House of Usher (1960)

American International Pictures presents the first Edgar Allan Poe-Roger Corman horror film. For being a low budget affair, the film is very atmospheric and stylish. Some young pup (fiance of the Usher sister) comes to the Usher household to visit but runs into trouble when the mysterious Usher Roderick gives him a hard time. While Vincent Price gives a hammy but delicious performance as Rod, the supporting cast is nothing to write home about. The young Mark Damon's acting gets pretty sloppy especially towards the end ("TELL ME!"). The film's pacing is slow and drags a bit despite having a very slim 79 minute runtime. The costumes, set design, atmosphere, and garish but limited effects work were all pretty impressive for what little budget Corman was working with, but ultimately I felt the characters and writing fell flat (my apologies to Richard Matheson). The meatiest part of the film is the fiery climax, but the final scene plus the slick production design just doesn't quite succeed in holding the film up. I'd recommend this one for Vincent Price or Roger Corman enthusiasts and that's about it.

6/10

Haunted Palace, The (1963)

From B-movie production company American International comes The Haunted Palace (1963), directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price. Based on the HP Lovecraft novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, The Haunted Palace is chock full of delicious gothic set pieces and some great necromantic sorcery. What stood out immediately was the color palette: bright blues and dingy browns but most distinctively was the hint of brilliant, sickly green that just oozes evil. Vincent Price gives a performance that is somewhere between pure evil and hammy (he seems quite comfortable with those kind of roles). Debra Paget is gorgeous as his wife. The supporting cast includes mediocre performances from Lon Chaney Jr. and Elijah Cook Jr, among others. Surprisingly, the budget doesn't show through much. Corman maintains an ominous atmosphere and peppers in a few nice shock moments. The film dragged a bit towards the end, but it's definitely worth a watch.

7/10

Dead Heat (1988)

Imagine a buddy cop action movie. Imagine it with zombies. Now imagine one of the buddy cops is also a zombie. Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo (gag!) star in exactly that. The film makes up for its low production values with charm, energy, and creativity abound by throwing in really fun and funny action scenes, an interesting plot, a cameo by Vincent Price, and some inspired (but not necessarily good) special effects. The film is directed by the excellent editor Mark Goldblatt (editor of such greats as The Terminator, Commando, T2, and Starship Troopers). If you've got 80 minutes to kill, Dead Heat is loads of fun.

7/10

Last Man on Earth, The (1964)

Mediocre low-budget horror film based on Matheson's I Am Legend. The plague causes the humans to turn into creatures that have many properties of vampires, the physical ability of zombies, and mental prowess slightly above that of typical zombies (they can talk). Interesting premise but the quality of the film is generally marred by the lack of budget and poor dubbing. None of the characters seem to do anything with much conviction. Even when they are hammering stakes or swinging clubs they look like limp noodles. Skip it unless you're a die-hard Vincent Price fan.

4/10