Themes: Haunted By the Past, Eccentric Families, Crumbling Marriages
Main Cast: Ray Milland, Hazel Court, Richard Ney, Heather Angel, Alan Napier
Release Year: 1962
Country: US
Run Time: 81 minutes
Plot
Roger Corman's success with low-budget adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe tales continued with this third installment, the first to lack the commanding presence of Vincent Price. Instead, we have Ray Milland as tormented protagonist Guy Carrell, who is so traumatized by the death of his father -- whom he believes was entombed alive after suffering a cataleptic attack -- that he becomes convinced that he will meet a similar demise. Guy's mounting dementia rapidly undermines his recent marriage to the lovely Emily (Hazel Court), particularly after he begins the construction of a specially designed crypt rigged with numerous escape devices. Encouraged by Emily to face his fears, Guy decides to view his father's remains, to prove once and for all whether he died peacefully. When the crypt is opened, however, what he finds there is so horrifying that he succumbs to a cataleptic episode himself, which doctors misdiagnose as a fatal heart attack... and Guy's worst fear soon becomes a reality. Milland's performance conveys the requisite amount of hand-wringing torment (in the mode of The Lost Weekend), even if he fails to capture the manic intensity that Price brought to the other Poe films. Corman's deft direction, employing a rich palette of colors and superb widescreen compositions, is on a par with the series' finest installments. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Guy Carrell (Ray Milland) is a tormented man who believes his father was entombed alive after suffering a cataleptic attack. In order to avoid a similar fate, he constructs a special tomb that will allow him to escape. In an attempt to allay her husband's fears, Emily Carrell (Hazel Court) encourages Guy to open his father's tomb to determine whether the elder man died peacefully. When the tomb is opened, Guy's worst suspicions are realized and he falls into a cataleptic seizure. The doctors determine Guy has died of a heart attack and he is buried alive.
Reception
Cavett Binion in Allmovie notes, "Milland's performance conveys the requisite amount of hand-wringing torment (in the mode of The Lost Weekend), even if he fails to capture the manic intensity that Price brought to the other Poe films. Corman's deft direction, employing a rich palette of colors and superb widescreen compositions, is on a par with the series' finest installments."[1]
Awards and nominations
The film won a 1962 Golden Laurel Sleeper of the Year Award.
