Tales of Terror backdrop
Tales of Terror poster

TALES OF TERROR

1962 • US HMDB
July 4, 1962

Three stories adapted from the work of Edgar Allen Poe: 1) A man and his daughter are reunited, but the blame for the death of his wife hangs over them, unresolved. 2) A derelict challenges the local wine-tasting champion to a competition, but finds the man's attention to his wife worthy of more dramatic action. 3) A man dying and in great pain agrees to be hypnotized at the moment of death, with unexpected consequences.

Directors

Roger Corman Roger Corman

Cast

Vincent Price as Locke / Fortunato / Valdemar / Narrator

Vincent Price

Locke / Fortunato / Valdemar / Narrator

 Peter Lorre as Montresor ("The Black Cat")

Peter Lorre

Montresor ("The Black Cat")

 Basil Rathbone as Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")

Basil Rathbone

Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")

 Debra Paget as Helene ("The Case of M. Valdemar")

Debra Paget

Helene ("The Case of M. Valdemar")

 Maggie Pierce as Lenora ("Morella")

Maggie Pierce

Lenora ("Morella")

 Joyce Jameson as Annabel ("The Black Cat")

Joyce Jameson

Annabel ("The Black Cat")

Leona Gage

Morella ("Morella")

 David Frankham as Dr. James ("The Case of M. Valdemar")

David Frankham

Dr. James ("The Case of M. Valdemar")

 Lennie Weinrib as Policeman ("The Black Cat")

Lennie Weinrib

Policeman ("The Black Cat")

 Wally Campo as Barman Wilkins ("The Black Cat")

Wally Campo

Barman Wilkins ("The Black Cat")

Alan DeWitt

Chairman of Wine Society ("The Black Cat")

John Hackett

Policeman ("The Black Cat")

 Edmund Cobb as Driver ("Morella")

Edmund Cobb

Driver ("Morella")

Scott Brown

Servant ("The Case of M. Valdemar")

Benjie Bancroft

Wine Society Member ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)

Paul Bradley

Wine Society Member ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)

Kenneth Gibson

Wine Society Member ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)

 Kenner G. Kemp as Wine Society Member ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)

Kenner G. Kemp

Wine Society Member ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)

 Jack Kenny as Tavern Patron ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)

Jack Kenny

Tavern Patron ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)

 Cosmo Sardo as Wine Society Member ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)

Cosmo Sardo

Wine Society Member ("The Black Cat") (uncredited)
Horror Commedia Thriller Mistero
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Crew
Production: Roger Corman (Producer) — Samuel Z. Arkoff (Executive Producer) — James H. Nicholson (Executive Producer)
Screenplay: Richard Matheson (Screenplay)
Music: Les Baxter (Original Music Composer)
Cinematography: Floyd Crosby (Director of Photography)

REVIEWS (1)

Alessio Gradogna •
This time Corman triples. Not just one story by Poe taken as inspiration for the film adaptation, but as many as 3, moreover as always free and far from faithful to the literary material. Therefore, a film divided into three parts, of unequal effectiveness. The first, Morella, with Vincent Price, adds little to the themes already seen in The Tomb of Ligeia, a story of resurrections and mystery that ends in a great purifying fire. Neither shameful nor praiseworthy, just like in the third part, “The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar,” material that years later George Romero will also take up in “Two Evil Eyes,” a representation nevertheless inferior to Poe’s story and which remains impressive above all for the final transformation into decaying sludge that melts Price’s face. However, the central part, The Black Cat, is of quite different charm, a classic by Poe well adapted and guided by the legendary and formidable duo Price / Peter Lorre (perfect in the role of the alcoholic), who perform magnificent dialectical duels and hypnotize with the magnetism of the two protagonists, not without reason immortal icons of horror cinema.
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Where to Watch

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS (1)

John Chard

John Chard

7 /10

Corman, Poe & Price.

The fourth venture into Poe adaptations for Roger Corman and Vincent Price sees them taking on the portmanteau format with a trilogy of creepers.

First off is Morella, which finds Price as a typecast loner living in a big old mansion with the dead corpse of his wife! Enter his daughter, who at birth was the reason for Morella’s death and thus Price originally holds a grudge, but of course there is a twist in the tale.

Secondly is The Black Cat, with Peter Lorre joining Price in the best of the three tales. Price is a wine tasting dandy, Lorre a complete drunk and once Price meets Lorre’s beautiful put upon wife, things are going to end badly.

Finally is The Case of M Valdemar which pits Basil Rathbone into the mix as a devious hypnotist who uses his powers for what he thinks will be sexually tinged deeds. Price is in this as well, but spends most of the story as a corpse.

It’s a short sharp shock piece of film making, fun and sometimes stylish, it doesn’t however have the requisite scares to marry up with the welcome black humour that makes the second instalment the standout.

Still, having three legends of cinema in one picture has to be a bonus, and The Black Cat alone is worth investing time with this one. 7/10

Reviews provided by TMDB