Is it Poe? Is it Lovecraft? Is it Bram Stoker? Is it Hollywood? Definitely the last. Any Lovecraft fan cringes at the much misguided evocation of Arkham, Curwen, and Ward. Probably because of the lack of concern about Lovecraft's estate in the early 1960s, no one came forward to challenge this movie's usurpage of his evocations and names. Pity that such a shabby movie even remotely evokes Lovecraft's work and soils his genius.

The darkest of Roger Corman's Poe chillers, though this yarn owes more to HP Lovecraft than Edgar Allan's poetry. Vincent Price gives his all time greatest performance in a dual role as possessed and possessor, aided by a wonderfully literate script by Charles Beaumont. It gives Price no leeway to indulge his tendency to sometimes ham it up. Here, he keeps tight dramatic restraint on himself, making his gradual transformation from kindly innocent to the reincarnation of his warlock ancestor a virtuoso portrayal of inner turmoil overwhelmed by fiendish evil. Corman even provides a last good role for Lon Chaney Jr (as he'd done previously for Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone) as a ghoulish henchman. Undeniably, 'The Haunted Palace' does have a rather ponderous pace and music score that makes the film seem stretched as Price wanders down just one more hidden corridor. Floyd Crosby's widescreen cinematography is also unrelenting, capturing the drab, muted blue and brown pastels of a Puritan village plagued by witchcraft. And the barely glimpsed green demon lurking inside the vault was perhaps a mistake. But Corman's skill on a 15-day schedule and a cheap budget is evident throughout. He introduces Chaney in a splendidly done sudden shock appearance that will still make unwary audiences jump (asked why he is preparing a room in the dark, he tells Price, "One becomes accustomed to the darkness... here"). True Corman fans will rank this chilling piece of American Gothic among his best. Not least where an exasperated Chaney asks the possessed Price when he will be satisfied avenging himself on the descendants of those who burned him at the stake. "Not until this village is a graveyard," Price promises Chaney sibilantly. "Not until they too have felt the kiss of fire on their soft flesh... all of them."

This has some good actors in it. But it is not a good movie. It does not have a good story line. The ending is awful. It is not very scary. I was very disappointed by this movie. It is the only movie with Vincent Price and Lon Chaney Jr. And it could have been so much better. Do not waste your money. And do not wast time. Do not see this movie. It is pooh pooh. 6.8 is overrating. It is not scary at all. Do not see this movie. It is a warlock movie. But there better movies that like this one. I can not believe the man who wrote The Masque of the red death wrote this. The Masque of the red death is so mush better. See The Masque the red death.

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".

Roger Corman directs; Vincent Price acts; and the beautiful Debra Paget is on the screen for the last time. This is part of Corman/Price's Edgar Allen Poe multiple ventures. This is close to being the worst, but there is plenty of chills and suspense to keep you watching. Price plays a 17th century warlock burned at the stake and a descendent that returns to the small village homestead a hundred and ten years later. There is very little to associate with Poe, although the story line is chilling and creepy. Price and Paget are ably supported by Lon Chaney Jr, Elisha Cook and Frank Maxwell. This movie seems to have its own attitude and is a must for Price fans. Of course, Corman's followers will also have something to debate about. Was there enough money to make this better or is it beyond help? You be the judge and jury. Enjoy!

Roger Corman's "The Haunted Palace" of 1963 is an incredibly atmospheric Gothic Horror film, and, alongside "Pit and The Pendulum" of 1961 and "The Masque Of The Red Death" of 1964, the greatest installment of Corman's superb Poe cycle with the great Vincent Price. Some people seem to be bothered by the fact that this is not actually based on the poem by Poe, but on H. P. Lovecraft's novel "The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward", but I can't really see why. First of all, there is no doubt that both Poe and Lovecraft were extremely important writers of the horror genre. Second, it doesn't matter what this film is based on, since it is simply a brilliant film, regardless of which literary model it used. In 1756, the vicious warlock Joseph Curven (Vincent Price) is dragged out of his palace in the New England town of Arkham by an angry mob furious about his evil ways of hexing innocent young women. Before he is burned alive, Curven places a curse on his the people of Arkham and their descendants. 110 years later, Curven's great-grandson Charles Dexter Ward (also Price) comes to Arkham with his wife Ann (Debra Paget) to accept his inheritance - Joseph Curven's castle. Most of the little town's inhabitants, who still believe in the witchcraft and who are living in fear of Curven's curse, react hostile towards the couple, especially because Ward is the spitting image of his ancestor. The Wards, who are not superstitious, decide sleep in the castle anyway, although the only friendly person around is the town's doctor, who does not believe in superstition either. There are strange things happening in the town of Arkham, however, people have terrible deformities and when the Wards arrive they immediately notice an eerie huge painting of Joseph Curven, which has a strange effect on Charles... There is no doubt in my mind that Vincent Price is one of the greatest actors who ever lived, and his performance in "The Haunted Palace" is one of his best. Price plays his role with pure brilliance, and once again proves that he is THE absolute master of sinister roles. Debra Paget's performance as Anne Ward is also excellent, and the cast furthermore includes Lon Chaney Jr., who proves his greatness in an eerie role. The movie is excellently photographed in great, eerie sceneries, and the film maintains a wonderfully creepy atmosphere from the first minute. The great score even intensifies the eeriness and suspense, and I couldn't find one aspect of "The Haunted Palace" that is less than brilliant. German speaking people - please make sure to watch this film in its original, English version. I personally always watch films in the original when its possible, but it is essential to do so with this movie. The German title reads "Die Folterkammer Des Hexenjägers" (=The Witchhunter's Torture Chamber), although the film has nothing to do with a Witchhunter, and there is no torture chamber either. In the dubbed German version, the Warlock becomes a Witchhunter, New England becomes Wales, and the whole plot makes little sense. Fortunately, the German DVD contains the English version, so stick with the original version of this masterpiece. All said, "The Haunted Palace" is a perfect Horror film. Vincent Price's brilliant leading performance, the fantastic atmosphere, the constant suspense and genuine creepiness - everything about this film is superb! In short: "The Haunted Palace" is a Gothic masterpiece, and an absolute must-see for every Horror fan!

I don't consider The Haunted Palace one of Vincent Price's or Roger Corman's best. I do put Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher and especially Masque of the Red Death above it, but it is a very good film and worth checking out. It does get a little ponderous at times in the middle and while eerie in tone the music score is over-the-top. However it is well photographed and has beautiful sets. The writing has some fun and macabre moments and the story delivers its suspenseful atmosphere and creepy scares wonderfully even if the enacting terrible revenge angle is familiar territory. Corman's direction is secure also. The acting is very good. Debra Paget before she retired is beautiful and not too bland. Lon Chaney is wonderful, and his entrance is one of The Haunted Palace's creepiest moments. Even better is Price, he is in a double role here and he is deliciously evil. All in all, very good and very enjoyable, I just wish that it had more attention. 8/10 Bethany Cox

source: The Haunted Palace

Trailer—The Haunted Palace

The Haunted Palace