The Haunted Palace: Hey! You Got Your Lovecraft in My Poe!

I have an awful, terrible confession to make. I love Poe with all my heart. Whenever I re-read him, I find something new, and I continue to be amazed by the depth of his work. That's not much of a confession for a confessed lover of the dark and devourer of the fantastic, but the truth is the films based on Poe by Roger Corman , which are considered classics, leave me cold.

The main reason is that I feel that a literal adaptation of Poe is impossible and I also feel that Poe's Single Effect is perfect for a solo reading experience, but fails when filtered through someone else's vision. I looked forward to seeing Corman's THE MASQUE OF RED DEATH and THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER; however, I found the former too padded and laughable, and the latter pretty but dull.

Warily, I approached this adaptation. Of course, knowing that only the title of the poem and the setting of a ruined palace were the only Poe-tic things involved eased my discomfort. This is, as everyone interested probably knows, actually a version of Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward".  Since I respect his ability to create a sense of unease, but I do not really like Lovecraft as an author, I had an easier time of accepting this.

The story commences with a dabbler in the black arts being torched by Arkham villagers because of his unwholesome use of the local girls and (it's hinted) possible breeding of the same girls with some THING from beyond. The wizard Joseph Curwen (Vincent Price) manages to curse the townfolk before becoming the world's hammiest tiki torch.

Now, we flash-forward, because it's fun, a hundred years or so and find Charles Dexter Ward (that master of disguise Vincent Price) and his wife Ann (the classically lovely Debra Paget) have come to town to claim Ward's inheritance the Palace, the HAUNTED PALACE! So, it turns out that the townsfolk hold a grudge and fear Curwen's curse. They, of course, think that Ward is Curwen come to wreak vengeance and, you know what, they are right. The film follows the attempts by various townfolk to rid themselves of the curse and the descendant. Curwen's cohorts, including Lon Chaney Jr., are also trying to bring Curwen back to continue his ill-defined work.

Plot is sometimes the hobgoblin of crummy horror movies, and, in this case, the filmmakers layer on the atmosphere. In fact, this movie moves forward with no discernable urgency, yet it remains gripping even with stretches in which nothing really happens. This atmosphere includes a scene of Ward and Ann being menaced (Well, they walk toward them.) by a group of eyeless and mouthless folk. This scene should appeal to those who loved DAGON. There is also some business with a thing in the  basement of one of the ancestors of the righteous fire bugs from the film's prologue that pays off nicely.

Ultimately, the script by Charles Beaumont and the direction of Roger Corman combine to create a satisfying if dishonest adaptation. The mood is palpable and the dialogue is rarely laughable.

RIDDLE ME THIS (Why does it hurt?)

When did Van Gogh go through his paint-by-numbers period? (Check out the painting of Curwen.)

Was Lon Chaney drunk?

Did he share?

Did the makers of HOBGOBLIN aspire to the 1963 era special effects on display here?

Would Stuart Gordon's THE HAUNTED PALACE feature Ken Foree in bondage gear?

If you have no mouth but must scream, do you get a handicapped parking spot?


On a watchability scale I give it three stars out of five. It is an accomplished and interesting old fashioned yarn with a surprisingly downbeat final freeze. Enjoy it like a sweet treat.