The Masque Of The Red Death (1964)

 The Masque Of The Red Death (1964)

In 1964 director and producer Roger Corman would again team up with Vincent Price for another entry in the Corman-Poe Cycle with the film The Masque Of The Red Death, based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name.   Unlike the previous Corman-Poe films that I have reviewed, this one does not have a script by author Richard Matheson.  This was Roger Corman's favourite of the eight films that he made with American International based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, and he originally intended it to be the follow up to The Fall Of The House Of Usher, but it kept getting pushed back, this would also be the second to last film in the Corman-Poe Cycle.   The Masque Of The Red Death sees Vincent Price in his most diabolically evil roles, as the evil Prince Prospero.  The Story follows the events after Prince Prospero steals a peasant girl, Francesca from her village and takes her to his palace.  Her boy friend and father are sentenced to punishment because they insulted Prince Prospero.  Also before they leave the village it is discovered that an old woman died of the Red Death, so Prospero has the village burned to the ground.   He also sends for all of his rich "friends" and royalty to come quarantine in his castle during the Red Death Pandemic.   We then find out that Prince Prospero is a Satan worshiper, who delights in cruelty.  Who will survive the Masque Of The Red Death?

The Masque Of The Red Death was directed and produced by Roger Corman, with George Willoughby getting a co-producer credit.  The film features a screenplay written by Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell, based on short stories The Masque Of The Red Death and Hop-Frog by Edgar Allan Poe, with story elements also coming from Torture By Hope by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam.   The film was produced by Alta Vista Productions and distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated, Warner-Pathe (UK), and American International Pictures (US).  The Masque Of The Red Death, wasn't as successful at the time as some of Corman's other Poe films, many viewed it as too artsy and lacking a focus on horror.   I think that that might be the exact reason that in retrospect the film has gathered a strong fan following.   I appreciate the sadistic artistic beauty of The Masque Of The Red Death, it not only works for it's great story of horror and plague, but also because of how artistically beautiful the film is, and it has become a fan favourite for a very good reason, it might rank among Vincent Price's best films. 

The Masque Of The Red Death stars Vincent Price as Prince Prospero, Hazel Court as his mistress Juliana, Jane Asher as Francesca, David Weston as Francesca's lover Gino, Nigel Green as  Francisca's father Ludovico, John Westbrook as The Red Death, Patrick Magee as Alfredo, Skip Martin as Hop-Toad, and Verina Greenlaw as Esmeralda.  The film has a great cast, Vincent Price is so diabolically evil, but the real vile character of them all is Patrick Magee playing Alfredo who has a taste for "innocent" girls, I can only say that he gets what he deserves in the end.  I also really adored Jan Asher as the innocent Francesca, who's purity and faith is challenged by the ovil Prince Prospero, she plays the role so well.  

The Masque Of The Red Death is a beautifully artistically evil film, with a great cast, and is well written.  The film is relevant today, as it deals with a group of wealthy people quarantining in a castle to avoid getting the red death, however they find that even a seemingly impenetrable castle can't keep them safe, when they have such a large group of people gathering under one roof.   This is a powerful film, and definitely a must see classic 1960s horror film.   If you have not yet seen this version of The Masque Of The Red Death, I highly recommend checking it out, it is an amazing film, and should be a part of every film collector's library.   If you come across a copy of The Masque Of The Read Death, don't pass it up!