Sold! Vincent Price's Erasmus Craven coat from The Raven (1963)

At Julien's Auctions Spring event on 15 March, lot 499 was the silver brocade long coat with floral motif and satin cuffs and collar, which was worn by Vincent Price in the 1963 film The Raven (Alta Vista Productions). It sold for $9375, with an estimate of just $1000-2000. There's no word as to who the lucky buyer was. If you know, let us know here. 

 There was also a few other items related to the legendary actor in the auction, including signed checks, photograph, a self portrait, and this 7.5in/5.5in watercolour and ink on paper composition which the actor painted in 1989, entitled A Point in the Right Direction (which I've seen come to auction before). It sold for US$1408.

Vincent Price & Roger Corman | Six Gothic Tales coming to Blu-ray from Arrow

From the Merchant of Menace, Vincent Price and the King of the Bs, Roger Corman come six Gothic tales inspired by the pen of Edgar Allan Poe and adapted by acclaimed fantasy screenwriter Richard Matheson. Included is The Fall of the House of Usher and The Pit and the Pendulum (previously released separately, check out my reviews by clicking on the titles); Tales of Terror (which adapts Poe’s Morella, The Black Cat and The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar); The Raven (a comic take on Poe's poem co-starring Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre); The Haunted Palace (which reworks HP Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward); and the necromantic masterpiece The Tomb of Ligeia, which ended the Poe/Price/Corman cycle.

Due for release on 8 December, but available to pre-order now, the Arrow Films box-set is a limited edition run of just 2000 copies, featuring all six features in high definition blu-ray (1080p), with original uncompressed mono PCM audio and optional English subtitles. The special features have yet to be announced, but will include a 60min documentary about Roger Corman, as well as trailers, reversible sleeves featuring original and new artwork and a 200-page collector’s book. As Usher and Pit are already available as standalone releases, the other four titles will also be available separately at a later date. There are no plans for any Steelbook releases of these titles.

Amazon Order Link Here £84.99
Arrow Video Order Link Here £69.99
Zavvi Order Link Here £59.99 (or £53.99 by using the code 10OFF50)

Vincent Price’s dramatic reading of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

DID YOU KNOW? The 1845 poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe, was first attributed to the struggling writer in print in the New York Evening Mirror on 29 January 1845, just four years before his mysterious death on 7 October 1849.

To celebrate Poe's 205th birthday (19 January 1805), here's Vincent's dramatic reading to savour.

Fab at 50 | 1963's The Haunted Palace - just one of seven Vincent Price films celebrating their 50th anniversary

1963 was certainly a very good year for the merchant of menace Vincent Price as he had seven films hitting US cinemas throughout the year. The Raven, which also starred Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre, was released on 25 January, while the underrated Diary of a Madman came out on 6 March.

In July, he had a cameo as Big Daddy in July's Beach Party musical, while August saw the Italian-made swashbuckler Rage of the Buccaneers (which was actually made in 1961) and the HP Lovecraft-inspired chiller The Haunted Palace heading into cinemas and drive-ins (with Palace being today). Capping off the summer, Twice-Told Tales, featuring Vinnie in three different roles, would be released in September, while The Comedy of Terrors, which again teamed him up with Karloff and Lorre, as well as Basil Rathbone, would close the year, coming out on Christmas day.

Happy 50th anniversary one and all...

THE TRAILERS