The Haunted Palace (1963) 6.6
Charles Dexter Ward arrives at a small village to visit the house he inherited from his ancestor who died there 100 years ago. Director:Roger Corman |
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The Haunted Palace (1963) 6.6
Charles Dexter Ward arrives at a small village to visit the house he inherited from his ancestor who died there 100 years ago. Director:Roger Corman |
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| Cast overview: | |||
| Vincent Price | ... | ||
| Debra Paget | ... |
Ann Ward
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| Lon Chaney Jr. | ... |
Simon Orne
(as Lon Chaney)
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Frank Maxwell | ... |
Dr. Marinus Willet /
Priam Willet
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Leo Gordon | ... |
Edgar Weeden /
Ezra Weeden
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| Elisha Cook Jr. | ... |
Peter Smith /
Micah Smith
(as Elisha Cook)
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John Dierkes | ... |
Benjamin West /
Jacob West
(as John Dierkies)
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Milton Parsons | ... |
Jabez Hutchinson
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Cathie Merchant | ... |
Hester Tillinghast
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Guy Wilkerson | ... |
Gideon Leach /
Mr. Leach
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| I. Stanford Jolley | ... |
Carmody, Coachman
(as Stanford Jolley)
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Harry Ellerbe | ... |
Minister
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Barboura Morris | ... |
Mrs. Weeden
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Darlene Lucht | ... |
Miss Fitch
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Bruno VeSota | ... |
Bruno, the Bartender
(as Bruno Ve Sota)
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Loosly based on H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", this fright flick opens with a warlock placing a curse on a group of villagers about to burn him at the stake. Generations later, the warlock's descendant returns to the village to pick up where his ancestor left off. Written by Humberto Amador
Roger Corman rarely gets the credit he deserves. While best known for the dozens of schlocky exploitation movies he was involved in as a producer, he also directed several underrated films, including his excellent Edgar Allen Poe series in the 1960s. 'The Haunted Palace' is really only a part of that series in name only. It takes its title from a Poe poem, but it's plot is (very loosely) adapted from H.P. Lovecraft's 'The Strange Case Of Charles Dexter Ward' by Charles Beaumont. Beaumont, a talented writer of short stories also scripted Corman's best Poe movie 'The Masque Of The Red Death'. As I said this is only loosely based on Lovecraft's original source material (a slightly more faithful version can be seen in Dan O'Bannon's 'The Resurrected', also recommended), but I'm sure most Lovecraft buffs will get a kick out of watching this, which is as far as I know the very first movie inspired by his fiction. Vincent Price stars in a duel role of Ward and his ancestor Joseph Curwen, and gives an enjoyable performance. Price really seemed to like working with Corman and gave the director some of his best work. I watched an old VHS print of this, but, like the Poe movies, it still looked like another great effort for a very limited budget. The supporting cast is worth noting - the beautiful Debra Paget, and legendary character actors Lon Chaney ('Spider Baby'), Elisha Cook, Jr ('The Killing') and Leo Gordon ('Kitten With A Whip'). 'The Haunted Palace' is another excellent Corman movie that still has a lot of entertainment value. Highly recommended to all Vincent Price and H.P. Lovecraft fans.