The Haunted Palace (1963) Reviews

• Entertaining and atmospheric (albeit loose) adaptation of Lovecraft's 'The Strange Case Of Charles Dexter Ward'.

  Infofreak2003-02-20

  Roger Corman rarely gets the credit he deserves. While best known for the dozens of schlocky exploitation movies he was involved in as a producer, he also directed several underrated films, including his excellent Edgar Allen Poe series in the 1960s. 'The Haunted Palace' is really only a part of that series in name only. It takes its title from a Poe poem, but it's plot is (very loosely) adapted from H.P. Lovecraft's 'The Strange Case Of Charles Dexter Ward' by Charles Beaumont. Beaumont, a talented writer of short stories also scripted Corman's best Poe movie 'The Masque Of The Red Death'. As I said this is only loosely based on Lovecraft's original source material (a slightly more faithful version can be seen in Dan O'Bannon's 'The Resurrected', also recommended), but I'm sure most Lovecraft buffs will get a kick out of watching this, which is as far as I know the very first movie inspired by his fiction. Vincent Price stars in a duel role of Ward and his ancestor Joseph Curwen, and gives an enjoyable performance. Price really seemed to like working with Corman and gave the director some of his best work. I watched an old VHS print of this, but, like the Poe movies, it still looked like another great effort for a very limited budget. The supporting cast is worth noting - the beautiful Debra Paget, and legendary character actors Lon Chaney ('Spider Baby'), Elisha Cook, Jr ('The Killing') and Leo Gordon ('Kitten With A Whip'). 'The Haunted Palace' is another excellent Corman movie that still has a lot of entertainment value. Highly recommended to all Vincent Price and H.P. Lovecraft fans.

• Lovecraft Comes Alive...Sort Of

  BaronBl00d2000-12-28

  Roger Corman directed this film in the midst of his Poe cycle. It has most of the typical features of those films. Lots of eerie atmosphere, swirling fogs, and wonderfully painted back-drops, a fine acting troupe headed by the incomparable Vincent Price, and ably assisted by a sober-looking Lon Chaney Jr. and a beautiful Debra Paget, a fairly tight script, a marvellous score by Ronald Stein, and always the look of a lot of money spent despite the knowledge that you know it was cheaply made. The film is titled based on a small Poe poem found within "The Fall of the House of Usher" and this film has little to do with it. It really is much more of an H. P. Lovecraft film as its main protagonist is called Charles Dexter Ward(Price), but also bears little relation to that great story. It does, however, incorporate many Lovecraftian touches. The names of characters and the town(Arkham) come from the works of Lovecraft, as does the plot thread dealing with an elder god of sorts in a well for the purpose of breeding and the fabled book of supernatural knowledge, the Necromonicon. Despite the complexity and borrowing nature of the script, the story makes sense and is entertaining. Vincent Price plays a man with two personalities, and he does so brilliantly. As always, he is a joy to watch. The rest of the cast is very good. One scene in particular stands out as Price and Paget walk alone in the streets of Arkham only to be slowly surrounded by human mutants. The scene is quite eerie with all its swirling fog, and creeping pace.

• SHAMEFULLY UNDERRATED

  Katmiss2001-06-02

  Roger Corman's "The Haunted Palace" has very little in common with Poe's poem, with the exception of the title and a few lines recited by Vincent Price. It is in fact based on an H.P. Lovecraft story "The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward". In fact, that was this films' title before it was made an entry in Corman's highly successful Poe series. That doesn't mean this is a bad picture at all. In fact, this is one of Corman's very best films: a beautifully shot (by Floyd Crosby in Panavision), subtly frightening thriller. Price stars in a double role: Ward and his great-grandfather, an evil Puritan (I guess) who has a hidden secret. Hundreds of years later, Ward inherits the "haunted palace" of the title. You can probably guess what happens next. But films like "The Haunted Palace" (and the other Poe films for that matter) aren't about plot. It's about style, atmosphere and fine acting, all of which this film has. Price is excellent as usual in his double role, but he also gets strong support from Lon Chaney, Jr. as Ward's servant and Debra Paget as his wife (This was her final film before her retirement the following year) The sets by Daniel Haller are the best yet in a Poe film. (And this was before his final two Poe assignments. After that, he became a director with "Die, Monster,Die!", ironically also based on a Lovecraft story "The Colour from Outer Space")This is a really classy production with great production values and Corman proves he knows how to get the most for his money on screen. How many people can you say that about? Note: As with all the Poe films, "The Haunted Palace" is best seen in the letterbox format, which preserves the 2.35:1 aspect ratio of the Panavision photography. With American Movie Classics showing this frequently and MGM releasing the cycle on DVD, viewers now have a chance to see these films the way they are supposed to. Well done. **** out of 4 stars

• Absolutely wonderful

  The_Void2005-03-03

  Roger Corman's 'Poe' series is one of the all time highlights of cinema. With low budgets, great stories and Vincent Price; Corman has created a legacy that is hard to react to with anything but admiration, and it's certainly a style of film-making that will never be utilised again. This film is, actually, not based on a story by Edgar Allen Poe; but one by the almost equally excellent HP Lovecraft. You will notice Poe's name on the posters, but that's nothing more than a ploy by American International to ensure that people went to see it. However, whoever wrote it is inconsequential, because it's incredible whatever. From the moment it begins, with an incredibly malevolent Vincent Price being burned for witchcraft shortly after putting a curse on the village of Arkham in one of the man's finest monologues ever; this film grabs you doesn't let go until the words 'The End' appear on your screen. The subject of witchcraft and burning witches has, and will always be absolutely fascinating and this film capitalises on that. Adding to the intrigue is some otherworldly creatures in the basement that Price feeds young women to, and a village full of deformed residents! Lovecraft's Necronomicon joins the party as well... I don't know how much American International paid Vincent Price for making this and other Corman films, but whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Price holds the viewer's attention like no other actor has ever, and probably will ever do again. He handles his dual role fantastically, and switches between the darkly macabre and an innocent naivety at the drop of a hat. Also joining in the fun is fellow horror legend, Lon Chaney; who puts in a delightful performance and provides most of the scares! Corman does an absolutely fantastic job of building atmosphere in this movie, and the village of Arkham is constantly foreboding and intriguing. The use of smoke is right on cue; as is the music, which is massively over the top; but very, very effective. The problem with many horror films is that in spite of being excellent, they're often not very frightening; but there's one sequence in this film that sees a bunch of deformed villagers surround Price and his wife that is positively nightmare inducing! I have nothing but respect and admiration for this picture as it is an immense achievement in Corman's Poe cycle, and don't let the fact that it's not a Poe story put you off - if you're a fan of Price, Corman or just low budget atmospheric horror in general, see this film NOW!

• Brilliant horror!

  Coventry2005-10-04

  Frankly, I don't really care whether the screenplay of "The Haunted Palace" is based on a H.P Lovecraft-story, simply carrying an Edgar Allan Poe title...or based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem, heavily influenced by H.P Lovecraft's short story. Both these legendary horror authors were genius and an amalgamation of the two oeuvres could only result in an even better movie, right? And that's exactly what "The Haunted Palace" is! A brilliant and genuinely scary film that neatly fits in with the rest of Roger Corman's Poe cycle when it comes to intelligent story lines and ominous atmospheres. Vincent Price gives away another staggering performance (in a double role!) as a New England warlock who's burned alive for his evil practices by the inhabitants of Arkham. Over a century later, he reincarnates as his great-great-grandson Charles Baxter Ward and continues with his malicious sorcery... but not without wreaking vengeance on the descendants of his tormentors! The script is extremely compelling, without dull moments whatsoever, and the set designs are magnificent: ground fogs, castles with creaking gates and secret doorways, loud thunderstorms... It's truly beautiful to see how the camera prowls through the dark, nightmarish scenery and reflects the brooding suspense right onto your screen. The score is excellent and, despite the obvious low-budget, there are several very decent make-up effect to admire, like on the terrifying mutant-villagers who sneak around in the village. Roger Corman's surefooted yet elegant directing is close to perfection, and he damn well knew that he could count on Price again to portray another memorable villain. "The Haunted Pace" is quintessential horror-art!