Roger Corman's nice attempt at Edgar Allan Poe's terror tale in which evil Prince Prospero , Vincent Price , reunites at his castle a motley group of aristocrats until the creepy appearance of the Red Death. As the sadistic Prince and his sycophants trying to ignore the plague outside castle walls . As the Red Death is the deadly plague which has swept throughout villages and now menaces the besieged castle . Along the way , Prospero deals with a cunning devil and playfully murders any of his subjects not already dead of the plague . Look into this face : Shudder ...at the blood-stained dance of the Red Death! Tremble.?. To the hideous tortures of the catacombs of Kali ! Gasp .. at the sacrifice of the innocent virgin to the vengeance of Baal !

An essential and immortal masterpiece of the macabre written by Charles Beaumont , and produced in budget enough by James H Nicholson and Samuel Z Arkoff from American International Pictures . A highly stylish Roger Corman adaptation with Horror is still ever present , including eerie images , surprising scenarios and gorgeous costumes . Vincent Price gives a terrific acting , as always , by playing a sort of medieval Faust who has sold his soul to the Devil . He is accompanied by a pretty good cast , such as : Hazel Court , Jane Asher, Patrick Mcgee , David Weston , Nigel Green , and Skip Martin as a dwarf has a touching little romance revealing himself as rather a fine player . As all main and secondary cast delivering decent interpretations .There are other inferior versions about the brief novel by Poe , but pale compared to this 1964 film , such as : "Masque of Red Death" 1989 produced by Corman with Patrck Macnee , Adrian Paul , Maria Ford and "Masque of Red Death" 1990 by Alan Birkinshaw with Frank Stallone, Brenda Vaccaro, Herbert Lom.

It contains a glimmer and shining cinematography by Nicolas Roeg , subsequently a great filmmaker, being shot mostly in British studios . Thrilling and exciting musical score by David Lee. The motion picture was competently directed by horror expert Roger Corman and seven Poe adaptations , as he proved in "The Raven" , "The Terror" , "Tomb of Ligeia" , "The Haunted Palace" , "Premature Burial", "Tales of Terror" , "Tower of London" , "The Pit and the Pendulum", among others . Rating : 7/10. Better than average . Worthwhile seeing .

This is one of those movies whose reputation and stature has grown over the years, and deservedly so. From the wonderful sets and costumes that are awash in color, to the eerie and bombastic score, all the way through to the Bergman-inspired ending, this film is a classic. But towering over the direction by Corman, the set design by Haller, and the cinematography by Roeg is the performance of Vincent Price as Prospero. Here is a man who has seen the pain and evil in the world, who is a humanist in the sense that he believes that we must all be true to our natures and because of this he cannot accept that the world is ruled by a benevolent God. His friend and companion Alfredo, played by Patrick Magee, agrees with him but there are still subtle differences between them. Prospero has turned, not to what he considers evil, but to what he considers truth and understanding because he just can't believe that God would allow so much pain and misery in a world that He made - therefore, God is dead and the world is ruled by Satan. Alfredo, on the other hand, is a cruel and sadistic sycophant who is constantly on the lookout for more 'entertainment', whether thru torture or sex...or both. The inclusion of the story of Hop-Toad and the dancer is a masterstroke in that it lengthens and deepens the movie while also providing a highly deserving comeuppance to Alfredo. Jane Asher as the peasant girl, Francesca, starts by despising Prospero as a tyrant but in the ending ballroom sequence she feels pity for him, and you know that Prospero has achieved his aim with her: she is no longer innocent. See how much meaning you can wring out of a low-budget horror movie? As for the transfer, excellent with vivid colors and a strong Dolby Digital mono soundtrack. The only drawback, and it's a minor one, is that there's no commentary track from Corman - that would have been a delight. Still, this is probably one of the top ten best American horror movies ever made.

Who ever said Roger Corman is a no-good director, only capable of shooting sleazy quickies??? All the amateur-critics who live by this statement should urgently watch 'The Masque of the Red Death' and reconsider. True, Corman depended on a magnificent and professional crew here.but it remains his achieving mostly. First and foremost, the most thrilling Edgar Allen Poe short story sets the right tone. Out of his entirely brilliant oeuvre, this fable is probably the most horrifying one. The over-talented Charles Beaumont adapted this into a compelling and intense script and the wholesome is wonderfully cinematographed by Nicolas Roeg. The same Roeg who went on making cool movies himself like 'Don't Look Now' or 'Track 29' to only name a few. Last but certainly not least, the legendary Vincent Price gives away one of the most stunning performances in his rich career.

The Masque of the Red Death is the greatest and most ambitious film in Corman's Poe cycle and therefore it should get all the credit and praising it can possibly get. The atmosphere this film breathes is the most horrifying one I ever witnessed and the fable's theme is pure terror! Vincent Price is the absolute top as the wealthy servant of Satan who thinks his safely locked away in his castle while the plague of the Red Death crosses through the countryside.killing all the poor villagers. Inside the walls of his ghoulish castle (with the scariest cellars you'll ever see), Price entertains a group of rich and spoiled bastards by thinking up diabolical games and throwing eccentric parties. He's convinced that Satan protects him and that the plague of the Red Death can't do any harm. 'The Masque of Red Death' does something here that is practically unique! There where all other horror movies can't fulfill in telling a satanic tale without showing a huge amount of bloodshed, Corman's film achieves this effect easily thanks to its atmosphere, its intelligent structure and side plots, the costumes and scenery and the beautiful use of colors. There's a genius scene in which a possessed Hazel Court walks from chamber to chamber.each of them shown in a different color. In short. The Masque of Red Death belongs to the absolute top of horror cinema ever! One of the most fascinating films of the sixties and the ideal proof that horror will never see highlights like this anymore.