04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd audience eitherthroughwords orimages. Thus, itisnowonderthat,amongCorman’s for hisB-seriesfilms.Poe andCormanshare thesamegoalofproducinganeffecton point isRoger Corman,anAmericancinemadirector andproducer, especiallywell-known have shapedPoe’s storiesproviding their own interpretations ofhisgothictales.Acasein memories everafter. Two hundredyears later, someofhisreadershavebecomecreators and R to Poe’s enormousabilitytocreate an has mainlybeenhailedforhisgothictales. The ever-lastingspellofhishorrorstoriesisdue considered thefatherofdetective ofscience-fiction,Poe fictionandoneoftheforerunners talesofeffect’: Poe’s«‘Those gothictalesthroughRoger Corman’s cinema». Despitebeing A tográficas, culturapopular. P inspiradas enloscuentosgóticosdePoe comoson de losrelatosPoe. Durante ladécadadelos60,Cormandirigiósietepelículasbasadaso de extrañarque,entre lasobrasmásdestacadasdeCorman,seencuentrensusadaptaciones efecto duraderoenlaaudienciaseaatravésdepalabrasoimágenes.Por consiguiente,noes de serieB,Roger Corman.Poe elmismoobjetivodeproducir un yCormancomparten Poe. Un ejemplodeelloeseldirector yproductorcinematográfico,conocidoporsuspelículas los relatos dePoe, proporcionandosuspropiasinterpretaciones delosrelatos góticosde encreadoresdoscientos años,algunosdesuslectoressehanconvertido yhandadoformaa Poe paracrear unefectosobresuslectores, lograndoasípermanecerensusrecuerdos. Tras duradero hechizoqueaúnproducensuscuentossedebealaenormehabilidadtenía ciencia-ficción, Poe siempre hasidoespecialmenteaclamadoporsusrelatos góticos.El A pesardeserconsideradoelpadre delgénerodetectivescoyunodelosprecursores dela de RogerCormanenlapopularizaciónlosrelatosPoe enelsiglo contribución proporcionaunavisiónpanorámicadelaimportante en elcine.Esteartículo lectores dePoe conocieronsusrelatosgóticosatravésdelasadaptacionesqueCormanhizo ehibridaciones,muchosdelos fieles alostextosoriginales,travésdejuegosintertextuales The Tomb ofLigeia (1962), ALABRAS BSTRACT ESUMEN The Pit andthePendulum

CLAVE : efecto, relatos góticos, intertextualidad, hibridación,adaptacionescinema- : efecto,relatos góticos,intertextualidad, (1964)y POE’S GOTHIC TALESPOE’S THROUGH 59 ROGER CORMAN’SCINEMA R «THOSE TALES OFEFFECT»: EVISTA The MasqueoftheRed Death Marta Miquel Baldellou

DE F (1962), Universidad deLleida ILOLOGÍA effect The Premature Burial , 28;enero 2010,pp. 59-75 onthereadersthatkeepsechoingintheir House ofUsher (1964).Pese anoserestrictamente (1962), 09/07/2010, 9:48 (1960), XX The Raven . Tales of Terror (1963),

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MARTA MIQUEL BALDELLOU 60 to excellence, theyachievetheeffectforwhichwere created effectivelyenough. Corman’s films,and particularly, hisadaptationsofPoe’s gothictales,didnotaspire thus indulginginapricelessfusionoftraditionand innovation. Even though films whichrangefrom moderatelyfaithfuladaptationstocreative reinventions, will alwaysberemembered foradapting Poe’s gothictalestothecinemathrough this respect, despitehisearlyincursionsinwestern andscience-fictionfilms,Corman Corman musthaveseenthecorrelation between effectandprofitinPoe’s tales.In thing, itseemsthatprofitiswhathasbeenallaboutforCorman.Asafilm-maker, films, evenmakingappearancesinsomeofthem.If forPoe, theeffectwasevery- known asKingoftheB’s, hehasproduced over 300filmsanddirected about50 maker earlythisyear, andpresently, heiswidelyacclaimedasacultdirector. Mostly Corman hasrecently beenawarded Oscarforhiscareer asafilm- anhonorary tion tothepopularisationofPoe’s talesinthe20 ations. It istheaimofthispapertoprovide ageneraloutlineofRogerCorman’s contribu- many ofPoe’s readers discovered Poe’s gothictalesbymeansofCorman’s cinematicadapt- gamesandhybridisation, not strictlyfaithfultotheoriginaltexts,throughintertextual The Tomb ofLigeia (1962), based, orrather, inspired byPoe’s gothictales,suchas markable creations. Duringthedecadeof1960s,Cormandirectedsevendifferent films most well-known masterpieces,thosebasedonthetalesofPoe’s outstandashismostre- K cantly entitled cribed tocinemadirector Roger Corman,whowrote anautobiographysignifi- mous effectover us,thusshowing thiseffectisultimatelywhatitallabout. tualisation ofhorrorwastimeless.Asamatterfact,histalesstillexert anenor- gothicnovels,century butthathorrorwasofthesoul,contendinghisown concep- tales. Poe declared thathorror wasnotofGermany, thusreferring toeighteenth- carefully soughttoproduceaspecialeffectonhisreaders, that istosay, Poe’s gothic ments onwhichhiscreativity depended,especiallywithregard tothosetaleswhich fect heaimedtoproduceinhisreaders.In thisrespect, Poe argued: «The Raven», Poe himselfclaimedallhistextualcreations revolved aroundtheef- tion», inwhichhedescribedthecreative processofhismostwell-known poem, EY W ORDS The Pit andthePendulum If thislastquoteisgenerallyattributed toPoe, itcould havealsobeenas- In Poe’s own words, originalityandtheeffecttoattainbecamefunda- (Poe: 550) generally) thesoulissusceptible,whatoneshallI,onpresent occasion,select?» the innumerableeffects,orimpressions, theintellect,or(more ofwhichtheheart, and soeasilyattainableasourceofinterest –Isaytomyself, inthefirstplace,«Of ways I prefer commencingwiththeconsiderationofan In hisinvaluableexegesis abouthispoetics,«ThePhilosophy ofComposi- : effect; gothic tales; intertextuality; cinematicadaptations;popularculture. : effect;gothictales;intertextuality; in view –forheisfalsetohimselfwhoventures inview todispensewithsoobvious How IMadeaHundred Movies inHollywood andNever LostaDime 60 (1964),and The Masque oftheRed Death (1962), The Premature Burial th century. House ofUsher (1964).Even thoughtheyare 09/07/2010, 9:48 effect (1962), . Keepingoriginality (1960), The Raven Tales of Terror (1963), al- . 04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd sic, EdgarAllanPoe. In thisrespect, asJancovich argues: Pictures attemptedsomethingsimilarasregards theirmostpopularAmericanclas- the time,inmuchmore decade ofthe1960s,AmericanInternational colourful eventually adaptsomeofPoe’s mostwell-known gothictalestothescreen: remarkable way. Nonetheless, atthatstagehecouldhavenever imaginedhewould readinghe started Poe young age,confessinghistalesimpressed atavery himina make hiscinematicadventure profitable.AsCormanadmitsinhisautobiography, vironment. CormanneededPoe toobtain thefavour ofthemasses,andultimately, toentraphiminasombreattracting thespectatorthroughhisart andgothicen- an effect,Corman’s conceptualisationofcinemawasbasedonprofit, particular tween Poe andCormanasaprovidential encounter. IfPoe’s poeticssoughttoachieve Blasina CantizanoorJavier Blasco have regarded therelationship establishedbe- and lackofrigorosity withregard toPoe’s originaltales,someothercriticslike $80,000 istosuggesttheabsurd» (2000:47). unconsciously creating artwhileonatwelve-dayshootingscheduleandbudgetof asStephenLikewise, Kingalready pointedout,«tosuggestthatRoger Cormanwas his willtoachievethemaximumatlowest spanoftime. costandintheshortest In thissense,Corman’s filmsshouldbeevaluatedthroughtheirrentability, through sics suchas decade ofthe1930s,HammerProductions hadbrought tothescreengothicclas- totheEnglish-in-originHammer,to betheAmericancounterpart sinceif, inthe can International Pictures, whichproducedmost ofCorman’s films,wasconsidered costumes, whichbecamealive infrontandbehindthecamera.Moreover, theAmeri- a paralleluniverseofactorsandactresses, scriptwritersandauthors,settings ually becomethedirectortoberemembered foradaptingPoe tothescreen, creating been basedorinspired byPoe’s talestodate.Nonetheless, Cormanwouldevent- on Poe inthecinema,Don G.Smith (1998)statesaround 80different filmshave featuring mythicalactorslikeBelaLugosi amongtheircast.In hisseminalvolume adapted forthescreen byEuropean directorssuchasJean Epstein Florey, andRobert thus blurringtheslightlinethatdividesCanonandpopularculture. in thecinemaindustry, whiledemonstratingPoe still belongedtotheculture ofmasses, Roger Corman’s cinema.In thisrespect,Cormanacquired unprecedented popularity fame couldstillreverberate medium, throughamore effectiveandcontemporary the time,andhecouldnolongerrecite«TheRaven» acrosstheUnited States, Poe’s ade ofthe1960s.Even thoughhistaleswere nolongerpublishedintheperiodicalsof Although somereviewers oftenscornCormanforhisdubiousfaithfulness Many ofPoe’s tales,aswellanattemptedbiography, hadalready been PoeLikewise, alsoneededCormantoresurrect his gothicfictioninthedec- of thosestoriestothescreen? (Corman1998:5) Christmas gift. thattwentyyearslaterIwouldbringahalf-dozenorso Who knew much Iaskedmyparents tobuythecompleteworksof Poe or forabirthday doubtedly madequiteanimpact.It wasaclassassignment,butIenjoyed itso well, includingEdgarAllanPoe’s «TheFall oftheHouse ofUsher», whichun- My studiesfocusedonsciencesandmath,butIread a great dealofliteratureas Dracula and 61 Frankenstein withtherecognisable expressionistic traitsof 09/07/2010, 9:48

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MARTA MIQUEL BALDELLOU 62 and particular toneperceived inthetales.Inand particular thissense, texts even theoriginalplot,maincharacters, though,onthewhole,theypreserve Matheson, someofthesefilmscanbeconsidered looseadaptationsofPoe’s unique punsattributedtoCormanandhisscriptwriter,well asseveral intertextual Richard differences betweenbothtypesoflanguageandtheirinherent characteristics,as visual language,canbeidentifiedandcategorisedaccordingly. Despitethe existing some oftheprocesses toaudio- oftransformationfromtexttoscreen, from literary ing totheirshared feelings.In thissense,asAdorno claimed: of offeringthepublicwhattheywanted,reaching theculture ofmasses,andappeal- and Nagasaki. Drawing onPoe’s aiminhispoetics,Cormanalsofollowed thepremise Corman’s metaphortoreflect aglobalandnationalsenseofguiltafterHiroshima inhabitants’ pastsins.In thisrespect, theformulaofclassichorrorbecomes gers tofindoutthattheevilultimatelyoriginatesintheirown houseasaresult ofits depict familysagas,ofnobleandaristocraticorigins,threatened byinvisibledan- result ofanescapistmotivation.However, Corman’s filmsbasedonPoe’s talesoften ofhorror,context, Cormandecidedtogobackthemostclassicsort evenifasa monstrous creatures whichthreatened todestroy humanityinretaliation. In this War andthedevastating nuclearbombings,plentyofscience-fictionfilmsportrayed ing placethroughouthistory. In thedecadeof1960s,afterSecond World horror genre, assumingitundergoestransformationsaccording tothechangestak- his theoretical volume taking intoconsiderationhisown nationalandculturalcontext.Stephen King,in in order toreach theculture hehadtoresort tosomethingelse, ofmasses,heknew only concernedaboutHammer’s lucrativesuccesswithregard tohorrorclassicsas, and charactersfromPoe’s originaltalestocreate anentirely newtextwhicheven ations ofPoe’s originaltexts. In someother cases,Cormanselectedspecificepisodes Ligeia or Taking intoconsiderationCorman’s sevenfilmsbasedonPoe’s gothictales, (Ashley1997:43). of calculation;anappendagethemachinery which itisdirected, themassesare notprimary, butsecondary, theyare anobject undeniably speculatesontheconsciousandunconsciousstateofmillionstowards low separatedforthousand ofyears.[...] art, Thus, althoughtheculture industry ers fromabove. To thedetrimentofbothitforcestogethersphereshighand according toaplan.[...] intentionallyintegratesitsconsum- The culture industry tent determinethenature ofthatconsumption,aremanufactured more orless products whichare tailoredforconsumptionbymasses,andwhichtoagreat ex- quality. fusestheoldandfamiliarintoanew The culture industry In allitsbranches Nonetheless, takingforgrantedCormanaspired torentability, hewasnot (2005: 4). melodramatic fantasy, andwere clearlymadeinresponse todevelopmentsoverseas were lavishcolourfilmsthatusedvisualexcesstocreate anightmarishworldof the literature ofEdgarAllanPoe. These filmswere madeonasmallbudget but Roger Cormanwasdirecting thefirstofacycle offilmsthatwere looselybasedon The MasqueoftheRed Death 62 Danse Macabre , delineatesthehistoricalevolutionof canbeconsidered asfairlyfaithfuladapt- 09/07/2010, 9:48 Tales of Terror , The Tombof 04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd t sarcasm toadaptPoe’s mostpopularpoemtothecinema.Bearinginmindallthese characters. In case,CormanandMatheson tosatire thisparticular resorted and a crow asapunishment,andthus,isabletoengageinconversation withtherest of whereby Poe’s ravenisactuallyawizard apprentice whohasbeentransformedinto Poe’s originalpoem,asthefilmlatertransformsintoasatiricandeccentric plot sic gothic stories. Likewise, Poe’ssic gothicstories.Likewise, sarcastictale, charactersandmotifscommonlyfoundinclas- incorporating amultiplicityofnew ofadulteries,fakeddeathsandrevenge beyondtales intoanintricatestory death, can beperceived infilmssuchas companionship andcomplicity, theyfeltenabledtoparody theirown creations as adapting Poe’s talestothescreen onseveralprevious occasions.Asaresult ofthis team hadacquired thehabitofworkingtogether, havingshared theexperienceof Finally, towards theendofhisseriesfilmsbasedonPoe’s tales,Cormanandhis effect ofPoe’s texts,regardless oftheplot,characters,andtoneinoriginalstory. The Premature Burial wife’s plottodrivehimmad. perfidious Thus, ofamanobsessedwithprematurefilm intoananguishingstory burialsandhis narrator unfoldshisdream aboutbeingburiedalive,istransformedinCorman’s in Corman’s ters, andeven,acompletelydifferent tonefrom Poe’s originaltext.In thisrespect, tended toproduceinhistales,thuscreating anentirely newstory, charac- withnew tor, whomustdefyRoderick’s disapproval toelopeandgetmarried. tures intoagothiclove betweenMadeleine story andPhilip, Poe’s unnamednarra- plot andcharactersofPoe’s taleunderthesametitletotransformthesebasicfea- nated hybridisation.Asacaseinpoint,Corman’s toothergenresincludes featurespertaining through aprocessthatcanbedenomi- and Poe was cinematic adaptationsofPoe’s gothictales. hybridisation, translationoftheeffectorclimax,andultimately, satire inallhis of Corman’s filmsbasedonPoe’s tales. Matheson who,inadditiontoCharlesBeaumont, wouldwritemanyofthescripts Corman andhisfetishistactor, Vincent Price, aswell ashisscriptwriterRichard engender, sincetheirancestors,bothinEnglandandtheUnited States, acquired tries towarnPhilipaboutthedangerthatpropagation of theirfamilymay toaskPhilip totakeoffhisshoesonceinthehouse.Roderickwhich urgestheservant Played by Vincent Price, Roderick suffersfromaterribleacutenessofthesenses theless, Philip’s advancesare rejected byMadeleine’s authoritarianbrother, Roderick. Philip reaches theHouse her. withthe aim totakeMadeleine backandmarry None- House ofUsher. EngagedtoMadeleine whentheywere bothlivinginBoston, incursion, ahandsomeyoung man,Philip Winthrop, arrivesatthemelancholic show themandpopulariseinthecinema.During thefirstscenesofthis first ofaseriessevenfilmswhichwouldadaptandtransformPoe’s gothictalesto ransformative processes,Cormanuseddifferent methodologiessuchasad On otheroccasions,Cormanmerely adaptedtheclimaxoreffectPoe in- The first film which inaugurated the fortunate encounter betweenCorman The firstfilmwhichinauguratedthefortunate The Pit andthePendulum House ofUsher , illustrateCorman’s processestotranslatetheclimaxand 63 , whichalsoimpliedthefirstcollaborationbetween The Raven , Matheson transformedoneofPoe’s shortest House ofUsher , inwhichonlythefirstscenesresemble The Pit andthePendulum The Premature Burial House ofUsher setaprecedent andwasthe 09/07/2010, 9:48 presentsthemain , inwhicha , aswell aptation,

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MARTA MIQUEL BALDELLOU 64 ellipsis andpowers ofsuggestion. Allinall,2005,theUnited States National the filmwidelyignoresauthor’s style,asthefilmpaysnoattentiontoPoe’s usual present afaithfuladaptationofPoe’s classictale,eventhough, according to Archer, Eugene ArcherpointedattheAmericanInternational Pictures’ goodintentionsto equating Roderick’s appearancewith thatofPrice. brilliantly, tothepointitbecomes nearlyimpossibletoread Poe’s taleagainwithout ofthevillaininCorman’splayed thepart films,playstheroleofRoderick Usher of Corman’s filmsbasedonPoe’s gothictales.Moreover, Vincent Price, whooften create anightmarishatmosphere,willbeintermittinglyrepeated throughtheseries through agreat fire,thepictorialmixture ofarabesquemotifsorthegreyish shotsto together withrecurrent scenessuchasthefinaldilapidationof the manorhouse ous forests, whilethevillainwaitsinhismansiontochallengehero. This plot, advances throughalabyrinthine path,surrounded bymistylandscapesandhazard- coming films:aprotagonist,whoarrivesatanancientmansiontosolvemystery, including anarratologicformulawhichwouldberepeated inmany ofhisforth- malady thataffectshissenses.CormantransformedPoe’s taleintoagothicromance, after receiving Roderick’s letter whereby heinformshisboyhood friendaboutthe film, Philip impersonatesPoe’s unnamednarratorwhoarrives attheHouse ofUsher tale, despiteitsremarkable differences incomparisonwithPoe’s originaltext. This closure seemstorefer toCorman’s necessitytojustifyhisfilmisbasedonPoe’s sullenly andsilentlyover thefragmentsof«HOUSEOFUSHER»» (Poe: 268). of Poe’s taleimprintedonthescreen: «Andthedeepandtanktarnatmyfeetclosed the tarn.Allinall,Philip managestoescapeandthefilmendswithlastsentence fire andfallsdown toitsgroundsbeultimatelyswallowed by thedeepwatersof revenge andpunishRoderick. While brother andsisterfight,theHouse isseton tainted withbloodandherinfuriatedgaze,Madeleine risesfromhergravetoseek haviour soastoavoidthepropagation ofevil.Nonetheless, withherwhiterobes of theHouse. Roderick, aware ofMadeleine’s cataleptic condition,justifieshisbe- insane Madeleine thatdeambulatesthroughtheintricatepassagesandsecret trapdoors this momentonwards, Philipundergoesanightmarishquesttofindanenragedand torelease her.scend tothecrypt However, hefindsouthercoffinisempty. From It isthusPhiliprealises Madeleine mayhavebeenburiedaliveanddecidestode- his fiancée’s Bristol, decease,aservant, suggestsMadeleine sufferedfromcatalepsy. withoutdelay.ishes, sothatRoderick decidestotakeherthefamilycrypt moments before toBoston,Madeleine theirdeparture faints,andultimatelyper- theHouse. influenceaswelltheevilatmospherethatpervades Someperfidious he firmlybelieves Madeleine’s paleandtediouscomplexionisduetoRoderick’s Despite Madeleine’s warning,PhilipinsistsontakingherawayfromtheHouse, as coffin, andrepeating all herfamilyare waitingforhertojointherest ofUshers. showing himherownattempts toconvinceherfiancée,takinghimthecrypt, the Ushers’ curseonherbrotherandherself, thelastremnants oftheirrace,vainly fame fortheirmeanness,depravation, andcruelty. Moreover, Madeleine, aware of In a contemporary reviewIn ofthefilmpublishedin acontemporary Corman’s licenseswithregard toPoe’s seminaltaleare significant.In the Next morning,whenPhilipmakesarrangementstogoback Boston after 64 09/07/2010, 9:48 The New York Times , 04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd burial totheextenthebelieves hisown wifeElizabeth mayhave alsobeenburiedalive. alive. From thatterribleday, Nicholas hasbeenobsessedwiththeideaofapremature mother, Isabella, todeath,butSebastian wasnottortured buriedherwhileshewasstill were tortured byhisown father. AfterCatherine’s narrative, Dr.Leon addsthather bidden himtoentertheplace.Asaresult, hewitnessedhow hismotheranduncle Nicholas wasaccidentallyplayinginthetorture chamberalthoughhisfatherhad for- themtodeath.Little chamber ofthecastleandpunishthemfortheirsin,torturing terous relationship. Consequently, Sebastian determinedtotakethemthetorture quisitor, discovered hiswifeIsabella andhisbrotherBartholomew maintainedanadul- trauma hesuffered ininfancy. Nicholas’ father, Sebastian Medina, awell-known in- less, Catherine,Nicholas’ sister, reveals Nicholas’ senseof guilt isduetoaterrible The doctor’s confessionnourishesFrancis’ suspicionsasregards Nicholas. Nonethe- ure afterwitnessinganimpressive scene,sothatheclaimssheliterallydiedfrom fright. As aresult ofFrancis’ questioning,thedoctorconfessesElizabeth fail- diedofaheart night Francis spendsatthecastle,hemeetsNicholas’ sister, Catherine,andDr.Leon. stay inthecastlesoastodiscover theintricaciesofhissister’s first death.On thevery as aresult ofablooddisease.Due toNicholas’s strange behaviour, Francis resolves to wife’s death,mentioningthat,according tothefamilydoctor, hiswifeElizabeth died Despite Francis’ persistence,Nicholas Medina gives amerely overall accountofhis his brother-in-law’s castletoinquire abouthissister’s suddenandunexpecteddeath. the openingsceneinpreviousfilm,Francis Barnard, playedbyJohn Kerr, arrivesat played byNicholas’s father’s medievaltorture chamberinthefilm.Not entirely unlike the characters’ evocative Shakespearean costumesaswelltounderlinethevitalrole (113). Cormanprobably decidedtosettheactioninMiddle Agessoastoinclude Smith claims,thehorrors oftheSpanish Inquisition liedonlyagenerationinthepast 1808, theevents inRoger Corman’s filmtakeplaceintheyear 1546when,asDon is setatthetimeGeneral LasalleandtheFrench armyinvaded thecityof Toledo in which aprisoneriscondemnedandtortured bytheHoly Inquisition tobefinally script consistsofafree adaptationofPoe’s tale«ThePit andthePendulum» in with abudgetofaboutonemilliondollars.Onthisoccasion,Richard Matheson’s Films of Vincent Price muerte title of sameyear underthe precedent, thesecondfilmofserieswasannouncedvery to create aseriesoffilmsbasedonPoe’s tales.Nonetheless, aftersuchassuccessful fairly surprisedbythesuccessof cally, andaestheticallysignificant. Film deemedCorman’s Registry firstadaptationofPoe’s talesasculturally, histori- released through providential endeavours.Even thoughPoe’s talepresents an elaborate acompletestory. Corman confessedhavingusedoneofPoe’s talesasaninspiringclimaxto shortest chamber.why theprotagonistfindshimselfentrappedinatorture In thisrespect, unity oftimeandspace,Matheson believed thereasons thatthefilmshouldportray inSpain. According toLucyChase Willliams inherbook The Pit andthePendulum American International Pictures, aswell asCormanandMatheson, were The Pit andthePendulum , theshootingwassupposedtobecompletedinafortnight 65 House ofUsher issetin16 , whichwouldbelaterknown as th -century Spain.-century Even thoughPoe’s tale . Atthatstage,theyhadnointention 09/07/2010, 9:48 El péndulodela The Complete exquisite

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MARTA MIQUEL BALDELLOU 66 Stephen Kinginhisvolume «The Oval Portrait», asElisabeth’s portraitpresides herchamber. According to linkswithregardalso alludestoseveralintertextual tosomeotherPoe’s tales,like Matheson’splex plotswhichultimatelymesmerisetheaudience.Likewise, script The filmextensivelyindulgesingloomyatmospheres aswellintricateandcom- gift forcreating newstoriesasaresult oftakingPoe’s taleasapointofdeparture. the profanationofElizabeth’s coffininCorman’s film: thing-counts» formulasoastofrightenthespectator. Asheadmits whendescribing pose clearlyshowing acuteterroranddespairwouldseta precedent for«the-every- 1960s. From King’s perspective, thevisualisationofElizabeth’s allegedcorpseina opinion, wouldchangethewaytoconceivehorrorcinemaindecadeof highlighted forexhibitingoneofthemostbloodcurdling scenes ever which,inhis events suchashearingthesharplymusicalnotesofaclavicordium, whenonlyElizabeth During thefollowing days,Francis, Nicholas, CatherineandDr.Leon witnessstrange hands, whichreveals Elizabeth, asNicholas hadanticipated,wasburiedalive. opened, theyallwitnessthecorpse’s terrifiedface,heropenmouthandraised open hiswife’s coffintoensure Elizabeth wasnotburiedalive.Oncehercoffinis with thatofherwidower. Nonetheless, Dr.Leon asksNicholas tofacehisterrors and when hediscovers atrapdoorgives waytoapassageconnectingElizabeth’s chamber ber waskeylocked.Francis believestheseare allNicholas’ machinations,especially ofElizabeth’scould playit,inadditiontotheviledestruction whenhercham- portrait close-up shotofElizabeth’s agonyondiscovering shewillbeburiedalive. apparatus. she isstillimprisonedinoneofthetorture The filmendswithafrightful will entertheroom ever after, unaware ofthefactElizabeth aliveandthat istruly Before CatherineandFrancis chamber, abandonthetorture shepromisesnobody thermore, asaresult oftheirfighting,Nicholas alsofallsintothepitanddies. chamberandreleasetorture Francis from thesharpbladeofpendulum.Fur- in thependulum.Eventually, managestoenterthe Catherine,aidedby aservant, Nicholas’ beatings,Francis losesconsciousnessandawakestofindhimselfentrapped chamberwhere Nicholastorture mistakesFrancis forBartholomew. Asaresult of dentally fallsintoapit.Moreover, Francis, whoislooking forNicholas, entersthe infancy. Nicholas imprisonsElizabeth inatorture apparatus,whileDr.Leon acci- themfortheirsin,enactingagaintheterrible sceneshewitnessedin plans totorture hismotherIsabellaare respectively, truly andhisuncleBartholomew so thathe he ishisown father, Sebastian Medina, takingforgrantedElizabeth andDr.Leon family doctor. Asaresult ofthisrealisation,Nicholas becomesinsaneandbelieves to drivehimmadandconsummateherpassionateadulterousrelation withthe beth inDr.Leon’s arms.Nicholas thusdiscovers Elizabeth hadfakedherown death byterror,from hergrave.Overwhelmed Nicholas faintsandawakestofindEliza- follow where hercorpsestillliessoastowitnesshow hertothecrypt Elizabeth rises and shovel. They discover thatthelady, hislatewife,hasindeedbeenburied alive; Vincent Price break intoatombthroughitsbrickwork,usingpick andhiscohorts Corman’s On thefollowing night,Nicholas hearshislatewife’s voice,urginghimto 66 The PitandthePendulum Danse Macabre isamagnificentexampleofMatheson’s , The Pit andthePendulum 09/07/2010, 9:48 mustbe 04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd audience witnesshow sherisesfrom hergrave. shown inthebriefscenewhichElizabeth untilthe attractsNicholas tothecrypt Moreover, oncethefilmwasreleased,manyreviewspointedathecticrhythm Some criticsidentifiedPrice’s tendencytooveract asalegacyofhistheatricalpast. betrays Price’s refined accent,grandiloquentmanner, andhistrionicperformance. withDejanOgnjanovic,interview workingwithPrice wasremarkably easy: always beremembered ofroleinhiscareer. forthissort According toCorman,inan ofthevillain,eventhoughthisinvolveddence andidentifywiththepart hewould Price. It wasprecisely atthisstageCorman’s fetishistactorbegantoacquire confi- related tothehorror genre suchasEdgarAllanPoe, Roger Cormanand Vincent horror genre, butitalso consolidatedtheencounterofthree figures extraordinary mere bunchofflowers token,renders Guy resembling inastateof amortuary place, thecoupleseemstolivehappily, even thoughanyreference to death,likea herdespitehissisterKate’smarry reluctance. Eventually, oncetheweddingtakes arrivesatGuy’sgirlfriend, playedbyHazelCourt, toconvincehim housetotry From thatinitialscene,Guy’s obsessionliesinbeingburiedalive.Emily, hisformer of hisfather’s hewasburied aliveafterfallingintoacataleptictrance. grave tocertify nificent sceneinwhichGuy Carrell, played byRayMilland, witnessestheprofanation ten by CharlesBeaumontandRayRussell, ous attitudeisnotreflectedonCorman’s versionofthetale. Through ascriptwrit- terrifying situationanddiscover hehadbeendreaming. Poe’s sarcasticandhumor- experiences ofanumberpeoplewhowere buriedalivetofindhimselfinthesame In Poe’s counterpart. plot northetoneofitsliterary the tale,anarratorportrays The Premature Burial The Pit andthePendulum ture Burial». If La Obsesión which Vincent Price of thecast,wasreleasedinSpain wasnotpart underthetitle plot wascompactandlogical. Corman hadachievedanuncannyatmosphere ofhorror, andMatheson’s creative After thepremiere, Howard Thompson, from blockbuster, anditwasalsograntedbetterreviews thanCorman’s previous film. audience...and awillingnesstouseanymeansathanddoit(King:160-1). toterrifythe in thepost-1960horrorfilm,signallingareturn toanall-outeffort Following moment theHammerfilms,thisbecomes,Ithink,mostimportant terror, herbulgingeyes, herclawlikefingers,theskinstretchedtightandgray. for justamomentthecamerashows face,frozeninarictusof ushertortured Nicholas’ exhibitingtracesofmadness,sufferingandsarcasm,already part, immediately. It wasoneofthebestcollaborationsI’ve everhad(2008:1). give himabriefideaofwhatIwantedwiththecharacter, andheunderstood Vincent Price wasagreat gentleman and ajoy toworkwith.AllIhaddowas Nonetheless, notonlydid The third ofCorman’s filmsbasedonPoe’s tales,aswelltheonlyonein , eventhoughitsoriginaltitlemadereference toPoe’s tale«ThePrema- House ofUsher canalsobedeemedasarecreation which reflects neitherthe 67 merely soughttorecreate theatmosphere inPoe’s text, impliedafreeadaptationofPoe’s originaltale,and The Pit andthePendulum The Premature Burial The New York Times The Pit andthePendulum implyachangeinthe 09/07/2010, 9:48 openswithamag- , pointedout wasa

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MARTA MIQUEL BALDELLOU 68 to find him drunk andindespair sincehiswife’sto findhimdrunk death.LockeaccusesLenoraof lighted foritsfaithfulnessinrelation totheoriginaltext. gard tothenamesofsomemaincharacters, Case ofM. Valdemar». changes,especiallywithre- Despiteintroducing important is dividedintothree films,«Morella», short «The Black Cat»and«TheFacts inthe Terror figures suchasPeter Lorre andBasil Rathbone,toshootanewfilmentitled Richard Matheson andhisfavouriteactor Vincent Price, togetherwithoutstanding only fourmonthsafter tic fatewhichhauntsMilland inCorman’s film. and sarcasticnarratorofPoe’s taleostensiblydiffersfromthetragicanddeterminis- mented RayMilland ofGuy playingthepart Carrell. Moreover, theblack-humoured Price’s whichsharplycontrastedwithamilder, histrionicperformances evenif, tor- burial aswell astheadulterouswife’s Machiavellian plot,criticsmissed Vincent Guy’s life.Even ifCorman’s filmenclosesboththerecurrent topicofapremature been missingpreviously, thusconfirmingshe istherealvillainwhoplottedagainst ally, thathad itisunveiledEmily iswearing inhernecklacethekeyofcrypt ment, whereasGuy isalsokilledby hissisterKatesoastosave Miles’ life.Eventu- Miles instead. The filmendswithEmily’s deathasGuy buriesheralive asapunish- him madsoastoprovoke hiscatalepticattackandthus getridofhimandmarry own housetobecomeawareofEmily’s himanddrive intentiontomarry perfidious does nothesitatetokillthem. Thirsty forrevenge, Guy makeshisappearancein coffin, theydiscover Guy isnotonlyalivebutheamadandenragedmanwho so astouseitthebenefitofscience. openthe When thehorrified undertakers in Miles, whileherfather, whoisalsoadoctor, Guy’s determinestounearth corpse while welistentohisscreaming voiceclaimingheisalive. trance. Asspectators,wewitnessGuy’s funeralasheremains inert,apparently dead, opens thetomb, acorpsefallsontohimand,asresult, Guy fallsintoacataleptic have beenpreparingallthesetrampstopunishhimselfforhisguilt.OnceGuy ismissingandhesuspects, evenifunconsciously,which leadstothecrypt hemight make sure hewasnotburiedalive.However, Guy discovers thekeyofgate Advised byMiles, Guy finallydecidestoprofanatehisfather’s againsoasto crypt his dogwhenhethoughtitwasdead,increase Guy’s terror aboutapremature burial. events suchasthecat’s accidentalenclosure behindawallorGuy’s intentiontobury take hiswifeto Venice fortheirhoneymoon.Before theirdeparture, sometragic own wife’s reiteratedpromises,Guy decidestodestroy thepantheon,andinstead, would stillmanagetoescapeeasilyfrom hiscoffin. to buildapantheonwithnumberoffacilitiesensure, washeburiedalive, suffers apanicattack. With aviewtoappeasehiscontinuoussuffering,Guy decides waswhistlingthedaytheyprofanatedone oftheundertakers hisfather’s tomb, Guy profound terror. whenEmilyaccidentallyplaysatthepianomelody Likewise, . filmbasedonPoe’sThis fourth gothictalesshows anunusual structure asit In «Morella», Lenoraarrivesathisoldfather’s houseafteralongtimeabroad It isatthisstageCormanfindshimselfthepeakofhiscreative processas, tosethimselffree,showingWhile Guy Emilystarts someinterest struggles However, following theadviceofhisdoctorandfriendMiles aswellhis 68 The Premature Burial wasreleased,hejoinedhisscriptwriter Tales of Terror 09/07/2010, 9:48 shouldbehigh- Tales of 04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd and playwithhisheadasifitwasaball.Moreover, theclose-upshotof Valdemar’s Montresor’s nightmare inwhichhedreams hislatewifeandFortunato beheadhim highly acclaimed, previous settingsandfootagetakenfrom rescued by Valdemar’s physician. As aresultofthisterrifyingexperience,Carmichaeldies offright,whileHelen is Carmichael whilehisbodydecomposes,thusproving hehasbeendeadformonths. menaces Helen togiveinhiswishes, Valdemar risesfrom hisbedandattacks some monthsuntil Valdemar’s him. wife,Helen,While Carmichael acceptstomarry one ofhistrances, Valdemar dieseventhoughCarmichaelrefuses torelease himfor hypnotist, Carmichael,toalleviatehispainthrough mesmerism.In themidstof result ofapainfuldisease, Valdemar, played by Vincent Price, employs afamous of themissingcouple. After hearingthecat’s meow, thepolicemenknockdown thewalltofindcorpses black cat,whichwasalsoaccidentallyinterred togetherwithFortunato andAnnabelle. happens inPoe’s tale«The Tell-Tale Heart». Montresor’s knocksfinallywakeupthe which tormenthimoutofhisguilt,whilethepolicemencannothearanything,as cellar toshow itssolidity. Meanwhile, hehearsthedeafeningvoicesofcouple Montresor feelsself-confidentandproud ofhisdeedandsohehitsthewall corpse. Some timelater, twopolicemenarriveatMontresor’s house toinvestigate. awakes tofindhimselftrappedandaboutbewalledupalivenextAnnabelle’s Amontillado, whichhehaspoisonedpreviously. Still lyingdormant,Fortunato With totakerevenge, aview Montresor invitesFortunato totastehisrenowned become intimateuntilMontresor becomesaware oftheiradulterousrelationship. Montresor backhomeandmeetshiswife.Eventually, Fortunato andAnnabelle wine taster, Fortunato Luchresi, played by Vincent Price, theinebriated whoescorts a blackcat.During thecourseofawine-tastingevent, Montresor meetsaforemost able drunkard whoscornshisdevoted wifeAnnabelleandlaughsatheraffectionfor Tell-Tale Heart». In «TheBlack Cat»,Montresor, played byPeter Lorre, isamiser- Poe’s taleunderthesametitleandthoseof«TheCaskAmontillado» tually destroying allthemembersoffamilyashousefallstoground. fight betweenLockeandherback-to-lifewife,Morella, setsthehouseonfire, even- corpse whichdecomposesonthebedwhere Morella’s corpsewaspreserved. The has takenpossessionofherdaughter’s bodytobecomealive, whileitisLenora’s might bestillalive.However, whenLockeapproachesherbody, herealises Morella Once Lockehascovered hisdaughter’s face,herealises herbodyismoving andshe Nonetheless, Morella goesbacktolifetakerevenge andkillherown daughter. result oftheirshared suffering,LockeandLenoraeventuallygetongoodterms. closeathand.Asa she suffersfrom alethalmaladyandthatherendisalsovery her youngandbeautifulbody. OnceLenoradiscovers herfather’s secret, shereveals hermother’sAt night,Lenorafindsherfatherhaspreserved corpse,unabletobury causing thedeathofherown mother, Morella, toher. asthelatterdiedgivingbirth Finally, in«TheFacts intheCaseofM. Valdemar», sufferingacutelyasa In «TheBlack thenextshort-film, Cat»,Cormanjoinsboththeplotof Corman admittedhavingshotthesethree short-filmsinthree weeks, reusing Tales of Terror 69 portrays memorable scenes.Asacaseinpoint,there portrays is House ofUsher . Even thoughthefilmwasnot 09/07/2010, 9:48

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MARTA MIQUEL BALDELLOU 70 tion to the satiric short-film tion tothesatiricshort-film «The Black to Cat»,pertaining Boris Karloff, whoconversely usedtomemoriseallhisdialoguescarefully. In addi- which ledhimtoimprovise hislinescontinuously, enragedthemethodicalactor Karloff andPeter Lorre. According toCorman,Lorre’s interpretative technique, noticing theinterpretative duelbetweentwoprominentactorsofthegenre, Boris Poe’s adventure tale«A Tale oftheRaggedMountains». Moreover, itisalsoworth name inthefilm,Dr.Bedloe, whichclearlyrefers tothemaincharacter’s namein Karloff. Moreover, Matheson punasregards includedanintertextual Peter Lorre’s hard nearby alivingsnakeduringhismagicduel withBoris timewhileperforming and whichhasoftenbeenunfairlydisregarded: Price highlightedtheacutesatirictonewhichcanbeidentifiedinmostofPoe’s tales Poe’s poem.Nonetheless, someyearsbefore hedied, inarecentVincent interview unfaithful version,asonlytheinitialsceneoffilmbears someresemblance with Raven would admitthemixture seconds. wassohothecouldonlystanditforafew and make-uppaintwasheatedthenpoured over Price’s head.Lateron,Price impression of Valdemar’s facemeltingaway, amixture ofglue,glycerine, cornstarch decomposing faceasheattacksCarmichaelisalsoimpressive. In order togive the from Poe’s poem«quoththeraven,nevermore». Bedloe, stillunderScarabus’ spell,shutshisbeakandrecites thewell-known lines pretends shewasunderScarabus’ spell. In aburlesquefinalscene,Craven approaches theless, Craven managestodefeatScarabusinthemagicduel,andasaresult, Lenore she fakedherown deathtomove awayandlive withtheambitiousScarabus.None- Craven toamagicduel.Atthecastle,Craven isvisitedbyhiswifeLenore whoreveals castle. Ontheirarrival, ScarabustransformsBedloeintoaravenagainandchallenges Craven andhisdaughterEstelle,togetherwithBedlo andhissonRexford setforthe revenge, asCraven believes Scarabushastakenpossessionofhislatewife’s spirit. Thus, he hasseenhiswifeinScarabus’ castle.Craven thusaccompaniesBedlosoastoseek reluctance, hefinallyacceptswhen BedloseesLenore’ andletsCraven know portrait magician, Bedlo begshimtohelpbecomeapersonagain.DespiteCraven’s initial transformed himintoaraven. Well-aware ofthefactCraven usedtobearenowned Lorre. Bedlounveils thetalented,butevil,wizard Scarabus,playedby BorisKarloff, awizard apprenticeing, confessingheistruly namedDr. Bedlo,playedby Peter Pallas. Corman’s version isfaithfultoPoe’s speak- originalpoemuntiltheravenstarts is araventhat,onopeningthewindow, fliesintotheroomtolandonbustof see him.In clearresemblancewithPoe’s poem,Craven eventuallydiscovers hisvisitor is ponderinginhisstudy, hehearsaknockandimmediatelythinksvisitorwishesto perpetually mournsthewifeofhisyoungandbeautifulLenore.Onenight,ashe In latter beingtheyoung sonofonetheAmericanInternational Pictures’ managers. his fetishistactors Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, BorisKarloff, andJack Nicholson, the into acomedyofhorrortojoin,onceagain,hisscriptwriterRichard Matheson and The Raven The Raven isarguablythemostburlesqueofCorman’s adaptations,aswellhismost With regard totheshootingof In 1963,Cormanreleasedhismosteccentricfilmwithregard toPoe entitled . Corman’s adaptationofPoe’s particular poem«TheRaven» transformedit , Price playstheroleofDr.Erasmus Craven,ahopelesswidower who 70 The Raven , Price admittedhavinghada 09/07/2010, 9:48 Tales of Terror , The 04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd abbey tobandageherankle.Rowena feelsattractedtowards themysterious Cristopher recognises hisoldfriend Verden, andheinsistsontakingRowena tohis when, significantly, herhorseseesablackcatandgetsfrightened.By chance, abbey withherfriendCristopher. Rowena findsLigeia’s grave andsuffersanaccident time, her deathisengraved followed bytheepitaph«norlieindeathforever». In due his latewife’s aswellher age.OnLigeia’s dateofbirth gravestone,onlythedateof herinholygroundasshehadnotbeenbaptised. Verdento bury admitsheignores the initialsceneoffilm, Verden attendsLigeia’s funeral,whilethepriestrejects needs towearsomedark spectacleswhichendow himwithagloomyappearance.In tormented andisolatedlifeafterhiswife’s death.He isalsosight-impaired and On thisoccasion,Price playstheroleof Verden, aneccentricwidower, wholeadsa verisimilitude incomparisonwiththeintricateplotsofCorman’s previous films. cept forPrice himself, tales andpoems.Set andshotinEngland,withapredominantly Englishcast, ex- ered asCorman’s bestandmostfaithfuladaptationofallhisseriesbasedonPoe’s Ligeia ations ofPoe’s gothictales, where Verden andRowena spendtheirhoneymoon. well asthefilm’s outstandingEnglish setting,withseveralshotsofStonehenge, On thisoccasion,manyreviews complimentedCorman’s gothicatmosphere, as the abbeyissetonfireandfallsdown over bodiesofLigeiaand theinert Verden. taking herforhisfirstwife.Finally, Cristopher saves Rowena while,onemore time, Ligeia soastorelease Verden fromherspell.However, Verden attacksRowena mis- with Poe’s tale«TheFacts intheCaseofM.Valdemar». Rowena pretends tobe dying, Ligeiahypnotised Verden tosubmithimherwill,inclearresemblance Ligeia’s corpseandindulginginaseriesofnecrophilic intercoursessince,before revealed Verden spendsmostofhisnightsinaseparatechamber, lyingnextto ahypnosissession,Ligeiatakespossessionofherspirit.Eventually,undertakes itis date ofLigeia’s deathmysteriouslydisappearsfromhergrave and,whileRowena she noticesanevilpresenceanddoubtswhether Verden’s dead. firstwifeistruly The and theyfinallyagree tomarry. When Rowena livesin theabbeyas Verden’s wife, most faithfuladaptations. Written byCharles Beaumont and Wright Campbell,the even psychedelic aesthetics,ithasoftenbeenacknowledged asoneofCorman’s Verden meetsLadyRowena Tremanion, whopassesonhorsebackby Verden’s and In the very sameyear,In thevery Cormandirected thelastofhisseriesfilmadapt- of Poe’s character(Plath2007:4) be addedtoPoe. IfIamgoingtodoaPoe picture,Imustaddthatessentialtwist also haveacomictwistattheendwhichisalleviating.Andthis,Idecided,should actually manymore thanstraightGothictales–thatinvolvehorror, butwhich Sphinx» funnything,andthere are endsupavery agreatmanyofPoe’s poems– Poe’s workissatiric.It isNOT horror. It isnotthriller. Onethatiscalled«The mind I’d beentoldatsometime,butIreally didn’t realise:thatabout70percentof Edgar AllanPoe, andIfoundoutsomethingwhichsupposeinthebackofmy When theydecidedtousemeforaseriesofPoe pictures, Isatdown andIread In 1964,twootherfilmsinspired byPoe’s talescametolight, The Masque oftheRed Death 71 The Tomb ofLigeia The Masque oftheRed Death . The Tomb ofLigeia shouldbehighlightedforitsrealismand . Despiteitstheatricaland hasoftenbeenconsid- 09/07/2010, 9:48 The Tombof widower,

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MARTA MIQUEL BALDELLOU 72 deconstructing andparodyinghisown role. Well-aware ofPrice’s charisma,other grandiloquent andoveracted totheextentheplayed hisown character, thus work withCormanrepeatedly toadaptPoe’s tales,Price’s performancebecamemore imprint Poe’s grotesquequalityonallofthe charactersheplayed.Asbeganto allthrough histales sothat,asanactor,tone whichpervades Price felttheneedto Poe young age andimmediatelynoticedaclearlymanifestedhumorous atavery some yearsbefore hedied,Price admittedthat,aswell asCorman,heencountered ofthetormentedvillain.Inhim tobeidentifiedwiththepart arecentinterview roles asRoderick Usher, Nicholas Medina, Fortunato, Valdemar andProspero led the genre, amongwhom, Vincent Price arguablybecamethemostwell-known. His settings, recurrent scenes,reused footage,andespecially, agroup ofveteran actorsof audience inhisfilmadaptationsthrough intricateplots,unfaithfuladaptations, gothic film clearlyresembles Ingmar Bergman’s cyclical structure toCorman’s film.Moreover, theRed Death’s appearance inthe presence oftheRedpervasive Deathatthebeginningandend,whichconfersa roomsof the castle,whichechodifferentstagesoflife,and the colourful such astheclock’s chimes inProspero’s castle,whichhighlightthepassageoftime, andsymbolicreferencesas wellitincludesmanyimportant toPoe’s originaltale, Corman’s adaptationexhibitsametaphoricdiscourseanddream-like atmosphere, tempts toescape,theRed Deathexerts itspower todevastateProspero’s kingdom. and beholdshisown face,itmeanshissouliscondemned.Despitevainat- moves hismask. The red guestclaimsthat,ifsomebodylooksatDeathontheface guest forthedevil,Prospero approaches himand beholdshisown faceashere- in thedancingroom,Prospero noticesoneoftheguestsisallinred. Mistaking his Frog», takesrevenge inwhichadwarf afterhismaster’s abuse.On anotheroccasion, guests witnessthescene. This episodeissignificantlyreminiscent ofPoe’s tale«Hop- one oftheballsinProspero’s andayounggirldancewhilethe castle,amaledwarf free. inmasqueradesandfeastswheretake part depravityandimmoralityrun At discipleofthedevil,ProsperoAs afervent encourageshisnoblemenandladiesto nobility ofthevillageanditssurroundingsinhiscastlesoastoavoidredfever. woman dyingofthered fever. Consequently, Prospero decidestogatherallthe kidnaps andtakestohiscastle.Before leavingthevillage,Prospero witnessesanold visits thevillageandsetseyesononeyoungChristiangirl,Francesca, whomhe Prospero’s authoritarianfeudalpower. Played by Vincent Prince oncemore, Prospero film issetinamedieval European villagewhoseinhabitantsaresubjectedtoPrince which islooselybasedonPoe’s taleunderthesametitle. no resemblance withPoe’s poem, and is thecasewith Vincent Price wouldalsoappearintwomore adaptationsofPoe’s talesorpoemsas The Case ofCharles Dexter Ward title, isactuallybasedonPoe’s admirer H.P.Lovecraft fervent andhisnovel entitled has nothingtodowithPoe’s poemin«TheFall oftheHouse ofUsher» except forits some yearspriortoCorman’s All through hiscareer, Cormanextensively proved Poe’s talenttoattractthe It mentioningCorman’s isalsoworth The Conqueror Worm 72 The MasqueoftheRed Death . Lateron,even withoutCormanasadirector, , directed byMichael Reeves, whoseplotbears The Oblong Box The Seventh Seal The Haunted Palace , directed byGordon Hessler, 09/07/2010, 9:48 . , whichwasshotonly which,even ifit 04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd the cinema, an advertising posterofthefilm the cinema,anadvertising there are explicitlyvisualreferences toPrice. When Michael andhisgirlfriendleave under thesamename,directed by anotherwell-known horror director, John Landis, to recitesometerrifyinglinesforhispopularsong«Thriller».Moreover, inthevideo released, anotherprominent admirer of Vincent Price’s, Michael Jackson, askedhim sameyearBurton’sblurring factandfiction.Likewise,inthevery was short-film despite thefacthisnameis Vincent, asaclearextratextualreference tohimself, thus whoseprotagonistbearsacloseresemblancewithEdgarAllanPoe,events ofastory sonal homagetohisfavouriteactor. In Burton’s Price short-film, narratesthemain and thedomainsofliteraturecinematoreach theworldofmusicandvideoclip. top indicates. hybridisationsignificantlygoesbeyondthescreen, This intertextual «Thriller», isfeaturing Vincent Price asthemainactor, astheneonadvertising on Masque oftheRed Death major role,isexhibitedattheentrance,aswell asaposterofCorman’s film parallelism betweenPoe andPrice, Burton createdhisshort-film whose personawouldbecloselyrelated toPoe ever after. Asaresult ofthisnoticeable cinema directors suchas Tim Burton noticedPrice wasalsoacharacterofhisown, film «TheBlack ofhisfilm Cat» aspart Poe’s «TheBlack Cat»and«TheCaskofAmontillado»,asCormandidinhisshort- or «El trapero».Asacaseinpoint,IbáñezSerrador’s «El tonel»isbasedonboth form theminto underthetitlesof«ElTV short-films pacto», «El tonel», «El cuervo» or«Berenice» «TheRaven» Black andtrans- «TheCaskofAmontillado», «The Cat», on Poe butalsoonCorman’s filmstoadapttalessuchas«ThePremature Burial», decade ofthe1960sforfirsttime,buthasbeenonsubsequently, notonlydrew Ibáñez Serrador, inhis TV series Corman’s asheadaptedsomeofPoe’s inourcountry counterpart talefortelevision. director,another contemporary born inChile,Narciso IbañezSerrador became allel andcreative universeCormancreatedtakingPoe’s talesintoaccount.Similarly, in theirearlycareers. and directors suchasJonathan Demme andMartin Scorsese,workedwithCorman highly-acclaimedactorslikeJackBasil Rathbone,aswellcontemporary Nicholson Fahey, Barbara Steele, Joyce Jameson, Peter Lorre,BorisKarloff, RayMilland and horror filmsfortherest oftheircareers. Some Myrna ofthemsuchasHazel Court, came fairlypopular, even ifsomeofthemwouldbeidentifiedwiththeirrolesin to thecinema.Moreover, manyoftheactorsandactresses inCorman’s filmsbe- magnificent vampire novel entitled on Poe’s talesataremarkably hecticpace,Matheson wasalsohighlyacclaimedfora a notoriouswriter. Apart fromwritingmostofthescriptsCorman’s filmsbased struggle toearnaliving. struggle ing hisyoungwife Virginia’s death,hisaddictiontoalcohol,andextenuating asympathetic andtragicbiographyofthelastdaysPoe’sportrayed life,portray- ally walledup. AsforIbañezSerrador’s he «El magnificentshort-film cuervo», on blendingtheplotsofthesetwotalesasbothfeature charactersthatare eventu- This intertextual interplaywhichgoesbeyondthescreenThis intertextual confirmsthepar- If Price acquired famethroughCormanasanactor, Matheson alsobecame 73 . Furthermore, thefilmthatispresumably oninthecinema, Historias para nodormir I amLegend Tales of Terror House of Wax , whichhasalsobeenrecently brought . Thus, bothdirectorsagreed , whichwasreleased inthe , inwhichPrice playeda 09/07/2010, 9:48 Vincent asaper- The

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MARTA MIQUEL BALDELLOU 74 C A A C of theircreation. This principlemayhave alsobeenwrittenbyCormanhimself: for theircapacitytoproducetheeffectwhichtheywere intendedatthemoment Twice-Told Tales about profitability, Poe himselfstatedinhiscriticalreview ofNathaniel Hawthorne’s the voices thathavecomplained aboutCorman’s lackofrigorisityandhisconcern ing aneffecteitheronthereadership ortheaudience. Thus, soastosilencesomeof ofafilm. running-time pagesoftextforthestandardtexts, claimingitwasnearlyimpossibletoadaptafew sions, Cormanmadeexcuses forhisunfaithfulnesswithregard toPoe’s original admirers nowadays.became blockbustersandstillattractfervent Onmanyocca- Poe toshootanddirect somefilmswhich,even ifwitharemarkablylow budget, to periodicals ofthetimetowritehistalesandearnsomedollars,Cormanresorted with thefinaleffecttoscreen. IfPoe tothemurders resorted describedinthe tirely storiesinspiredby Poe’s new tales,CormanmanagedtobringPoe’s concern —— (1962): —— (1962): B LASCO SHLEY RCHER ORMAN ANTIZANO , , Bob, ed.(1997):

, Eugene (1960): «Movie, Eugene(1960): Review: GRAU , Roger, dir. (1960): tember, URL: C4D52DFBF66838B679EDE means mostadvantageouslyapplicable(Poe: 567). demand thatthedesignintendedbeaccomplished,tofullestextent,by the men ofgeniuswhocondemnedthemwithoutjustground. criticwillbut The true est. They were relished manofgenius:althoughtherewere byevery foundmany of action,andconstitutedalegitimatealthoughsometimesanexaggeratedinter- bers of those talesofeffect,manyfineexampleswhichwere foundintheearliernum- And here itwillbeseenhow fullofprejudice are theusualanimadversionsagainst Nonetheless, bothPoe andCormanshared acommoninterest inproduc- To conclude,through faithfuladaptations,loosely-adaptedversions,oren- Espéculo:Revista deEstudios Literarios Press.

MÁRQUEZ , Javier (2002): «Un encuentro Poe afortunado: yCorman», Tales of Terror The Pit andthePendulum Blackwood thatallstoriesaspire tocreateaneffectshouldonlybejudged 74 , Blasina (2004):«»LacaídadelacasaUsher»: deE.A.Poe aDagoll-Dagom», http://mo Reading Popular Narrative: ASource Book , LosAngeles:AmericanInternational Pictures. House ofUsher . The impressions producedwere wroughtinalegitimatesphere vies.nytimes.com/mo WORKS CITED , LosAngeles:AmericanInternational Pictures. House ofUsher , LosAngeles:AmericanInternationalPictures. , Universidad Complutense deMadrid: 1-7. (1960)», vie/r evie 09/07/2010, 9:48 New YorkReview Times w?r , Leicester:LeicesterUniversity es=9402E6DC1631EF3AB CLIJ R A ECIBIDO CEPTADO 150:44-58. : octubre 2009 : enero 2010 , 15Sep- 04 (martamiquelbaldellou).pmd —— (1964): C —— (1964): K S P J —— (1963): —— (1962): —— (1963): T P O W ANCOVICH MITH OE LATH HOMPSON ING ORMAN GNJANOVIC ILLIAMS , Edgar Allan (1986): , Stephen (2000): , Don, G.(1998): , James (1985):«From the Vault: with AnInterview Vincent Price», URL: , Roger withJim J , Lucy Chase (1995): a Dime guin. www www Roger BrillianceonaBudget Corman: , Mark, ed.(2005): , , Howard (1982):«Crítica del , Dejan Roger (2008):«Interview: Corman», The Tomb ofLigeia The Raven The Masque oftheRed Death The Premature Burial The Haunted Palace .dv .bey , Cambridge:DaCapoPress. dto ondhollywood.com/inter wn.com/ne Danse Macabre The Poe Cinema:ACritical Filmography , LosAngeles:AmericanInternational Pictures. The Portable Poe 75 EROME Horror, The Film Reader Horror,Film The The CompleteFilms of Vincent Price ws/fr (1998): , LosAngeles:AmericanInternational Pictures. , LosAngeles:AmericanInternational Pictures. , LosAngeles:AmericanInternational Pictures. om-the-v , London: Warner. How IMade aHundred Movies inHollywood andNever Lost , enPhilip Van Doren Stern Pen- (ed.),Harmondsworth: New YorkTimes , LosAngeles:AmericanInternational Pictures. vie , New York: St.Martin’s Paperbacks. ault-an-inter w-r oger-corman/ , LondonandNew York: Routledge. » citadaenEdNaha (ed.), vie w-with-vincent-price/4784 , Jefferson, McFarland. Beyond Hollywood , New York: CitadelPress. 09/07/2010, 9:48 . URL: The Films of http:// http://

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