#30DaysofTerror #1FromTheVaults #HorrorComedy The Comedy of Terrors (1963)

Horror Comedy can either be good or bad, for the 16th day of 30 Days of Terror, I chose to talk about a classic, produced by American International Pictures and filled with a star-studded cast.

For whatever reason American International Pictures designated The Comedy of Terrors (1963) as horror comedy. I didn’t find any scary moments in this film at all. Comedy? Yes. Strange? Oh, yes. I won’t hold it against them, because this movie is fantastic. Did I mention Les Baxter did the score?

The cast is phenomenal. Not only do we get Vincent Price as Waldo Trumball, Peter Lorre is his sidekick, Felix Gillie. Their slap-stick antics are bizarre to watch, though quite entertaining. It’s nice to see actors do things they normally wouldn’t do. My favorite in this film is Rhubarb the cat playing Cleopatra the cat; do not skip the ending credits of this film you’ll miss her acting prowess.

I’m used to seeing Basil Rathbone in the serious role of Sherlock Holmes, and it’s delightful to see him in a role like this. His manic theatrics as John F. Black, Esq. are amazing. Joyce Jameson should not sing, especially opera, I thought my eardrums were going to burst with the shaking dishes; seriously, Amaryllis needs to quit singing, she’s a great screamer though. Boris Karloff plays her deaf old father, Amos Hinchley, and has some of the funniest bits in the film.

Something I love about movies in this era is the way they handled nighttime filming, they didn’t, they just put a dark filter over it like a vignette, so it’s kinda dark. Another thing that cracked me up was the way the women “acted” when they were “sleeping,” which was like horny vixen having sex dreams.

Great quotes

The Comedy of Terrors had some amazing quotes, and I’ve collected a few of the ones that stood out to me the most. Enjoy!

“Remove the carcass.” Waldo Trumball
“Everyone knows you’re dead, Mr. Black, well except for you.” Waldo Trumball
“In our one good casket, are you out of your mind?” Waldo Trumball
“For a man in his condition, he sure has a lot of energy.” Felix Gillie
“You know if Mr. Black wasn’t dead already, that note would kill him.” Girl at funeral

I give The Comedy of Terrors 5 out of 5 Stars

#30DaysofTerror #1FromTheVaults #HorrorComedy The Comedy of Terrors (1963) Click To Tweet