Spider Baby, or The Maddest Story Ever Told (1964), in which the scheming relatives are so greedy they don’t even bother waiting for the traditional reading of the will…
Theater of Blood (1973), in which Vincent Price has your ham and cheese right here, jackass!…
These Are the Damned (1961), in which Joseph Losey crams creepy sci-fi children, depressing Cold War paranoia, and rampaging gangs of teddy boys into one movie, and somehow makes it all work…
and…
A Trip to the Moon (1902), in which a bunch of impressively bearded Frenchmen shoot themselves across the interplanetary void with a big-ass cannon, and beat the crap out of explosive aliens with their umbrellas.
#1 by Blake Matthews on September 18, 2007 - 6:53 am
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In “A Trip to the Moon”, the scenes in which the scientist is vanquishing the Selenites with his umbrella look like the World’s First Video Game sequence (it practically appears to be a side-scroller). I love it.
For those of you who want to see this film: http://www.archive.org/details/Levoyagedanslalune (free download)
#2 by Keith Allison on September 18, 2007 - 9:21 am
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I think Price’s biggest problem was that his over-the-top roles were so memorable, and so artfully played (in my opinion, he knew just how over the top to go without overdoing the overdoing, if that makes any sense), that they overshadow his many other roles and, indeed, fool people into thinking all his performances were as bombastic. He’s actually quite understated and subtle in HOUSE OF USHER, and equally so, at least in part, for HAUNTED PALACE, two of my very favorite of his AIP films. And one need only look at his non horror output, especially in films like LAURA, BARON OF ARIZONA, THE LONG NIGHT, and especially pertinent to THEATRE OF BLOOD — HIS KIND OF WOMAN, where he plays a Shakespearian actor. He was fabulous in these roles, none more so than LAURA. On top of all that, he was by all accounts of the classiest, smartest, flat out coolest guys to ever work in pictures. I recall hearing a Corman interview where they were talking about a prince from some African country no one ever heard of showing up on set, and no one had any idea what to say to him until Price strolls up and engages the guy in a detailed discussion of the art history and culture of the prince’s country.
#3 by The Rev. D.D. on September 21, 2007 - 6:50 am
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Mr. Price did indeed seem to be a damn smooth customer on many levels. And I understood exactly what you meant in describing his “over the top without overdoing” comment. He had a very unique talent for that, and it is kind of a shame his other fine, less bombastic work isn’t as well known. Good call on Laura…really great stuff from him there. I’ll have to track down His Kind of Woman.
#4 by Liz Kingsley on September 21, 2007 - 5:08 pm
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I recently saw Dangerous Mission, which features another interesting early role for Vinnie. He’s one of three men who may be trying to kill Piper Laurie, who’s witnessed a gang hit in NY and run off to Glacier National Park to hide out. Another anti-TV 50s film: shot in 3D (and like most 3D films, pays a bit too much attention to shoving things, including a forest fire, into the camera and not enough to the script) and widescreen, with gorgeous locations.
#5 by maggiesmith on April 9, 2023 - 11:17 am
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I read that Lon Chaney was so impressed by the Spider Baby script that he went on the wagon for the duration of filming. Mind you, it was only a couple of weeks, but still it’s impressive.