Not all of them are directed by Roger Corman! Simply most of them.
October is outlined in Webster’s Dictionary as “31 days of horror.” Don’t hassle trying it up; it’s true. Most individuals take that to imply highlighting one horror film a day, however right here at FSR, we’ve taken that up a spooky notch or 9 by celebrating every day with a prime ten checklist. This text rating the ten greatest Edgar Allan Poe variations is a part of our ongoing collection 31 Days of Horror Lists.
You need to make room for variation when digging by way of Edgar Allan Poe variations. Poe’s moody items hinge drastically on the written phrase and its poetry. Translating the fantastic thing about his language into visuals shouldn’t be unimaginable however calls for deviation. How cool you might be with that deviation will decide how cool you might be with our ranked checklist under.
The Boo Crew (Rob Hunter, Chris Coffel, Meg Shields, Jacob Trussell, and myself) doesn’t thoughts when a filmmaker goes wild within the manufacturing course of. Lots of the movies right here veer radically from what Edgar Allan Poe supposed. Greater than half of them come from Roger Corman, which in all probability says extra about our tastes than the rest.
These motion pictures are usually not dusty. They’re bizarre. They’re demented. And, yeah, they’re greater than a bit wobbly. Identical to our favourite writer. Edgar Allan Poe challenged the established order, and our favourite variations do too. You’ll not discover a shiny blockbuster among the many bunch. These are penny-pincher endeavors, the place the filmmakers put as a lot of themselves into them as they may afford. Most are elevated by forged and crew prepared to stretch past their paychecks. They’re all coronary heart. Beating and dripping outdoors their physique.
10. The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
Vincent Worth in these shades. It’s definitely worth the watch alone. By no means thoughts that he’s means too outdated for the title character and a bit creakier than in different Roger Corman Poe variations. The unique brief story is barely a narrative; it’s a short shot at an thought and a vibe. Screenwriter Robert Towne (Mission: Inconceivable, Mission: Inconceivable 2) vastly expanded on Poe’s idea by plugging in a number of different themes from his work. Principally, Towne doubles down on the necrophilia, creating an uncomfortable tone, which, once more, causes The Tomb of Ligeia to face aside from the earlier Corman riffs. There’s a hazard to this movie, a sting that by no means lingers, however when it seems, it’s satisfying. (Brad Gullickson)
9. Two Evil Eyes (1990)
Daybreak of the Lifeless was the final time George Romero and Dario Argento labored collectively in some capability. After so a few years aside, the 2 icons coming collectively for this mini-anthology was fairly the occasion. Probably, the film was higher in our imaginations than in actuality, however as is, Two Evil Eyes is a enjoyable sufficient get together. Romero’s half loosely adapts “The Details within the Case of Mr. Valdemar” with Adrienne Barbeau as Jessica Valdemar and Argento’s half takes on “The Black Cat” with Harvey Keitel and mainly smashes in a dozen different Poe references. The 2 shorts don’t mix nicely, however their distinction is fairly thrilling. Each administrators have made higher materials, however they’ve additionally made worse. Two Evil Eyes works greatest when considered by way of the passionate lens of fandom. For the administrators or the writer. (Brad Gullickson)
8. The Black Cat (1981)
On the 2022 Eurovision Music Contest, Austrian singers Teya and Salena debuted their track, “Who the Hell is Edgar?” a satirical jab on the music trade with lyrics impressed by the true story of a gaggle of ladies who wrote poetry after allegedly, channeling the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe. Who’s somebody who didn’t channel the spirit of Poe? Lucio Fulci when he made his adaptation of The Black Cat. Whereas he does protect the essence of the surprising finale in Poe’s authentic story, in addition to the torturous connection between a person and a semi-supernatural cat, total he dispenses with every little thing Poe wrote to create a brand new killer cat story in his distinctive fashion. If you wish to see a trustworthy recreation of Poe’s story of a person’s descent into insanity as he spirals into alcoholism, I extremely suggest you hunt down Stuart Gordon’s adaptation for the tv collection Masters of Horror. Nonetheless, Fulci’s movie is definitely worth the value of admission alone simply to see one Grasp of Horror deal with one other Grasp of Horror’s most interesting work. (Jacob Trussell)
7. Tales of Terror (1962)
Tales of Terror is a trilogy that adapts 4 Poe tales: “Morella,” The Black Cat, “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Details within the Case of M. Valdemar.” As soon as once more, it’s directed by Roger Corman and ranks because the fourth entry in his Poe cycle. Right here is the place I write the compulsory anthology assessment; not each entry is nice, however there are sequences value applauding. Beforehand, Corman principally sought scares along with his Poe variations, however with this one, he began to inject humor. The outcomes are combined, however with out Tales of Terror, you wouldn’t get the completely bananas The Raven (see under). Vincent Worth introduces every part by way of narration and seems in all of them as nicely. As well as, Corman packs every story with one other rad character actor. And yeah, Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone are the standouts. (Brad Gullickson)
6. Your Vice is a Locked Room and Solely I Have the Key (1972)
Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Solely I Have the Key is one other spin on “The Black Cat.” It’s a full-blown giallo from director Sergio Martino, who slathers on as a lot fashion as grime. What the movie will get most proper about Poe is that sure facet of the writer might be unrelentingly depressive. For a lot of the runtime, Martino pushes the viewers by way of at an exhilarating tempo. It swerves with potentialities, and as you method the top, you suppose the great (?) individuals will make it out okay. Enter The Simpsons‘ Nelson, “Ha Ha.” Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Solely I Have the Key cares not on your hopes and desires or the hopes and desires of its characters. The identical goes for Poe. These persons are gonna find yourself the place they find yourself. Nowhere. (Brad Gullickson)
5. Spirits of the Lifeless (1968)
I’d say that I’m breaking apart the Roger Corman get together, however wouldn’t you already know it, as Spirits of the Lifeless was launched stateside by AIP with narration from (say it with me) Vincent Worth. You may’t throw a telltale coronary heart at cinematic Poe variations with out hitting that Corman man! In any case, Spirits of the Lifeless nonetheless stands because the most European try to carry Edgar Allan Poe to the large display. The movie is segmented into three bite-sized chunks: “Metzengerstein,” by which Jane Fonda and Peter Fonda play kissing cousins (considered one of whom may be a horse); “William Wilson,” which posits that licensed hottie Alain Delon having a doppelgänger could be a foul factor; and “Toby Dammit,” a.ok.a. “What if a shitfaced Terence Stamp misplaced his thoughts and did burnouts in a Ferrari?” Directed, respectively, by Roger Vadim (Barbarella), Louis Malle (My Dinner with Andre), and Federico Fellini (8 1⁄2), Spirits of the Lifeless is cinematic Poe at his most debauched. It’s a wild trip that needs to be skilled on a stormy night time with a crackling fireplace… and a bottle of vino is optionally available however really helpful. (Meg Shields)
4. The Raven (1963)
The Raven wouldn’t have made the lower if we ranked Edgar Allan Poe variations based mostly on their accuracy. The poem have to be one of the vital common poems ever crafted, and the concept of adapting it’s fairly absurd. In fact, Roger Corman would give it a go along with his pal Vincent Worth and some different horror film legends: Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. What stays from the Poe piece is the titular creature and a grieving man. What’s added are wizards, rivalries, magic duels, and Jack Nicholson. It’s an totally ridiculous train, however the try is a rattling delight, and each actor carries great allure even when just a few of them don’t know what they’re doing inside it. The film works greatest for individuals who can take away themselves off their excessive horse and simply have a great, foolish time on the motion pictures. (Brad Gullickson)
3. Home of Usher (1960)
Edgar Allan Poe, Roger Corman, and Vincent Worth have every gifted horror followers with quite a few gems, so it ought to shock nobody {that a} collaboration between the three would ship the products. Home of Usher is the primary of a half dozen or so Poe variations directed by Corman and starring Worth, and it’s arguably the very best. (Nicely, third greatest in response to this checklist, however what are ya gonna do.) Poe’s traditional story of a household cursed by way of the generations with a bit one thing known as madness (or gullibility, take your decide) is getting an up to date miniseries from Mike Flanagan this 12 months, however Corman’s movie checks all of the containers and will probably be arduous to beat. Lurid colour images, melodramatic turns by Worth and Myrna Fahey, and manufacturing design that walks a nice line between Corman’s cheapness and the proper residence for a fucked up lineage. As a bonus, the movie is a rarity in that Worth seems each with out his mustache and with bleached blond hair. Superbly terrifying certainly. (Rob Hunter)
2. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
After the shock dying of his sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele), Francis Barnard (John Kerr) pays a go to to his brother-in-law Nicholas Medina (Vincent Worth) to get some readability in regards to the mysterious circumstances surrounding her passing. As Francis pushes for solutions, Nicholas and his sister Catherine (Luana Anders) are very evasive and imprecise, providing little in the best way of particulars. As soon as the reality about Elizabeth’s dying is lastly revealed, it’s far stranger than any of them may have imagined. The Pit and the Pendulum is arguably a very powerful of the Roger Corman-directed Poe movies. The follow-up to Home of Usher was a field workplace hit and satisfied AIP to greenlight six additional Poe variations. Richard Matheson‘s terrific screenplay deviates from Poe’s brief story fairly a bit to construct one thing greater, till attending to the ultimate act that carefully aligns with the traditional story. The movie depends on dream-like sequences in monochrome and using wide-angle lenses to take us on a journey into the thoughts of a madman. Worth, taking part in twin roles of types, chews up the surroundings as solely he can. A wonderful movie that helped set the stage for the subsequent decade of horror to comply with. (Chris Coffel)
1. The Masque of the Purple Loss of life (1964)
Nicolas Roeg cinematography. That’s sufficient. You don’t want any extra to get your film to the highest of the checklist. The Masque of the Purple Loss of life is an insanely beautiful journey by way of the most affordable Roger Corman units. Nicely, in all probability not the most affordable, however Roeg makes these wooden planks appear to be on-location capturing. Okay, that’s an exaggeration too. Dammit, the film is gorgeous! That’s all. Screenwriters Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell develop on the Edgar Allan Poe story by injecting a bit “Hop-Frog” into it, however they don’t skimp on morality or perversity. Vincent Worth is in tiptop form, consuming up his position with relish and tenacity. He’s acquired the pedal to the metallic, and he by no means as soon as hits the breaks. This Halloween or subsequent, please discover your nearest repertoire theater and beg them to play The Masque of the Purple Loss of life on the large display. It’s nice on the boob tube, however the widest canvas is the place it belongs. (Brad Gullickson)
Quoth the Raven, “learn extra 31 Days of Horror Lists!”
Associated Matters: 31 Days of Horror Lists, Horror, Roger Corman
