Synopsis
Three stories adapted from the work of Edgar Allen Poe: 1) A man and his daughter are reunited, but the blame for the death of his wife hangs over them, unresolved. 2) A derelict challenges the local wine-tasting champion to a competition, but finds the man's attention to his wife worthy of more dramatic action. 3) A man dying and in great pain agrees to be hypnotized at the moment of death, with unexpected consequences.
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Cast
- Vincent PriceLocke / Fortunato / Valdemar / Narrator
- Peter LorreMontresor ("The Black Cat")
- Basil RathboneCarmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
- Debra PagetHelene ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
- Maggie PierceLenora ("Morella")
- Joyce JamesonAnnabel ("The Black Cat")
- Leona GageMorella ("Morella")
- David FrankhamDr. James ("The Case of M. Valdemar")
- Lennie WeinribPoliceman ("The Black Cat")
- Wally CampoBarman Wilkins ("The Black Cat")
Recommendations
- 75
TV Guide Magazine
With both Lorre and Price having a grand time poking fun at the material and themselves. The final story has several memorable moments. - 70
Time Out
Stylish and fun, but the short story format denies Corman the stately, melancholy pace that distinguished his best work in the cycle. - 70
The New York Times
Tales of Terror is still lots of fun; Price is paired with Peter Lorre for an adaptation of The Black Cat that veers almost immediately into The Cask of Amontillado. - 67
The A.V. Club
Two of the segments reflect Corman’s admitted weariness with the material, but the middle segment, The Black Cat, turns a hybrid of Poe’s stories The Black Cat and The Cask Of Amontillado into a winking romp through the campy side of Gothic horror.
