By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
So, it’s Halloween and instead of zombies, you’ve decided to play it Gothic. What sort of Poe-inspired stories should you be watching? Ah, you’ve come to the right place. Fortunately, Roger Corman made a ton of Poe adaptations with Vincent Prince in the lead role. But he wasn’t the only filmmaker who found Mr. Poe’s work ripe for adaptation. There are many to pick and I’m going to tell you which ones should be at the top of your list.
The House of Usher (1960)
Also known as The Fall of the House of Usher. This movie is probably worth seeing just because Vincent Price, instead of sporting his trademark black hair, spends the movie as a platinum blond. Well, maybe his hair is supposed to be white, but no matter. The story centers around Madeline and Roderick Usher, who live in a creepy house and seem to be afflicted with some odd malady. Or is it a curse? Instead of shooting in black-and-white, Corman went for colour, which raised the tab a bit, but makes for a beautiful, engrossing bit of cinema. The final product was a success and it started Corman’s Poe-cycle, with the man adapting stories such as Pit and the Pendulum (1961) or Premature Burial (1962). Set design is very good, with all the necessary Gothic trappings, including heavy curtains and paintings. It is only fitting that this flick should start you on your Poe journey.
The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
This was the last of Roger Corman’s Poe adaptations. It’s also one of the most visually interesting. The plot, if you haven’t read the story, goes like this: a widowed lord marries again. However, his new wife finds that the presence of her predecessor, the raven-haired and dangerous Ligeia, lingers on. Unlike the other Poe adaptations, which were shot in a studio to keep costs to a minimum, this movie was filmed on location. The result is a much-more-expansive product, with authentic ruins and ominous surroundings. This is, simply put, one of the best-looking Poe flicks you’ll get to see. The double role of Ligeia-Rowena is well-played and Vincent Price exudes enough darkness and repressed sexiness to justify a marriage that includes having to put up with the haunting and possession of a previous wife.
Histoires extraordinaires (1968)
Also known as Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Stellar performers (Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, Jane Fonda, Terence Stamp) and directors (Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, Roger Vadim) combine in this anthology movie, which adapts several Poe stories with good results. Unlike Corman’s adaptations of the same time period, the directors here take more liberties with the source material. Not that Corman didn’t cut and mold the stories to suit his vision, but, for example, one can see very little old-fashioned Gothic in Fellini’s segment, which takes place in a contemporary time period and reflects the Fellini aesthetic. As in all anthology flicks, the quality wavers. Vadim seems a tad dull, but on the other hand, he offers a beautiful protagonist dressed in great costumes. Worth checking out.
Vincent (1982)
This very-early effort by Tim Burton establishes the elements that will become his trademark, including a love for classic horror and stop-motion animation. Vincent is a little boy with some rather ghoulish interests and a passion for the tales of Poe. Instead of sunshine and lollipops, he prefers tales of dread and terrors. Named, quite naturally, after Vincent Price, this is a macabre and cute piece of animation which concludes with a quote from “The Raven”. Running only six minutes, nowadays, you can find this short packaged as an extra with The Nightmare Before Christmas DVD. Which, coincidentally, is not a bad choice to watch on Halloween.
Two Evil Eyes (1982)
This is another anthology film adapting two stories by two cult directors: George Romero of Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dario Argento of Suspiria (1977). The results are not fantastic, but if you can’t stand 1960s cinema, maybe you’ll feel more compelled to check out this 80s effort. At least it has a higher quotient of gore. Argento’s segment is the more spirited of the two, with the director using Poe’s tales as a springboard rather that carbon-copying a story. As a result, there are numerous references to Poe, but little in the matter of expected elements (such as the big Gothic house or people in period clothing). As always, Argento is more style than narrative substance, so don’t expect a very polished script or motivation to pop up. Seeing Harvey Keitel as a Poe hero is also weird and mildly hilarious. On the other hand, Romero’s take at Mr. Valdemar seems quite bleary in comparison.
The Black Cat (2007)
The Masters of Horror series was hit-or-miss. You’d get one decent story and then two or three that sucked bigtime. This adaptation of Poe’s short story, which combines the historical figure with fiction, is one of the better ones. Directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Jeffrey Combs, this short flick may be of extra interest to Lovecraft aficionados because, after all, both Gordon and Combs were part of the cult flick Re-Animator. Unlike his first time around in the Masters of Horror (with a lackluster Dreams in the Witch-House), Gordon does a much better turn with this Gothic fable of evil. Lovers of cats should be advised this may not be the film for them, as much violence is wreaked by and upon the feline of this tale, sometimes in rather gruesome fashion. For those who can’t stand “old” movies, this may be the best bet for a modern Poe.