IMDb > The Oblong Box (1969)
The Oblong Box
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The Oblong Box (1969) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   1,272 votes »
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Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Gordon Hessler
Writers:
Lawrence Huntington (screenplay)
Christopher Wicking (additional dialogue)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Oblong Box on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 June 1969 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Horror See more »
Tagline:
For the first time... the classic tale of the restless dead and their unspeakable hungers! See more »
Plot:
Aristocrat Julian Markham keeps his disfigured brother, Sir Edward, locked in a tower of his house.... See more » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Latest MPAA Ratings: Bulletin No: 2233
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 25 July 2012, 7:03 AM, PDT)
Vincentennial: Witchfinder General and Champagne For Caesar Tonight
 (From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 26 May 2011, 5:45 AM, PDT)
Top Ten Tuesday: The Best of Vincent Price
 (From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 10 May 2011, 5:21 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
"I'll only do my prowling at night." See more (31 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

Vincent Price ... Julian

Christopher Lee ... Dr. Newhartt
Rupert Davies ... Kemp
Uta Levka ... Heidi
Sally Geeson ... Sally
Alister Williamson ... Edward
Peter Arne ... Trench
Hilary Heath ... Elizabeth (as Hilary Dwyer)
Maxwell Shaw ... Hackett
Carl Rigg ... Norton
Harry Baird ... N'Galo
Godfrey James ... Weller
James Mellor ... Holt
John Barrie ... Franklin
Ivor Dean ... Hawthorne
Danny Daniels ... Witchdoctor
Michael Balfour ... Ruddock
Hira Talfrey ... Martha
John Wentworth ... Parson
Betty Woolfe ... Mrs. Hopkins
Martin Terry ... Sailor
Anne Clune ... Prostitute
Jackie Noble ... Prostitute
Ann Barrass ... Prostitute (as Ann Barass)
Jan Rossini ... Prostitute
Zeph Gladstone ... Trench's Girl
Tara Fernando ... Gypsy Dancer
Tony Thawnton ... Man in Tavern
Anthony Bailey ... Talbot
Richard Cornish ... Groom
Colin Jeavons ... Doctor
Andreas Malandrinos ... Baron (as Andreas Melandrinos)
Hedgar Wallace ... Major (as Hedger Wallace)
Martin Wyldeck ... Constable
Oh! Ogunde Dancers ... Africans
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sean Barry-Weske ... Molester in Tavern (uncredited)
Eddie Powell ... Fighting Man in Tavern (uncredited)

Nick Tate ... Young Man in Tavern (uncredited)
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Directed by
Gordon Hessler 
 
Writing credits
Lawrence Huntington (screenplay)

Christopher Wicking (additional dialogue)

Edgar Allan Poe  story (uncredited)

Produced by
Pat Green .... associate producer
Gordon Hessler .... producer
Louis M. Heyward .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
Harry Robertson  (as Harry Robinson)
 
Cinematography by
John Coquillon (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Max Benedict 
 
Art Direction by
George Provis 
 
Makeup Department
Jimmy Evans .... makeup artist
Bobbie Smith .... hairdresser
 
Production Management
Bryan Coates .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Derek Whitehurst .... first assistant director
 
Art Department
George Lack .... assistant art director
Terence Morgan .... set dresser
W. Simpson Robinson .... scenic artist (as W. Simpson-Robinson)
 
Sound Department
Rowland Fowles .... boom operator
Bob Jones .... sound mixer
Bob Peck .... sound recordist
Michael P. Redbourn .... sound editor (as Michael Redbourn)
Tony Dawe .... adr & foley mixer (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Les Young .... camera operator
Nobby Cross .... gaffer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kay Gilbert .... wardrobe
 
Editorial Department
Oliver Waterlow .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
Philip Martell .... conductor
 
Other crew
Peter Howitt .... titler
Barbara Rowland .... continuity
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
MPAA:
Rated R for some violence and sexual content (re-rating)
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
USA:91 min | USA:96 min (DVD)
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Norway:18 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG (original rating) | Australia:R | USA:R (re-rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) | West Germany:18 (original rating)
Filming Locations:
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK
Company:
American International ProductionsSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Alister Williamson is dubbed.See more »
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Sir Edward murders Heidi the prostitute, the special effects knife clearly sprays blood onto the actresses' neck well before it actually touches her.See more »
Quotes:
Trench:Sir Edward. I thought you've been-
Sir Edward Markham:Buried. Yes. Waking up in that horrible oblong box, no air to breathe, trapped and no escape. Earth raining down on the lid, every shovel full burying you more deeply.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Edited into Out of this World Super Shock Show (2007) (V)See more »
Soundtrack:
Gypsy MusicSee more »

FAQ

Is this movie actually based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful.
"I'll only do my prowling at night.", 29 February 2012
Author: Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki from United States

Disfigured in an African ritual, Edward is kept, "protected", by his brother Julian by being kept chained up in attic. He fakes his death to escape from Julian and another man is killed to take Edward's place in the "oblong box". Film looks like a low-key, photographed stageplay, a well-dressed period piece having little to do with Poe's short story, besides the title box. This is one of those films to watch primarily to enjoy the cast, lush settings and photography, hooded killers, throat-slicings, and a couple of good scares along the way, even if it has little if anything to do with Poe, just don't get one's hopes too high up. It does have a good unmasking scene, and genuinely creepy twist-ending, which still stood out in my mind years after I had last seen this film.

Favourite line: "I'll only do my prowling at night."

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