror movie, it's merely adequate.

Seeing this version does increase the entertainment value and appreciation of the 1999 remake.


Frederick Loren is an eccentric million who is throwing a party for his fourth wife's birthday. He has rented an old, haunted house and has invited five guests to come and stay the night with the promise of paying each guest $10,000 if they stay until the morning. One of the guests is actually the owner of the house, who takes the group on a tour and tells them about the various brutal and violent murders that have occurred at the residence over the years. Nora Manning, an employee at one of Mr. Loren's companies, begins to explore the house and witnesses various ghoulish sights. Later that night, when the party truly begins, Mr. Loren gives each guest a loaded pistol for protection. Loren's wife, Annabelle, tries to convince the group that her husband is insane and it trying to kill her. Everyone becomes weary of him as well as the events happening in the house. It is soon revealed that Annabelle is having an affair with one of the invited guests and this is the perfect oppurituninty to kill Mr. Loren. So who will kill who, and will it be the living or the dead that strikes the fatal blow?

House of Wax (1953)

In the 1953 film "House of Wax", Vincent Price gets the chance to turn in a devilish performance as a deranged wax sculptor bent on revenge on those who profited from his supposed "death". Having a large portion of screen time, Vincent first appears as a sympathetic character who loses everything he ever cared about (his wax creations) and returns as the sly and devious killer who masks his deformities with a wax mask of his own. I was surprised at the level of violence that was in a film from this time period and the number of murders that Vincent's character made. The film is presented seriously and only one character comes across as cartoonish. The version I saw was in color and the production looked sharp and clean.