The Comedy of Terrors / The Raven

"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.

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!

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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!