Vincent Price, Gender, and the Poe Cycle, 1960-1972
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“Much of Madness, and More of Sin”: Vincent Price, Gender, and the Poe Cycle, 1960-1972 Jonathan Malcolm Lampley Approved Graduate Committee: Dr. Linda Badley, Major Professor Dr. David Lavery, Reader Dr. Tom Strawman, Chair of the Department of English Dr. Michael D. Allen, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3255584 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3255584 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. “Much of Madness, and More of Sin”: Vincent Price, Gender, and the Poe Cycle, 1960-1972 Jonathan Malcolm Lampley A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Middle Tennessee State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree May 2007 ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements This dissertation represents the culmination of ten years of both formal study and informal research pertaining to popular cinema, the horror film, and the cultural ramifications of what I call the Silver Age of Horror Films (1957-1973). Along the way, I have encountered many personal and professional challenges, triumphing over some and learning to live with others. Such endurance would not have been possible without a strong network of loved ones to inspire me when it looked like I would never finish. It is an honor to acknowledge these individuals for their faith, patience, and affection. I would first like to thank Drs. Linda Badley and David Lavery for taking the time to guide my project. Both of these scholars stay busy producing journal articles, conference papers, and full-length studies of popular culture, to say nothing of their teaching and other responsibilities. That they made time to take on the additional job of reading and commenting on my dissertation means more to me than I can fully express in this limited space. Furthermore, I would like to pay tribute to other members of the MTSU community who have helped and encouraged me, particularly Drs. Will Brantley, Ayne Cantrell, Michael Dunne, Sarah Dunne, Larry Gentry, Allen Hibbard, Marion Hollings, Robert Holtzclaw, Robert Petersen, and Tom Strawman, all of the English Department; Drs. Robert Love Taylor and Fred Rolater, both of the History Department; and Drs. Jane Williams and Bob Womack, both of the Educational Leadership Department. The administrative assistants in the English Department, particularly Ms. Debra Dreger, have been exceptionally helpful as well. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I would also like to acknowledge members of the Tennessee State University community, particularly my colleagues in Academic Enrichment, Advisement, and Orientation, whose professional capability, personal warmth, and continual interest in my progress make working in AEAO a delight: Dr. Jane Asamani, Dr. Johnanna Grimes, Dr. Monetha Reaves, Prof. Mike Akbari, Prof. Mohsen Shirani, Prof. Donna Thomas, Dr. Jeff Thompson, and Prof. Michael Turner. TSU Media Center Director Dr. Karen Gupton and AEAO administrative assistant Ms. Brenda Smith have also contributed their time and attention to my efforts. I would be remiss if I did not mention the moral support of my friends, including John Barcus, Ken Beck, Dr. John Blumer, Mark Brown, Gary Conn, Prof. Michael Darrell, Larry Drake, Alison Egan, Greg Greene, Arlena Hayden (“of fires drawn and of memories met”), Laurel Jenkins-Crowe (“My soul at least a solace hath/in dreams of thee”), John Lancaster, Derek Martin, Dr. Brooks Pearson, Vince Pinkerton, Rebecca Redd, Dr. Marcela Redigolo, Prof. Marian Warren, Dr. Geoffrey Weiss, and the contributors to the Fanexians and Alt-Fanexians web logs. Finally, a very special thanks goes to my family, especially my nephew, Joshua Vance, and my mother, Charlene Jones. It is to my mother that I dedicate this project, hoping that this small gesture will in some measure acknowledge her unswerving belief in my talents. Nothing can completely express my love and gratitude, but perhaps this nod is a good start. IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract for Much o f Madness, More o f Sin: Vincent Price, Gender, and the Poe Cycle, 1960-1972 by Jonathan Malcolm Lampley, M.A. Linda Badley, PhD, Major Professor; David Lavery, PhD, Second Reader For generations of moviegoers, the name Vincent Price (1911-1993) remains synonymous with horror and suspense. Between 1960 and 1972, Vincent Price appeared in a series of thirteen Edgar Allan Poe adaptations for American International Pictures (AIP). Various articles in both popular and academic journals offer intriguing interpretations of specific films, but thematic analysis of Vincent Price’s body of work is virtually non-existent.Much o f Madness, More o f Sin: Vincent Price, Gender, and the Poe Film Cycle, 1960-1972 posits that the Poe cycle’s depiction of women as villains, vixens, and objects of veneration, as well as Price’s onscreen persona as a “camp” icon, challenged traditional gender norms during the sexual revolution of the 1960s. This study, which is divided into ten chapters, explores the often ambivalent constructions of the cycle’s male and female characterizations. At the same time, it argues that the films are not always “campy” in the sense of exaggerated self-mockery that other critics have claimed. In fact, the cycle demonstrates a surprising degree of fealty to the source material, implying both a fidelity to the spirit of Poe’s output and an v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. acknowledgement of gender ambivalence in the writer’s fiction and poetry that makes the films effective vehicles of adaptation. Chapter I provides relevant biographical information on Price, Poe, and founding Poe cycle producer/director Roger Corman and discusses the theories of critics Judith Butler, Barbara Creed, and Harry M. Benshoff that inform the study. Chapters II through VII examine six Poe adaptations directed by Corman between 1960 and 1965, the films that influenced Price’s public persona long after the series abandoned any direct connection to Poe’s material and featured many examples of contradictory and even subversive gender performance. Chapter VIII analyzesThe Conqueror Worm (1968) and traces the influence of this acclaimed film and director Michael Reeves on the remaining entries in the series, helmed by Gordon Hessler. Of particular interest is how this film positions Price as a misogynistic Puritan witch hunter, foreshadowing the later feminist reading of the witch trial phenomenon as a mass repression of emerging female independence. Chapter IX discusses six productions that exist outside the established Corman and Reeves/Hessler “universes” but still feature Price, referencing the actor’s familiar persona while continuing to challenge traditional masculine and feminine roles. Chapter X concludes the study by enumerating thematic similarities, such as the lack of male offspring among Price’s characters in the series and the reoccurring motif of the ambiguously gendered protagonists (both male and female), that link the various films into an organic and interrelated whole, suggesting an overarching worldview derived as much from the iconography of Poe as from the details of his output. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Chapter Page I. “And Horror the Soul of the Plot”: Introduction 1 II. “A History of Savage Degradations”: House of Usher (1960) 26 III. “The Razor Edge of Destiny”: Pit and the Pendulum (1961) 37 IV. “Dedicated to Your Destruction”: Tales o f Terror (1962) 50 V. “Nevermore”: The Raven (1963) 68 VI. “The Beauties of Terror”: The Masque o f the Red Death (1964) 80 VII. “Nor Lie In Death Forever”: The Tomb ofLigeia (1965) 94 VIII. “The Tragedy, ‘Man’”: The Conqueror Worm (1968) and the Reeves Legacy 112 IX. A Hideous Throng: Miscellaneous Titles 143 X. A Play of Hopes and Fears: Conclusions 173 Works Cited 184 Filmography 191 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Chapter I “And Horror the Soul of the Plot”: Introduction For generations of moviegoers, the name Vincent Price (1911-1993) remains synonymous with horror and suspense. Indeed, his reputation as the screen’s greatest bogeyman remains unchallenged by any performer to emerge since the actor’s prime; only Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi might realistically challenge Price for the title of greatest horror film star of all time, at least in terms of public consciousness, respect, and affection. Whether he was cast as the tortured or torturing (or sometimes both) protagonist in adaptations of Poe or as the scarred avenger in such classics as House o f Wax (1953) and The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), Price’s mellifluous voice, powerful screen presence, and twinkling eyes (capable of conveying madness and humor in equal measure) thrilled audiences in his heyday and continue to fascinate fans years after his death and decades after his last significant horror performance. As Mark Clark points out, “Evil never looked so good.