1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- The Masque of the Red Death

#434- The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Starring: Vincent Price, Hazel Court, Jane Asher
Directed by: Roger Corman


Plot Summary: Prince Prospero visits a village and is angrily confronted by two hungry peasants and sentences them to death. Their lives are begged to be spared by the virtuous Francesca, for these two men are Lodovico, her father and Gino, her lover. Whilst making a decision, Prospero discovers that the village could be infected by the deadly plague known as the Red Death. He orders the village to be burned down and takes Francesca, Gino, and Lodovico to his castle. Despite the recent events, Prospero plans to have a grand masquerade ball, where he has instructed no one can wear the color red. During her time in the castle, Francesca discovers a room and something truly shocking, that Prince Prospero and his mistress Juliana are involved in satanic rituals.


Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has spent their day adorning a costume that is either haunting or hilarious, has enjoyed buckets filled with their favorite candies, and has had the opportunity to binge watch as many horror films as they can muster. But, I hope you have room for one more. With so many options to do for a Halloween review, I decided to go for a triple dose of terror. The Masque of the Red Death is a film starring horror icon Vincent Price, directed by famed horror director Roger Corman, and based on a short story by the legendary Edgar Allen Poe. With a combination like that, of course the film is going to be worth a watch for all horror fans, but there are some things about it that may surprise you.

Horror icon Vincent Price stars as Prince Prospero. It's easy to see why Price was a titan of terror back in the day. His voice is just so powerful and unique. I always knew that Vincent Price had one of those legendary screen voices and hearing it in a horror film on Halloween gives me chills with how well it works. It's hard to describe but there's something so sinister about how Price's voice that it belongs in a horror film. So it's quite possible that Price could go down as the voice of fear for an entire generation. Prospero is definitely a fascinating character to follow because he does so many detestable things, but is still full of charisma and charm thanks to Price's star power.

Roger Corman certainly knew how to keep an audience captivated visually. Each scene in this picture looks like a work of art. The sets and costumes are so lavish, that they give instant credibility to Prospero's royal position and give off such a vibrant and elegant tone to the scenes. Even the opening scenes of the plague-filled village have so much detail in authenticity that it's extremely easy to immerse yourself in the surroundings. With a lot of the plot focused on the masquerade ball, the ball needed to have a grand scale in order for there to be a proper payoff, and the film does not disappoint. It's certainly one of the grandest balls I've ever seen on film (I meant a DANCE, get your mind out of the gutter.)

The Masque of the Red Death is based on a short story by Edgar Allen Poe, but you might find trouble comparing the film to the story. Most of Poe's stories are short in length, so one wonders how Corman would be able to turn it into a feature length film. Here's the simple answer: add to it. All you have to do is go to a movie theater and see an advertisement for a film starring Vincent Price and based on Poe's work and you're immediately sold. Then the film begins, and it takes you somewhere entirely different. Only until the very end do you encounter a narrative that resembles Poe's story, the rest is stuff added on and some of it resembles Poe's other story Hop Frog. I'm certain that the film's inclusion of devil worship probably shocked and surprised a lot of people, but that's where this film has significance. You go into it expecting something simple, and you are given something much more complex that compels you to go through the film until the very end.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

With an ending I dare not spoil, The Masque of the Red Death proves that there is much more to the horror genre than monsters and serial killers. Vincent Price and Roger Corman do an excellent job of adding to the folklore established by Edgar Allen Poe and bring forth a chilling tale that all horror fans should see at least once. So take this time, as Halloween is coming to a close, to watch the film and have one last haunting image fill your dreams (or nightmares) on this evening (cue the evil laughter from the end of Thriller...as voiced by Vincent Price).

The Masque of the Red Death and movie images are copyrighted by American International Pictures