LA MALÉDICTION D'ARKHAM

Lovecraft-ian tale of a dark castle with Vincent Price and Debra Paget

During the Victorian era, a man and his wife (Price & Paget) inherit an ominous chateau on the coast of New England, but its sorcerous history seems to cast a spell on him and this provokes the leery populace to hostile action (Leo Gordon, Elisha Cook Jr., etc.). Lon Chaney Jr. and Frank Maxwell are also on hand.

"The Haunted Palace" (1963) takes its title from Poe’s poem, and quotes it, but the story hails from HP Lovecraft’s yarn "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." AIP insisted on the Poe-connection to capitalize on the recent success of Roger Corman’s Poe movies.

Eight of these Poe-inspired flicks were were done by Corman, but others were filmed by different directors, like “The Conqueror Worm” (1968), aka “Witchfinder General,” and “The Oblong Box” (1969). Others were Poe-ish in ambiance, yet had nothing to do with the works of Poe, like Corman & Coppola’s “The Terror” (1963). Most of these flicks didn’t follow Poe’s stories/poems very closely despite his name being attached to them, as is the case with this one, although a few did.

The spooky Gothic horror sets are to die for. You have spider webs, foggy graveyards, forbidden castles, dark sorceries, hostile mobs with torches, burnings at the stake, curses, rats, caged monstrosities, hauntings, possession, demons in pits and beautiful Victorian lasses. Being a Lovecraft yarn, you naturally get gobbledygook about Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, etc.

While not as good as “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961) and “The Conqueror Worm” (1968), this one’s on the same level as “The Terror,” “The Masque of the Red Death” (1964), “The Raven” (1963) and “Tomb of Ligeia” (1964). AIP was basically the American version of Hammer in England, so devotees of Hammer horror should appreciate it.

This was the last theatrical appearance of the stunning Debra Paget, who was 29 during shooting. She married a Chinese oil mogul, which would last 18 years and produce one son. She became a Christian and eventually came out of retirement to appear seven times on TBN’s Praise show (1988-2013). Also featured on the feminine front is the equally gorgeous Cathie Merchant, as well as Darlene Lucht in a brief role.

The movie runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot at Producers Studios in Hollywood. Virginia is also listed, which relates to establishing shots.

GRADE: B-/B (6.7/10)

Of course it takes places in the village of Arkham. Of course there is a Tillinghast. Of course Mr Ward is Charles Dexter.

The story isn't a Lovecraft-story, but it is a bit like "The Thing on the Doorstep" I suppose. Vincent gets to do his thing and the movie is all the better the more room he has. Some of the rest of the supporting cast is weaker, but then again, everyone looks thin and bland compared to Vincent when sharing the screen. Some of the story could have used a bit more polish, but it is a highly enjoyable Lovecraft-moment of a movie.

Now we already know something of the provenance of his inheritance so might be shouting at the screen telling "Ward" (Vincent Price) to take his new wife "Ann" (Debra Paget) and avoid visiting the ancient family home that has just come his way. Indeed, even the villagers from whom they ask directions suggest exactly that - but he reckons it's all just superstitious nonsense and off they go to this grand looking hilltop edifice. Barely through the door he espies a curiously familiar looking portrait on the wall followed by an introduction to the rather eccentric retainer "Simon" (Lon Chaney Jnr.) and the scene is set for a mystery steeped in revenge that harks back through the generations and that will stop at nothing until it is satiated. Visually, this is not the most impressive, especially on the make-up front, and to be honest it hasn't aged terribly well - but it's still Price and Roger Corman at their creepily Gothic best and the steadily accruing sense of menace works well as the tension mounts and the maniacal megalomania takes hold. Paget hasn't so very much to do, but that was usually the way with Hammer films whether it was her or Yvonne Furneaux, and so long as she played the loving damsel in distress well enough then little more is asked of her as she allies herself with the sceptical "Dr. Willet" (Frank Maxwell) and hopes that she can retrieve her beloved from his ancestral possession. The ending is a bit on the rushed side, and I felt that just a little disappointing but this is still an enjoyably presented showcase for a man who made this genre his own throughout the 1960s.