The Haunted Palace
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| The Haunted Palace | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roger Corman |
| Produced by | Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson, Roger Corman |
| Written by | H.P. Lovecraft (story), Charles Beaumont |
| Starring | Vincent Price, Debra Paget, Lon Chaney Jr. |
| Music by | Ronald Stein |
| Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
| Editing by | Ronald Sinclair |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures (USA, theatrical) |
| Release date(s) | 1963 |
| Running time | 87 min |
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Haunted Palace is a 1963 horror film directed by Roger Corman and featuring Vincent Price. Named after the poem by Edgar Allan Poe it actually derived its plot from a novella by H.P. Lovecraft named The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. It featured an impressive cast that also included Lon Chaney Jr. and Debra Paget. It is also noted for having a remarkable score by Ronald Stein.
[edit] Plot
The film starts on a dark, foggy night in 1765. The villagers in the New England town of Arkham, are suspicious of the strange goings-on up in the manor overlooking the village. They suspect its inhabitant, Joseph Curwen (Price), of being a warlock. After one of the girls in the village disappears, the terrified townsmen, torches raised, storm the castle and confront its mysterious owner. Convinced the girl has been bewitched, they tie Joseph to a tree outside his manor and burn him alive. Before dying, however, Joseph puts a curse on the men there and on the whole town of Arkham, saying he will rise from the grave years later to torment their descendants.
Flash forward a hundred years. Charles Dexter Ward (also Price) and his beautiful wife Anne (Paget) arrive in Arkham. Charles has inherited the manor of his distant ancestor, the aforementioned Curwen, and has come to see it. The locals are obviously wary and inhospitable to him, as they believe the strange deformities the villagers have developed in the years since Joseph Curwen's burning to be part of the curse.
Once at the manor they meet the creepy housekeeper Simon Orne (Chaney Jr.). Simon seems to know more than he's telling, but Charles is more interested in the eerie painting of Curwen, hanging over the mantle. That night he is overtaken by the spirit of his dead warlock ancestor and recognizes the caretaker for who he really is, his old assistant. His first step upon his return is to take revenge on the descendants of his murderers. Dowsing them in gasoline, he kills them off slowly, using fire as his tool of vengeance. At the same time he works on ressucitating his long dead wife, using the infamous Necronomicon. At first his hold on Charles is limited to the night, but as time goes on he grows stronger, eventually being in complete control. His wife, noticing the changes in her beloved husband, seeks solace in the advice of the town doctor, the one reasonable man in the village. Eventually he realizes what Joseph/Charles are trying to do and foil him by burning the portrait of the dead warlock. Escaping the flames of the burning palace, Anne breathes a sigh of relief believing the terror is finally over. But as the camera fades on Charles we realize that Joseph Curwen still inhabits his mind.
[edit] Notes
- Roger Corman, at the time famous for his Poe-based horror films, wanted to do something different with The Haunted Palace by doing a Lovecraft story. American International Pictures had the name changed, against Corman's wishes, to keep in line with the popular Poe series.
- The only connection the film has with the poem is a brief quotation at the end of the film by Vincent Price.
- Francis Ford Coppola provided the film with additional dialogue though he went uncredited for it.
