Rating: 
Summary: Laugh Yourself To Death
Review: A wonderful AIP double-feature comedy bill, starring some of horror filmdom's most colorful and famous names. Veteran horror screenwriter Richard Matheson scripted both of these comic gems, enabling Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone to display their lesser-seen funnier sides.The Raven is the lesser of the two, but none the less enjoyable for that. Price plays retired 15th Century sorceror Erasmus Craven, whose lost love - "that rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore (Hazel Court)" - is being held in the clutches of evil old rival sorceror Dr. Scarabus (Karloff). The alcoholic Dr. Adolphus Bedlo (Lorre) has been transformed into a raven by the selfsame Dr. Scarabus, and tips off Craven as to Lenore's whereabouts in hopes of a little personal revenge. Bedlo's inept nephew, Rexford (Jack Nicholson), comes along for the ride. Lorre improvised a great deal of his dialogue, bringing an added freshness to the already sparkling script. Price was always at his best in comedy, and it shows here. Nicholson is fairly sappy and silly in his role, which is no offense to him since the character is supposed to be those things. Karloff plainly had a ball, like the others, satirizing his own cinematic image. The production is colorful tongue-in-cheek fluff, and well worth the time, especially for horror fans. The Comedy of Terrors is simply brilliant, Matheson's revamping of real old-school meller-drammers like "The Drunkard." Price is alcoholic funeral director Waldo Trumbull, who with blackmailed bankrobber assistant Felix Gillie (Lorre) adds to the family coffers by occasionally drumming-up his own business - by means of suffocating some of the older townspeople with a pillow while they sleep, and then being Johnny-on-the-spot to offer his funeral services. Trumbull seized the undertaking business from senile aging old fool Mr. Hinchley (Karloff) by marrying his talentless aspiring operatic singer daughter Amaryllis (Joyce Jameson), and then proceeded to run it into the ground ("Where else?" as he wryly observes). He's so cheap that he's used the same coffin for thirteen years, simply dumping the bodies in their graves after every service and taking the box back home with him after. Now, having drunk-up the business profits for the umpteenth time, and finding himself about to be evicted for a year's rent in arrears, Trumbull has induced Felix to assist him in getting rid of the rich landlord (Basil Rathbone), who madly quotes Macbeth while being dispatched. Unfortunately for Trumbull and Felix, Rathbone is a cataleptic, who keeps coming back no matter how many times they "kill" him. Making already absurd situations all the more ridiculous - and laugh out loud funny - Felix is secretly madly in love with blonde bombshell Amaryllis, and wants her to run away with him. Every line in Comedy of Terrors is imminently quotable, and very funny. The script is tight, sharp and clean. The production is very theatrical and quite gorgeous, coming off as an especially good stage play. The music score is excellent, and Jacques Tourneur's direction superior. The cast obviously had a ball doing this one, and it's fortunate they all got a chance to get it on film before most of them died. This script is so good, anyone could do it - but of course it's all that much better because of the personages involved. These two are winners, Comedy of Terrors especially, and well worth the "Price."
Rating:
Summary: Laugh Yourself To Death
Review: A wonderful AIP double-feature comedy bill, starring some of horror filmdom's most colorful and famous names. Veteran horror screenwriter Richard Matheson scripted both of these comic gems, enabling Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone to display their lesser-seen funnier sides. The Raven is the lesser of the two, but none the less enjoyable for that. Price plays retired 15th Century sorceror Erasmus Craven, whose lost love - "that rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore (Hazel Court)" - is being held in the clutches of evil old rival sorceror Dr. Scarabus (Karloff). The alcoholic Dr. Adolphus Bedlo (Lorre) has been transformed into a raven by the selfsame Dr. Scarabus, and tips off Craven as to Lenore's whereabouts in hopes of a little personal revenge. Bedlo's inept nephew, Rexford (Jack Nicholson), comes along for the ride. Lorre improvised a great deal of his dialogue, bringing an added freshness to the already sparkling script. Price was always at his best in comedy, and it shows here. Nicholson is fairly sappy and silly in his role, which is no offense to him since the character is supposed to be those things. Karloff plainly had a ball, like the others, satirizing his own cinematic image. The production is colorful tongue-in-cheek fluff, and well worth the time, especially for horror fans. The Comedy of Terrors is simply brilliant, Matheson's revamping of real old-school meller-drammers like "The Drunkard." Price is alcoholic funeral director Waldo Trumbull, who with blackmailed bankrobber assistant Felix Gillie (Lorre) adds to the family coffers by occasionally drumming-up his own business - by means of suffocating some of the older townspeople with a pillow while they sleep, and then being Johnny-on-the-spot to offer his funeral services. Trumbull seized the undertaking business from senile aging old fool Mr. Hinchley (Karloff) by marrying his talentless aspiring operatic singer daughter Amaryllis (Joyce Jameson), and then proceeded to run it into the ground ("Where else?" as he wryly observes). He's so cheap that he's used the same coffin for thirteen years, simply dumping the bodies in their graves after every service and taking the box back home with him after. Now, having drunk-up the business profits for the umpteenth time, and finding himself about to be evicted for a year's rent in arrears, Trumbull has induced Felix to assist him in getting rid of the rich landlord (Basil Rathbone), who madly quotes Macbeth while being dispatched. Unfortunately for Trumbull and Felix, Rathbone is a cataleptic, who keeps coming back no matter how many times they "kill" him. Making already absurd situations all the more ridiculous - and laugh out loud funny - Felix is secretly madly in love with blonde bombshell Amaryllis, and wants her to run away with him. Every line in Comedy of Terrors is imminently quotable, and very funny. The script is tight, sharp and clean. The production is very theatrical and quite gorgeous, coming off as an especially good stage play. The music score is excellent, and Jacques Tourneur's direction superior. The cast obviously had a ball doing this one, and it's fortunate they all got a chance to get it on film before most of them died. This script is so good, anyone could do it - but of course it's all that much better because of the personages involved. These two are winners, Comedy of Terrors especially, and well worth the "Price."
Rating:
Summary: A pair of Richard Matheson written comedy thrillers
Review: Director Roger Corman figured that the Poe adaptations he had been making at American International starting with "House of Usher" had pretty much run its course, so in a final masterstroke he decided to start playing up the humor. The result might be more like "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" than "The Pit and the Pendulum," but you have to admit "The Raven" is one of the best comedy-thrillers ever made. Even though Corman did not do "The Comedy of Terrors," it is a fitting counterpart to "The Raven" because not only do you have the same veteran horror actors in both films, but because writer Richard Matheson wrote both scripts. Matheson wrote the best of the AI films and deserves to be considered one of the best scripters of horror films of all time. "The Comedy of Terrors" has a very simple premise. Vincent Price plays Waldo Trumbull, an undertaker who has not been getting any business so he decides to make some for himself by bumping off rich people. Also along for the fun are Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone, who tend to throw in a lot of Shakespeare quotes in the proceedings (Matheson wrote the whole script in blank verse). Lorre is Price's assistant and Karloff plays the senile father of Price's wife (Joyce Jameson). Joe E. Brown shows up to play the cemetery keeper as well (anybody remember when he played Shakespeare in 1935's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?). The film, also known as "The Graveyard Story," is directed by Jacques Tourneur, who first made a name for himself with "Cat People" when he headed the horror unit at RKO. Still, many viewers will be surprised that this was not a Corman film and, indeed, he seems to be the only one of the usual cast of suspects not involved in the film. The end result is pretty funny, especially when the boys are trying to keep Rathbone's "MacBeth" quoting John F. Black in his coffin. Some people will be grossly offended by these comic hijinxs, but those people should already know that going in and can just avoid this DVD. "The Raven" begins "straight" with Dr. Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) intoning Poe's poem, to an actual raven. But then the raven responds on cue...with Peter Lorre's voice! It turns out the raven is really another magician, Dr. Bedlo, who has been victimized by Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff). Craven turns Bedlo back into a human, and Bedlo agrees to help Craven find his beloved Lenore (Hazel Court). Going along on the journey are Craven's daughter (Olive Sturgess) and Bedlo's son (Jack Nicholson--this explains a lot, huh?). The film's climax is an epic magical duel between Price and Karloff (why even bother with the characters' names anymore?), where the two sorcerers keep trying to top each other. Ultimately the credit for this one goes mainly to the script from Matheson. This is another one of those early films with Nicholson that must have been a great source of embarrassment to him once upon a time, but Price, Karloff and Lorre are having so much fun hamming it up in this one that you have little choice but to enjoy the indignities heaped upon the future Oscar winner. This 1963 film, which came out a year before "The Comedy of Terrors," should not be confused with the film with the same name Karloff made in 1935, although they would certainly make a rather obvious double-bill for a Saturday night.
Rating:
Summary: The 3 Kings of Horror in 2 great films on 1 perfect DVD
Review: Finnally, THE RAVEN is on DVD. And it is with my fave movie, THE COMEDY OF TERRORS. I am a collector of the Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe DVD's (With the exception of THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES and DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN) and I was looking for THE RAVEN, which is an outstanding motion picture. THE COMEDY OF TERRORS is probbly the best comedy that Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, and Vincent Price have ever been in. Belive me, this is well worth the wait and the price is worth it. Definitly get this movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Chills and chuckles from MGM
Review: Historical interest alone would have been enough to make me purchase this double-feature DVD; after all, though officially considered "low budget", in one film we get to see Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Basil Rathbone, and in the other film we get Price, Lorre, Karloff, and a young Jack Nicholson! What I'm happy to report is that these excellently re-mastered movies go well beyond historical interest and deliver loads of good entertainment. Myself, I found "The Comedy of Terrors" to be the more successful of the two, as it was genuinely very funny (with the extra kick that the actors being very funny aren't usually noted for their comedic talents). Also, you have to love a movie that centers around an undertaker who, when things are slow, creates new business by murdering people. "The Raven" was fun also, though it loses a point or two in my book for not even trying to include anything from the original Poe poem aside from there being a raven in the film for a little while, and the word "nevermore" being used at the end of the movie as a punchline. Still, it's a fairly engaging and humorous story about two wizards battling it out for the title of sorcerer supreme or some such prize. Finally, MGM is to be commended for including two brief but enlightening "making of/behind the scenes" pieces with each of these films, both of which finally let us see and hear the great Richard Matheson discuss his screenplay work on these and other movies. He still looks pretty good, by the way, for a guy who has been writing teleplays and screenplays seemingly forever.
Rating:
Summary: Horror veterans show their campy style!
Review: I once knew an undertaker, and he was the funniest guy (he said his way of handling the pressures of the job was through humour). Maybe the same can be said of actors playing undertakers. In this case some of the horror legends, getting a chance to step out of their usual persona and campy their way through riotous fun. This movie had such a powerhouse of talent, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, and Boris Karloff, each a true film legend, but also with horror great director Jacques Tourneur and screenplay from Richard Matheson. They gang together to make one of the funniest tales. Price is Waldo Trumbull, husband to buxom Amaryllis (Joyce Jameson) and son-in-law to Amos Hinchley (Karloff). Waldo married Amaryllis to get his hands on the family undertaking business - but business has been pretty thin. The owner of the building John F. Black (Rathbone) is planning on evicting him. So Waldo decides to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak - do in Rathbone and collect for his funeral. Only, the Shakespeare quoting, cataleptic Rathbone is not so easily killed. Father in-law is losing it, and Waldo goes around trying to get him to take his "medicine" which is poison. Lorre is Felix Gillie, Waldo's sidekick - and Waldo the grouch really takes the term too literal. Poor Felix is really in love with Amaryllis, who wanted to be an opera singer (maybe in another life?) but married Waldo. Waldo cannot stand her singing, but then no one except Felix likes her singing. It is great to see the Horror Legends having such great fun. Toss in Joe E. Brown as the graveyard attendant and one nutty cat, it is a black comedy at it's best. Karloff eulogy is a howl! A must for any fan of these great actors! _________________________ The second romp has Karloff and Price playing rival wizards that are headed for a showdown. Directed by horror quickie Roger Corman and once again scripted by Richard Matheson, it is a riot as the two wizards play a game of one upmanship. This film was so funny, because Price and Corman had been working their way through Poe's tales, so it was great to see one done with tongue firmly through cheek. What for a very young Jack Nicholson in the cast. A great double feature!
Rating:
Summary: Horror veterans show their campy style!
Review: I once knew an undertaker, and he was the funniest guy (he said his way of handling the pressures of the job was through humour). Maybe the same can be said of actors playing undertakers. In this case some of the horror legends, getting a chance to step out of their usual persona and campy their way through riotous fun. This movie had such a powerhouse of talent, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, and Boris Karloff, each a true film legend, but also with horror great director Jacques Tourneur and screenplay from Richard Matheson. They gang together to make one of the funniest tales. Price is Waldo Trumbull, husband to buxom Amaryllis (Joyce Jameson) and son-in-law to Amos Hinchley (Karloff). Waldo married Amaryllis to get his hands on the family undertaking business - but business has been pretty thin. The owner of the building John F. Black (Rathbone) is planning on evicting him. So Waldo decides to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak - do in Rathbone and collect for his funeral. Only, the Shakespeare quoting, cataleptic Rathbone is not so easily killed. Father in-law is losing it, and Waldo goes around trying to get him to take his "medicine" which is poison. Lorre is Felix Gillie, Waldo's sidekick - and Waldo the grouch really takes the term too literal. Poor Felix is really in love with Amaryllis, who wanted to be an opera singer (maybe in another life?) but married Waldo. Waldo cannot stand her singing, but then no one except Felix likes her singing. It is great to see the Horror Legends having such great fun. Toss in Joe E. Brown as the graveyard attendant and one nutty cat, it is a black comedy at it's best. Karloff eulogy is a howl! A must for any fan of these great actors! _________________________ The second romp has Karloff and Price playing rival wizards that are headed for a showdown. Directed by horror quickie Roger Corman and once again scripted by Richard Matheson, it is a riot as the two wizards play a game of one upmanship. This film was so funny, because Price and Corman had been working their way through Poe's tales, so it was great to see one done with tongue firmly through cheek. What for a very young Jack Nicholson in the cast. A great double feature!
Rating: 
Summary: You'll scream... with laughter!!
Review: THE RAVEN (USA 1963): During the 15th century, an evil sorceror (Boris Karloff) lures his arch rival (Vincent Price) to a lonely castle where they fight a magical duel to the death... Handsomely mounted on some of the most lavish sets ever created for AIP's Poe series, THE RAVEN toplines Price, Karloff and Peter Lorre for the first time in their careers, alongside a very young Jack Nicholson (making the most of a juvenile supporting role). Richard Matheson's clever script turns the faux seriousness of earlier Poe pictures on its head, countering Price's overwrought histrionics with a series of rude rejoinders from Lorre, who relishes his role as a cowardly magician whose divided loyalties place everyone around him in danger. The movie's visual impact is inevitably diminished on TV, but Price and Karloff are worthy adversaries, and their climactic duel is one of the most celebrated set-pieces in horror movie history, despite some fairly obvious trick-work. Floyd Crosby's expansive cinematography and Daniel Haller's 'olde worlde' set designs conspire to render a suitably Gothic atmosphere, though the movie derives most of its strength from the quality of its dialogue and performances. Directed by Roger Corman. THE COMEDY OF TERRORS (USA 1963): The proprietor of a debt-ridden funeral parlor (Price) seeks to drum up a little business by resorting to murder, but one of his 'victims' (Basil Rathbone) turns out to be cataleptic and refuses to lie down and die... Eager to re-team their 'triumverate of terror' following the unexpected commercial success of THE RAVEN, AIP assembled Price, Lorre and Karloff for this second helping of macabre black comedy, adding Rathbone to an already potent brew and hiring much of the same creative personnel behind the camera, including Crosby and future director Haller (THE DUNWICH HORROR). In fact, Rathbone - who must have been insulted by his 'also starring' credit way down the cast list (behind even fleeting guest star Joe E. Brown and 'Rhubarb' the cat!) in the opening titles - steals the picture from his high-profile co-stars, playing the dotty, Shakespeare-spouting owner of Price's funeral parlor whose verbal gymnastics alone are worth the price of admission (he warns Price and his cohorts they "face the incommodious prospect of taking up residence in the street" if they don't pay their hefty rent arrears!). In fact, Richard Matheson's tongue-in-cheek script is a marvel of wordplay, though the comedy is fairly bleak in places: Price plays a sarcastic, bad-tempered drunk who lords it over his hapless assistant (Lorre) and treats his untalented, opera-loving wife (Joyce Jameson) with open contempt, whilst also relishing the various murders he's committed over the years in order to sustain his fortunes. Karloff sits on the sidelines for the most part, consigned to a chair due to ill health, but he makes the most of what he's given, and he plays a crucial role in the climactic sequence, which closes proceedings on a note of pitch black humor. Fans of lowbrow comedy will be especially amused by the devastation wrought whenever Jameson launches into one of her operatic arias! An ultra-professional production team - under the direction of Val Lewton protege Jacques Tourneur - performs minor miracles on a clearly impoverished budget, and Crosby's gleaming cinematography makes a virtue of Haller's minimalist production design. Watch out for Rathbone's scene-stealing catch-phrase: "What place... is this?!" The movies are placed on either side of MGM's double-sided DVD, a region 1 release. Both were filmed in widescreen Panavision, and they're letterboxed at approx. 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced), which will be a revelation to anyone who's only ever seen the pan-scan TV versions. However, there appears to be some evidence of cropping on both films, with tops of heads constantly cut off by the upper matte, and a disclaimer on the packaging also suggests THE RAVEN has been 'musically edited', though this appears to be untrue (MGM has made similar claims on several other discs which have been completely intact, such as DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN). However, part of THE RAVEN's soundtrack is muffled by an audible hissing sound, beginning about fifteen minutes into the picture and lasting for some time afterward. Also, THE COMEDY OF TERRORS has lost a crucial shot at 49:17 - accidentally omitted during the DVD mastering process - which spoils the climax of a gag involving Price, Lorre and the indignant occupant of a coffin! Sound format on both movies is 2.0 mono, and English captions and subtitles have been provided. Extras include brief interviews with Matheson and Corman (both of which go a long way toward explaining some of the artistic decisions which made these films what they are), lighthearted trailers, and a promotional recording - originally issued on vinyl - for THE RAVEN, featuring fresh material recorded by Lorre and Karloff. THE COMEDY OF TERRORS runs 82m 41s on disc, and THE RAVEN runs 85m 43s, not including the MGM logos which open and close the video prints and weren't part of the original films.
Rating:
Summary: You'll scream... with laughter!!
Review: THE RAVEN (USA 1963): During the 15th century, an evil sorceror (Boris Karloff) lures his arch rival (Vincent Price) to a lonely castle where they fight a magical duel to the death... Handsomely mounted on some of the most lavish sets ever created for AIP's Poe series, THE RAVEN toplines Price, Karloff and Peter Lorre for the first time in their careers, alongside a very young Jack Nicholson (making the most of a juvenile supporting role). Richard Matheson's clever script turns the faux seriousness of earlier Poe pictures on its head, countering Price's overwrought histrionics with a series of rude rejoinders from Lorre, who relishes his role as a cowardly magician whose divided loyalties place everyone around him in danger. The movie's visual impact is inevitably diminished on TV, but Price and Karloff are worthy adversaries, and their climactic duel is one of the most celebrated set-pieces in horror movie history, despite some fairly obvious trick-work. Floyd Crosby's expansive cinematography and Daniel Haller's 'olde worlde' set designs conspire to render a suitably Gothic atmosphere, though the movie derives most of its strength from the quality of its dialogue and performances. Directed by Roger Corman. THE COMEDY OF TERRORS (USA 1963): The proprietor of a debt-ridden funeral parlor (Price) seeks to drum up a little business by resorting to murder, but one of his 'victims' (Basil Rathbone) turns out to be cataleptic and refuses to lie down and die... Eager to re-team their 'triumverate of terror' following the unexpected commercial success of THE RAVEN, AIP assembled Price, Lorre and Karloff for this second helping of macabre black comedy, adding Rathbone to an already potent brew and hiring much of the same creative personnel behind the camera, including Crosby and future director Haller (THE DUNWICH HORROR). In fact, Rathbone - who must have been insulted by his 'also starring' credit way down the cast list (behind even fleeting guest star Joe E. Brown and 'Rhubarb' the cat!) in the opening titles - steals the picture from his high-profile co-stars, playing the dotty, Shakespeare-spouting owner of Price's funeral parlor whose verbal gymnastics alone are worth the price of admission (he warns Price and his cohorts they "face the incommodious prospect of taking up residence in the street" if they don't pay their hefty rent arrears!). In fact, Richard Matheson's tongue-in-cheek script is a marvel of wordplay, though the comedy is fairly bleak in places: Price plays a sarcastic, bad-tempered drunk who lords it over his hapless assistant (Lorre) and treats his untalented, opera-loving wife (Joyce Jameson) with open contempt, whilst also relishing the various murders he's committed over the years in order to sustain his fortunes. Karloff sits on the sidelines for the most part, consigned to a chair due to ill health, but he makes the most of what he's given, and he plays a crucial role in the climactic sequence, which closes proceedings on a note of pitch black humor. Fans of lowbrow comedy will be especially amused by the devastation wrought whenever Jameson launches into one of her operatic arias! An ultra-professional production team - under the direction of Val Lewton protege Jacques Tourneur - performs minor miracles on a clearly impoverished budget, and Crosby's gleaming cinematography makes a virtue of Haller's minimalist production design. Watch out for Rathbone's scene-stealing catch-phrase: "What place... is this?!" The movies are placed on either side of MGM's double-sided DVD, a region 1 release. Both were filmed in widescreen Panavision, and they're letterboxed at approx. 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced), which will be a revelation to anyone who's only ever seen the pan-scan TV versions. However, there appears to be some evidence of cropping on both films, with tops of heads constantly cut off by the upper matte, and a disclaimer on the packaging also suggests THE RAVEN has been 'musically edited', though this appears to be untrue (MGM has made similar claims on several other discs which have been completely intact, such as DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN). However, part of THE RAVEN's soundtrack is muffled by an audible hissing sound, beginning about fifteen minutes into the picture and lasting for some time afterward. Also, THE COMEDY OF TERRORS has lost a crucial shot at 49:17 - accidentally omitted during the DVD mastering process - which spoils the climax of a gag involving Price, Lorre and the indignant occupant of a coffin! Sound format on both movies is 2.0 mono, and English captions and subtitles have been provided. Extras include brief interviews with Matheson and Corman (both of which go a long way toward explaining some of the artistic decisions which made these films what they are), lighthearted trailers, and a promotional recording - originally issued on vinyl - for THE RAVEN, featuring fresh material recorded by Lorre and Karloff. THE COMEDY OF TERRORS runs 82m 41s on disc, and THE RAVEN runs 85m 43s, not including the MGM logos which open and close the video prints and weren't part of the original films.
Rating:
Summary: Two Great Dark Comedies
Review: These are two of my favorite movies. A perfect blend of classic horror and comedy. Both movies star the amazing Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. If you like any of these actors or good comedy with your horror films then you will love this disc. Also, Tales of Terror has The Black Cat which is also a dark comedy, although a bit more dark. The chemistry between Peter Lorre and Vincent Price will not disappoint. Keep the faith, dExtrosien
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