Vincent Price Loves Pork Chops… and steak!

Here's a treat for you. It's my nephew and neice doing a rendition of the Vincent Price Pork Chops song with myself (who is looking more like John Waters than Vincent Price). All together now...

Take a look at the Vincent Price Collection II Blu-ray Collection from Scream Factory!

Get ready for seven chilling tales starring the master of the macabre as Shout!'s Scream Factory release the second volume of their Vincent Price Blu-ray collection for the US/Canada markets, all featuring new re-mastered HD presentations, a host of extras and a collector’s book. Here’s the full run down.

While its the first time for most of these features to be presented in HD*, not all of the bonus content is new. What I am looking forward though are the Iowa Public Television Gothic Horrors segments (they were the best part of Vol 1), Elizabeth Shepherd's audio commentary for Tomb of Ligeia, and also the commentaries by David Del Valle, who is always a scream. The Raven, The Comedy of Terrors, and The Last Man on Earth also feature the late Richard Matheson discussing his work on those films (I haven’t seen those before, so am not sure they have exised elsewhere).

Have you got your box set yet and want to share your thoughts, then do leave a comment here.

House on Haunted Hill (1959)
A millionaire offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a spooky house overnight.

(1080p HD Widescreen, 1.78:1, DTS Master Audio Mono, Black & White, 75 min)

• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Steve Haberman

• Theatrical Trailer

• Vincent Price: Renaissance Man featurette

• The Art of Fear Featurette

• Working with Vincent Price featurette

The Return of the Fly (1959)
15 years after the tragic death of scientist Andre Delambre, his son Philippe (Brett Halsey) takes up transportation experimentation with equally horrifying results.

(1080p HD Widescreen, 2.35:1, DTS Master Audio Mono, Black & White, 86 min)

• Audio Commentary with actor Brett Halsey and film expert David Del Valle

• Theatrical Trailer

• TV Spot

• Still Gallery

The Comedy of Terrors (1963)
An undertaker and his assistant (Peter Lorre) are forced to commit a murder in order to keep their business from going under.

(1080p HD Widescreen, 2.35:1, DTS Master Audio Mono, Color,  83min)

• Introduction and Parting Words by Vincent Price (IPT Gothic Horrors segment)

• Richard Matheson Storyteller: The Comedy of Terrors

• Theatrical Trailer

• Still Gallery

The Raven (1963)
A magician (Peter Lorre) who has been turned into a raven turns to a former sorcerer (Price) for help in returning him to his human form.

(1080p HD Widescreen, 2.35:1, DTS Master Audio Mono, Color, 86min)• Introduction and Parting Words by Vincent Price (IPT Gothic Horrors segment)

• Richard Matheson Storyteller: The Raven

• Corman's Comedy of Poe

• Promotional Record (I'm liking this)

• Theatrical Trailer

• Still Gallery

The Last Man on Earth (1964)
When a disease turns all of humanity into the living dead, a scientist (Price) becomes a reluctant vampire hunter.

(1080p HD Widescreen, 2.35:1, DTS Master Audio Mono, Black & White, 87min)

Richard Matheson Storyteller: The Last Man On Earth

Still Gallery

Audio Commentary With Authors David Del Valle And Derek Botelho

Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
A man’s obsession with his dead wife drives a wedge between him and his new bride (Elizabeth Shepherd).

(1080p HD Widescreen, 2.35:1, DTS Master Audio Mono, Color, 82min)

• Introduction and Parting Words by Vincent Price (IPT Gothic Horrors segment)

• Audio Commentary By Producer/Director Roger Corman

• Audio Commentary with Elizabeth Shepherd NEW

Dr Phibes Rises Again (1972)
The vengeful Phibes heads to Egypt in an attempt to resurrect his beloved wife Victoria, but he’s not the only one seeking the elixir of life.

(1080p HD Widescreen, 1.85:1, DTS Master Audio Mono, Color, 89min)

• Theatrical Trailer

• Still Gallery

* The Complete Dr Phibes Blu-ray release from Arrow in the UK is actually a far superior release to this one. (check out my review); while a stand alone Region A/1 Blu-ray was released in May 2014 from Cinema Cult.

Order from

Shout! Factory

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-comedy/the-vincent-price-collection-ii

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LMBURV8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00LMBURV8&linkCode=as2&tag=vincpric-20&linkId=RXQZB4UUBVFPJRXK

Vincent Price (May 27 1911 - 25 October 1993) | The iconic actor died 21 years ago today!

How time flies. It was on this day (25 October) in 1993 that 82-year-old Vincent Price lost his battle with lung cancer and died at his home in Los Angeles. Actor, art lover, gourmet, loving parent and granddad, and a hero to many around the world, long may his legend and legacy continue. Let's make 25 October Vincent Price Day.

Here a five fab moments from Vinnie's 60-year career that I'll be watching this weekend.


An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe (1970) gave Vincent Price the chance to recite four classic Poe stories unplugged, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado and The Pit and the Pendulum. Pure Price, pure Poe, pure brilliance. Les Baxter did the great score.


Diary of a Madman is a 1963 horror film adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's 1887 short story Le Horla about a malevolent entity that takes possession of Price's respected magistrate. It's not perfect, but I have a real soft spot for this horror cheapie.


The Masque of the Red Death (1964). The quintessential Poe/Price/Corman film with Vinnie as the satan-worshipping Prince Prospero vainly trying to prevent the Red Death from conquering his castle.


In 1982's House of the Long Shadows, British director Pete Walker succeeded in bringing the masters of terror - Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine - together, alongside the wonderful Sheila Keith, for this underrated spooky old house comedy.


The Weird World of Dr Goldfoot was a special episode of Shindig shown on November 18, 1965 to promote Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. Cheezy good fun.

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)

Distinctive Dummies' Vincent Price Red Death action figure snapped up in record time

In the last of their first wave of Vincent Price figures, Distinctive Dummies have won the race in releasing the first-ever action figure based on Price as the scarlet faced Red Death from Roger Corman's cult 1964 horror hit, The Masque of the Red Death. The folks over at Amok Time have been promising collectors a 12inch version for a couple of years now, but the date remains undetermined. Only 50 of Distinctive Dummies' 8inch figures were produced, making them highly covetable. Indeed, all 50 were snapped up on the day of its release. Were you one of the lucky ones!

Stay Tuned | Normal Service Will Resume on Halloween

No posts from me for the next few weeks, as I'm taking a much needed digital holiday. But do remember to check out my YouTube channel for all things Pricey, plus the official Vincent Price Legacy websites (links are in the column), and of course all those wonderful Facebook group pages.

But stay tuned for some exciting news: including Distinctive Dummies' release of a couple of new Vincent Price action figures and Scream Factory's second volume of VP blu-rays.

Triple Distilled Horror! We Belong Dead Issue 14 showcases three Vincent Price cult classics

Vincent Price fans will want to get their claws on the latest issue of We Belong Dead, the British fanzine celebrating the Classic Age of Horror & Fantasy film, as there are three articles dedicated to the cult favourites, Scream and Scream Again, Pit and the Pendulum and Cry of the Banshee, while the front and back covers feature specially commissioned art work from Paul Watts and Dave Brux of Scream and Pit.

 

In Synthetic Flesh, Secret Agents and Psychotic Killers… John Llewellyn Probert re-examines Gordon Hessler’s 1970 sci-fi-horror hybrid Scream and Scream Again, which he calls ‘a unique piece of classic British cinema', and was a big favourite of the legendary Fritz Lang. It's also one of mine.

Steve West re-enters Roger Corman’s Pit in Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition to delve into the enduring legacy of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 short story The Pit and the Pendulum, while also looking at the making of Corman’s 1961 adaptation, which I reviewed for this blog when the Arrow Blu-ray was released earlier this year (you can read it here).

And in The Cuts that Killed the Cry of the Banshee, yours truly looks back at Gordon Hessler’s 1970 British horror - which sounded the final wail for AIP’s Price/Poe film series, to explore the differences between the AIP US theatrical cut and the original UK edit. Do let me know what you think of it, by leaving a comment below.

 

The 100-page Issue 14 also has features on Jaws, The Birds, Dr X, Vampira, From Beyond the Grave and The Fog, Targets and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, as well as an interview with Hammer legend Veronica Carlson, and a retrospective look at her career (there’s also a signed photo on the inside jacket).

Available from Hemlock Books or The Cinema Store or direct from We Belong Dead. £6 plus shipping (£2 UK/£3 Europe/£4.50 Rest of World). Payable via paypal at wbdmagazine@yahoo.co.uk

You can also follow We Belong Dead on Facebook 

On this day in… 1951 | His Kind of Woman is released into US cinemas

It's 63 years to the day that the 1950's film noir classic HIS KIND OF WOMAN headed into US cinemas. To celebrate, read my review (by clicking here) over on my Kultguy's Keep blog.

10 reasons why The Last Man on Earth still thrills 50 years on

'Another day to live through… Is that all it has been since I inherited the world? Three years? Seems like a hundred million'

 

While the US got to see The Last Man on Earth first back in 1964, having premiered on 7 May 1964 (as double bill with Circus of Horrors), it wasn't until 19 August that it was released in Italy, where it was filmed, under the title L'ultimo uomo della terra. Folks in the UK, however, had to wait even longer, as the film didn't come out until December 1966. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, here’s 10 reasons why one of the most underrated sci-fi’s of the 1960s is worth a revisit.  

1) It was written by the legendary author Richard Matheson The film is based on the American writer’s first novel, I Am Legend, for which he got a $3000 advance from Gold Medal Books. Published in 1954, its paranoid post-apocalyptic scenario struck a chord with a Middle America in the grips of McCarthyism. The first modern vampire novel and this first film version also proved a huge influence on George A Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. It was later filmed as The Omega Man with Charlton Heston in 1971 and as I Am Legend starring Will Smith in 2007.

 

2) It could have been a Hammer film called The Night Creatures Following the success of The Quatermass Experiment (aka The Creeping Unknown) in 1955, Hammer Films paid Matheson $10,000 to adapt his novel for the British studio, with Val Guest lined up to direct. However, the British censors turned the script down fearing it would be too graphic. Hammer, however, kept the title rights and later used it for their 1962 period adventure Captain Clegg.

   

3) B-movie producer Robert L Lippert brought it to the screen Lippert wanted to film Matheson’s script in 1959 under the title Naked Terror. But ended up securing a co-production deal with Produzioni La Regina in Rome for parent company 20th Century Fox who retitled it The Last Man on Earth. Like Hammer, Lippert ended up using his title for a 1961 documentary about Zulu tribal practices, narrated by… Vincent Price. Matheson, however, was upset by the rewrites and ended up taking his name off the credits and using a psedonym, Swanson. Lippert was also responsible for Hammer's 1954 noir thriller House Across the Lake (check out my review here).





 4) It gave Vincent Price a long holiday in Rome At the end of his first contract with AIP (which had preventing him from undertaking any other horror roles), Price scored a three-picture back-to-back deal in Italy in 1961. So, while filming the swashbuckling pirate adventure Rage of the Buccaneers and the sword and sandals intrigue Queen of the Nile, he and wife Mary got a long stay in one of their favourite cities ‘digging around’ the ruins and art troves. The Last Man on Earth was filmed in January 1963 (according to Lucy Chase Williams in The Complete Films of Vincent Price).

   

5) Price gives one of his most underrated performances As the soiled suited 50-year-old scientist Robert Morgan, Price might be light years away from the Matheson’s 30-something everyman factory worker hero (Robert Neville) in the novel, but he lends his shabby sophisticate a subtle sense of restrained dignity that emphasizes Morgan’s displacement in the film’s zombie vampire infested wasteland.

   

6) It was shot in the dead of winter The film’s eerie post-apocalyptic look was achieved by the film’s cinematographer Franco Delli Colli shooting in the early hours and Vincent Price hated it. ‘I never was so cold in my life as I was in that picture. I had a driver, and I used to tip him a big sum to keep the car running so I could change my clothes in the backseat’, recalled the actor at the 1990 Fangoria Weekend of Horrors.

   

7) It was filmed at the legendary Titanus Studios The film is supposed to be set in Los Angeles, but the landscape is unmistakably the outskirts of Rome. That’s because it was shot entirely on location and at the Titanus Studios. The 100-year-old family run studio established by Gustavo Lombardo is as much a part of world cinema history as the famed Cinecittà, and has been home to peplum and classics like Visconti’s The Leopard. Today it serves as a television production facility and was recently honoured at the Locarno Film Festival. There's even a museum dedicated the studio in Torino (check it out here).



 

8) Vincent Price visits the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in the EUR district of Rome An icon of Fascist architecture, the Square Colosseum, as its known, was constructed in 1935 by Mussolini for his planned 1942 world exhibition, and was intended as a large scale image of how urban Italy might have looked had his fascist regime not fallen. The iconic building can also be seen in films like Federico Fellini’s Boccaccio 70 episode, Peter Greenaway’s Belly of an Architect, and the 2005 sci-fi Equilibrium. From 2015, it will serve as the new HQ for the fashion label Fendi.


 

9) The Paul Sawtell soundtrack is pretty cool, too! The film is highly praised for its moody soundtrack, which is quite collectable now, and is by Paul Sawtell, who did heaps of 1950s sci-fi movies, including the two Fly movies starring Vincent Price, as well as the theme tune to TV’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, which Vinnie once guest starred. Order it out (here).



 

10) It’s in the public domain… There are lots of bad prints streaming on YouTube and cropping up in many a DVD collection, but I've found the best looking one so far. There's even a colourised version available (but I prefer the original black and white). So? What are you waiting for?

The Monster Club (1981) | Vincent Price has a very special invitation for you… on Blu-ray

Three stories to shock you! Chill you! Thrill you! And make you laugh... From Amicus, the studio that dripped blood in the 1960s and 1970s with a slate of uniquely British horror fare, comes 1980’s The Monster Club - now in HD. Taking its cues from Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes’s 1975 short story collection (which is excellent btw), this horror-comedy anthology found veteran actor Vincent Price (playing a vampire for the first and only time in his film career) and an ailing John Carradine (paying a fictionalised Chetwynd-Hayes) musing over three tales of terror while enjoying the dubious delights of a naff member’s club for supernatural creatures. But it bombed! Author Chetwynd-Hayes was struck dumb by how badly his source material was rewritten, while the great Roy Ward Baker (who’d been pulled out of retirement) directed without his usual flair. It was his final feature film, and also that of Amicus supremo, Milton Subotsky.

With little to no fanfare in 1981, The Monster Club ended up on home video, where it took on a bit of a cult following. Looking at it again however the Shadmock and Humgoo stories are actually quite effective, but the club scenes (featuring the worst masks ever) and the comedic vampire story are still pants. Vincent Price (who shot his scenes between 15 and 19 May 1980) is a real trooper throughout - and his impassioned soliloquy for allowing humans into the club (because they are the real monsters) is a highlight.

Network Distributing's UK Blu-ray restoration release comes from ITV Global and is a sparkly fresh delight (it also shows up just how bad those masks are). The special features includes the film with isolated music score – where you get to hear all of the songs featured (Barbara Kellerman and Simon Ward having breakfast while listening to a punk vampire song on the radio is hilarious), plus Douglas Gamley’s lyrical instrumental music and Alan Hawkshaw’s stirring synth score; two theatrical trailers (one textless); textless film elements, comprising the opening scene of the bookshop without sound, and the John Bolton/Dez Skinn colour promo poster (see below); promo, featuring the best bits on Blu-ray accompanied by The Viewers’ theme tune; and an image gallery, featuring UK and Spanish lobby cards, as well as lots of pictures you may not have seen before – all courtesy of Stephen Jones.

What is missing are the extras you get on the US Blu-ray from Scorpion Releasing (October 2013), which included George Reis’ detailed production history liner notes, and two interviews with Vincent Price conducted by film historian David Del Valle (I was looking forward to those). But considering I’ve only ever had the film on DVD in French before – it came with an issue of Mad Movies – I’m not complaining. Still, a pdf of the collectable promotion comic would have been a real treat.

 Check out Vincent's friendly vamp Erasmus discussing the rules of monsterdom in this clip: