Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Tales of Terror

  • 19621962
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
7.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, and Debra Paget in Tales of Terror (1962)
Home Video Trailer from MGM
Play trailer2:19
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Horror
  • Mystery

Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
7.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Roger Corman
  • Writers
    • Richard Matheson(screenplay)
    • Edgar Allan Poe(based on the stories by)
  • Stars
    • Vincent Price
    • Maggie Pierce
    • Leona Gage
Top credits
  • Director
    • Roger Corman
  • Writers
    • Richard Matheson(screenplay)
    • Edgar Allan Poe(based on the stories by)
  • Stars
    • Vincent Price
    • Maggie Pierce
    • Leona Gage
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 72User reviews
    • 73Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Tales of Terror
    Trailer 2:19
    Tales of Terror

    Photos117

    Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Basil Rathbone in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Vincent Price and Maggie Pierce in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Vincent Price and Joyce Jameson in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Peter Lorre and Vincent Price in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Vincent Price and Debra Paget in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Vincent Price in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Leona Gage in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Vincent Price and Maggie Pierce in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Vincent Price in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Peter Lorre in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Debra Paget in Tales of Terror (1962)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Vincent Price
    Vincent Price
    • Lockeas Locke…
    Maggie Pierce
    Maggie Pierce
    • Lenora (segment "Morella")as Lenora (segment "Morella")
    Leona Gage
    Leona Gage
    • Morella (segment "Morella")as Morella (segment "Morella")
    Peter Lorre
    Peter Lorre
    • Montresor (segment "The Black Cat")as Montresor (segment "The Black Cat")
    Joyce Jameson
    Joyce Jameson
    • Annabel (segment "The Black Cat")as Annabel (segment "The Black Cat")
    Basil Rathbone
    Basil Rathbone
    • Carmichael (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")as Carmichael (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")
    Debra Paget
    Debra Paget
    • Helene (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")as Helene (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")
    David Frankham
    David Frankham
    • Dr. James (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")as Dr. James (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")
    Lennie Weinrib
    Lennie Weinrib
    • Policeman (segment "The Black Cat")as Policeman (segment "The Black Cat")
    Wally Campo
    Wally Campo
    • Barman Wilkins (segment "The Black Cat")as Barman Wilkins (segment "The Black Cat")
    Alan DeWitt
    • Chairman of Wine Society (segment "The Black Cat")as Chairman of Wine Society (segment "The Black Cat")
    • (as Alan DeWit)
    John Hackett
    • Policeman (segment "The Black Cat")as Policeman (segment "The Black Cat")
    Edmund Cobb
    Edmund Cobb
    • Driver (segment "Morella")as Driver (segment "Morella")
    • (as Ed Cobb)
    Scott Brown
    • Servant (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")as Servant (segment "The Case of M. Valdemar")
    Benjie Bancroft
    • Wine Society Memberas Wine Society Member
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Bradley
    • Wine Society Memberas Wine Society Member
    • (uncredited)
    Kenneth Gibson
    • Wine Society Memberas Wine Society Member
    • (uncredited)
    Kenner G. Kemp
    Kenner G. Kemp
    • Wine Society Memberas Wine Society Member
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Roger Corman
    • Writers
      • Richard Matheson(screenplay)
      • Edgar Allan Poe(based on the stories by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    The Raven
    6.5
    The Raven
    The Pit and the Pendulum
    7.0
    The Pit and the Pendulum
    House of Usher
    6.9
    House of Usher
    The Tomb of Ligeia
    6.4
    The Tomb of Ligeia
    The Haunted Palace
    6.7
    The Haunted Palace
    The Comedy of Terrors
    6.6
    The Comedy of Terrors
    Twice-Told Tales
    6.6
    Twice-Told Tales
    The Premature Burial
    6.5
    The Premature Burial
    The Masque of the Red Death
    7.0
    The Masque of the Red Death
    The Abominable Dr. Phibes
    7.1
    The Abominable Dr. Phibes
    Theater of Blood
    7.1
    Theater of Blood
    Count Yorga, Vampire
    5.7
    Count Yorga, Vampire

    Storyline

    Edit
    Three stories adapted from the work of Edgar Allen Poe. A man and his daughter are reunited, but the blame for the death of his wife hangs over them, unresolved. A derelict challenges the local wine-tasting champion to a competition, but finds the man's attention to his wife worthy of more dramatic action. A man dying and in great pain agrees to be hypnotized at the moment of death, with unexpected consequences. —David Carroll <davidc@atom.ansto.gov.au>
    • gothic horror
    • psychotronic film
    • black cat
    • wine
    • hypnotist
    • 36 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A Trilogy of Shock and Horror!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Horror
      • Mystery
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The "Black Cat" segment was recycled for "The Comedy of Terrors (1963)" (even the presence of a meddlesome cat). Many of the same actors appear in both films, only here Peter Lorre plays the drunk married to devoted Joyce Jameson, with Vincent Price introduced as the third member of the triangle; in "Comedy of Terrors" Price and Lorre exchange roles, and Jameson essentially repeats her performance. Not only that, but Price's line "What place is this?" from the "M. Valdemar" segment of "Tales of Terror" is recycled as a running gag for Basil Rathbone in "Comedy of Terrors".
    • Goofs
      When Morella takes control of Lenora's body, as Vincent Price walks up the last time before the reveal, you can see a red backstage light in the "window."
    • Quotes

      Montresor Herringbone: Haven't I convinced you of my sincerity yet? I'm genuinely dedicated to your destruction.

    • Alternate versions
      The shots of Valdemar 'liquefying' over Carmichael were originally cut from the UK cinema print and later restored for video.
    • Connections
      Featured in Nightwatch Presents Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of Terror (1973)

    User reviews72

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    None to shabby mix of horror and comedy starring the legendary Vincent Price!
    Roger Corman presents this horror anthology based on three stories by Edgar Allen Poe, where all three segments are introduced by and star Vincent Price.

    ‘Tales of Terror' is a movie which generally is hard to accept as a serious horror film, but fun when considered as a camp and kooky entry into the genre. Vincent Price is excellent in all three of his fairly contrasting roles and one could certainly see this film as a major piece of evidence when attempting to ascertain just how great and diverse a performer the late Mr. Price actually was. Roger Corman's directorial lavishness served to give the entire a movie a certain air of pomposity that lacked from some of his previous efforts and the varying directorial styles that Corman utilised throughout the film are the most prominent reason for the enjoyability of the movie.

    In the first segment, entitled ‘Morella', Vincent Price stars as Locke, a man traumatised to the point of insanity following the death of his wife (Leona Gage). Locke blames the early passing of his wife solely on his daughter Lenora (Maggie Pierce) and is therefore unimpressed and enraged when she shows up at his door twenty-six years since he last saw her. However, the relationship between the two starts to grow strong, before events take a horrifying turn. Easily the most solemn and horrific of the three stories, ‘Morella' is unfortunately too short a segment for one to really enjoy the production. It seems that Corman preferred to concentrate the majority of the segment solely on the relationship between Lenora and her father, thus leaving the ending scenes looking rushed and the viewer to feel rather unsatisfied. That is not to say the story itself is not entertaining, it just does not appear to have fulfilled its potential. Good performances, some magnificent (albeit brief) haunting scenarios and a frightful image of a decomposed corpse are the highlights to this segment and certainly help to save it from the problems with pacing.

    The following segment is far more corny and amusing. Entitled ‘The Black Cat', this story follows the drunk, cat-hating Montressor (Peter Lorre) who during one of his less sober moments, challenges Vincent Price's wine-critic character of Fortunato to a wine-tasting contest and shortly Montressor begins to wish the two had never met. This segment seems so far removed from the opening segment that one could be forgiven for thinking they were watching a different movie. ‘The Black Cat' takes a far more light-hearted tone as the entire segment is laced with camp humour – particularly the facial expressions and general mannerisms of Vincent Price during the wine-tasting contest. This is a far more extravagant Vincent than we had previously seen. Despite one or two dramatic moments of tension and suspense, the segment never really sends any chills down the spine and is quite obviously present mainly for comedy value. It is in this story that Corman primarily chooses to utilise camera effects and visual trickery to set the mood, which is usually to enhance the humorous aspects of the film, such as during the wine-tasting contest where the effects are obviously used to show the increasing state of Montressor's intoxication. Even a hallucinatory sequence where Vincent Price's character plays with a severed head has an undeniable camp, comic charm. All in all, this segment is fun but far from truly horrifying.

    The final segment, called ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar', stars Vincent Price as a terminally ill man receiving pain relief through a form of hypnosis. Valdemar (Price) agrees to be hypnotised at the point of death by Carmichael (Basil Rathbone), much to the dismay and disgust of Valdemar's wife (Debra Paget) and physician Elliot James (David Frankham). Unlike the first segment, this one suffers by moving too slowly. Corman does an excellent job of building the tension where required, but he seems to take a rather lethargic approach to moving the story along. Performances from the entire cast were excellent and are the main positive aspect to the segment. Overall, this seems a fitting way to end the film and features one particularly gruesome scene. Just like the previous two segments, the story never really seems to fulfil its potential but can hardly be described as poor.

    Generally, the film is entertaining despite the pacing problems and intermittent moments of overabundant camp humour. Horror fans should not go into this movie expecting a serious fright fest. Instead it is best to view when ready to see some great performances from Vincent Price in three rather differing types of story. Excluding a couple of scenes, one should not find anything horrifying about this film, but should find multiple amusing aspects and a jolly good time. My rating for ‘Tales of Terror' – 7/10.
    helpful•17
    2
    • Snake-666
    • Apr 25, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 18, 1962 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Terror
    • Filming locations
      • Virginia, USA
    • Production company
      • Alta Vista Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,270,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Halloween 2019: Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe Cycle Feels Like October
    Oct 30DailyDead
    Horror Highlights: Sid Haig Receives Price Award, ScareHouse’s The Scream District Attraction, New Collection Complete Episode, Eternal Code
    Aug 14DailyDead

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, and Debra Paget in Tales of Terror (1962)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Tales of Terror (1962) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.