Once upon a time, Roger Corman would make a series of pictures based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. One of those would be called The Haunted Palace, based upon a poem of the same name but taking just as much influence and much of the plot from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, a story by H.P. Lovecraft. If there were ever a winning combination to pull inspiration from, it would be those two celebrated authors.

With a cast that sports Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Jr. and Debra Paget among their number, Corman would have no shortage of talent to make the film as good as he possibly could and the end result would be good indeed. Tying it all together, much like every other movie he ever appeared in is Price who plays the lead both in the past and in the present, playing Joseph Curwen a warlock and a man who plays with more than fate thanks to the Necronomicon and Charles Dexter Ward in the present, Curwen’s descendent. Curwen, who is slowly taking over Ward’s body, replacing him on every level that matters, is looking to continue the work that he started all those many years ago before he was burned to death by the villagers. That work involves the kidnapping of young women and mating them with the elder gods. It is horrific stuff and the only person who can really stop Curwen is Ward, should he find the strength to.

Like his other Poe adaptations, Corman paints an eerie and atmospheric picture with this one primarily taking place within the confines of a castle. As Ward and his wife Ann, as played by Paget, arrive in Arkham, they are greeted with hostility and eventually, as they make their way to the castle on the hill that they are to call home, a strange familiarity comes over Ward. From this point on, though it remains a fairly creepy as Price’s character goes through a life-altering change, it does tend to slow down a fair bit with little happening other than a creeping dread that comes upon both Paget and the viewers as revelations are made and Ward becomes far less stable. Adding to this is the supporting cast, with Chaney adding a great bit of unease to the proceedings for he always seems to be there when one least expects him to be. As is the case with most of the movies he appeared in, Chaney would turn out to be a monster, a villain who may not be as dastardly as Price in this picture but a bad guy all the same and one can see him coming a mile away.

With all of the darkness present in the movie, there had to be just a little bit of light and that would take the form of Paget’s character Ann. Playing the classic damsel in distress, she would slowly go from loving wife to tortured woman with her husband the man behind it all. Even though Ann is rescued in the end, it does not necessarily mean a happy ending and the fact that there was not one to be found makes this film even better.

Many will cite The Pit and the Pendulum as one of Corman’s best, at least among the Poe features. Others The Raven or House of Usher and yet no matter which of the eight might be a person’s favourite, one cannot overlook The Haunted Palace as a stellar production despite any budget limitations it might have had. A perfect bit of Poe with a heaping side of Lovecraft to put it over the top.

4 out of 5