Événement

The Masque of the Red Death screening at Vincentennial

The Masque of the Red Death
Roger Corman, 1964, 89 min.; presented in 35mm, with print courtesy of the Joe Dante and Jon Davison Collection at the Academy Film Archive
Vincent Price stars as evil 12th-century Italian Prince Prospero in this juicy tale of sadism and Satanism. A deadly plague decimates the countryside, but Prospero believes that he's safely locked away in his castle, passing the time by dreaming up fiendish ways of entertaining his guests and tormenting his prisoners. The most challenging and visually creative entry in the Price-Corman Poe cycle, "The Masque of the Red Death" features a script by "Twilight Zone" veteran Charles Beaumont, creative cinematography by future director Nicolas Roeg, and sets recycled from "Beckett." Vincentennial guest of honor Roger Corman cites "Masque" as his personal favorite of his eight collaborations with Price. Variety wrote in 1964: "Vincent Price is the perfect interpreter of the Poe character and he succeeds in creating an aura of terror."

With an introduction by Roger Corman; a clip reel of career highlights; a Lifetime Achievement Award presentation; and a post-film interview with the director about his storied career, conducted by Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog.