The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

A man's obsession with his dead wife drives a wedge between him and his new bride.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Edgar Allan Poe (short story), Robert Towne (screenplay)

Stars:

Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vincent Price	...	Verden Fell
Elizabeth Shepherd	...	The Lady Rowena Trevanion / The Lady Ligeia
John Westbrook	...	Christopher Gough
Derek Francis	...	Lord Trevanion
Oliver Johnston	...	Kenrick
Richard Vernon	...	Dr. Vivian
Frank Thornton	...	Peperel
Ronald Adam	...	Minister at Graveside
Denis Gilmore	...	Livery Boy
Penelope Lee	...	Lady Rowena's Maidservant

Storyline

Some years after having buried his beloved wife Ligea, Verden Fell meets and eventually marries the lovely Lady Rowena. Fell is something of a recluse, living in a small part of a now ruined Abbey with his manservant Kenrick as the only other occupant. He remains infatuated with his late wife and is convinced that she will return to him. While all goes well when first married, he returns to his odd behavior when they return to the Abbey from their honeymoon. The memories of Ligea continue to haunt him as well as her promise that she would never die.

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Plot Keywords:

19th century | exhumation | black cat | tombstone | secret passage | 

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Taglines:

CAT or WOMAN or a Thing Too Evil to Mention?

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

House at the End of the World

Filming Locations:

Castle Acre Priory, Swaffham, Norfolk, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alta Vista Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last of Roger Corman's "Poe" series.

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Goofs

Position of Ligeia's arms when lying in bed. When Rowena fall on her her arms are in a position like holding something. Few minutes later, when Verden take a look on the bed hidden by the black curtains, their arms are in other position.

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Quotes

Verden Fell: The eyes, they confound me. There's a blankness, a mindless sort of malice in some Egyptian eyes. They do not readily yield up the mystery they hold.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Ghosts (1996)

User Reviews

Very moody and stylish.

I was asked recently if I could name any genuinely scary films made before The Exorcist in 1973. The only titles I could come up with were Rosemary's Baby and Night of the Living Dead from the late '60s. I could suggest many horror titles made before 1970, but none were genuinely flesh-crawling enough to make the list. At the time, I had not seen The Tomb of Ligeia. Now I have seen it and, wow! This is one seriously under-rated gem.

It is one of the many Roger Corman films from this era based on an Edgar Allan Poe story. Intelligently scripted by Robert Towne, and acted to perfection by Vincent Price and Elisabeth Shepherd, this film is a treat from start to finish. Shepherd plays a well-to-do lady in Victorian England who falls in love with a mysterious loner (Price) who resides in a crumbling abbey and seems haunted by memories of his previous (now-dead) wife Ligeia. She marries Price, but her chances of love are blighted by spooky happenings which may be the work of the ghost of his jealous ex-bride.

The dream sequence, featuring a dead fox hidden in a bouquet of flowers and a terrifying metamorphosis midway through a passionate kiss, is a marvellous and memorable scene. All scenes featuring the weird black cat are eerily effective. There's also a wonderfully creepy hypnotism episode. The photography is lovely, with colourful outdoor lensing of a real English abbey and superb blending of light and shadows during the ghostly indoor sequences.

So, if you're after a truly spine-tingling film from before 1970 - here you go!