Charles W Jones

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...

The House of a Thousand Dolls (1967) is touted as American International Pictures sleaziest film, and I guess for the time it was, but by today’s standards it’s not. This is one of my least favorite AIP Vincent Price movies. The idea is great, but the layer of suspense isn’t as strong as their other films. The only real hardcore bit is the whipping scene, which almost came out of nowhere with this slow to climax movie. I had hoped it’d be more exciting and harsher, Price’s performance wasn’t anything special either. I guess that’s what happens when there’s so much hype, and I see it a lot with many of today’s films. If you stumble across this, go ahead and watch it, but don’t expect too much. I give this one 2 out of 5 stars.

Would you like to see one of those heads? Nora Manning House on Haunted Hill (1959) starts with screams and demented laughter, then disembodied heads floating through the air, introducing the movie and the characters, which reminded me of an Agatha Christie book. I loved it from the first sequence, how is it possible not to? This movie has the weird feeling that it’s the red-headed stepchild adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, which made this movie even more exciting for me. They put a different twist on it, so unless you’ve read it, you won’t know the differences and the similarities. Annabelle Loren hosts a dinner party, but since her husband invited the guests, she doesn’t want to join them. She thinks her husband wants to kill her, the same thought is circling her husband. The effects are the bomb, the old woman moving across the floor is my favorite. And this movie has some of the best screams, and my favorite actress is Carolyn Craig in her portrayal of N...

Vincent Price is my favorite actor, and to honor his birthday, I’ve decided to tell you about a few of his movies that I find exceptional. The simplicity of The Bat (1959) makes it strong. Even the one effect is stupendous; really, I’m not making fun of it. I wonder if they tried to get a real bat to fly around the room, and when it didn’t land on Lenita Lane like they wanted, they decided to use a rubber bat on not so invisible strings. Or, more probable, Lenita said she wouldn’t have any part of a real bat anywhere near her, Agnes, too, so they went with the Lo-Fi effect, either way, I think it’s charming. The Bat stars Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead, who I love seeing outside of Bewitched. I find it interesting that Price is billed first though his role isn’t as large as Moorehead’s; gotta love 1950s Hollywood, I bet he was paid a ton more than her too, and I’m sure it’s not much different now. The costuming for “The Bat” character is cool, and I see how it has influenced ...