Review of The Haunted Palace (1963) by Ken S — 26 Jun 2016

Roger Corman strikes gold again in this entry in the Poe Cycle...though it really isn't a Poe adaptation, it's a Lovecraft (equally good!) tale. I think Corman was tiring of doing Poe stories, which is why "The Raven" became a comedy, and he decided to adapt H.

P. Lovecraft story instead, but the studio wanted another Poe because they had done well, and at the time Poe was a more recognizable name. So Corman made the movie he wanted and slapped on a title of a short poem by Poe that fit the subject matter.

The movie itself is really good...dark, spooky, atmospheric...it has some if the best acting and cinematography if any of the Corman films in this series. I always like the odd supernatural stories and themes that Lovecraft writes, and it was nice to see a story if his get a similar quality treatment as the Poe stories had gotten from Corman and Co.