Edgar Allen Poe's: The Haunted Palace is a Vincent Price film that is Edgar Allen Poe in name only and is instead loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward".
Let's face it, after the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, my second favorite thing in all things horror is the immortal Vincent Price. I've always found Vincent Price's performances, despite whatever great or meager role that was fed to him, to be outstanding, charismatic, and sinister to the core. The prime example is his film "An Evening with Edgar Allen Poe" where the entire film is nothing but Vincent Price reading aloud some of the most horrific stories by Edgar Allen Poe. The whole premise sounds dry, but it is a thrilling to say the least, especially if watched when alone in the dark. The short stories of Edgar Allen Poe, most notably his narration of maddening short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart," become horror incarnate. Of all of the horror movies I've ever watched, Vincent Price's performances in "An Evening with Edgar Allen Poe" was one of the few movies that chilled me to the core and made me an instant fan of Price's work.
The Tell-Tale Heart in full
Vincent Price will always be the "King of the Spooky Actors" to me, and the talent that I had seen in "An Evening with Edgar Allen Poe" would be confined to a movie genre in which lie some truly ludicrous films, such as "The Raven" co-starring Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and Jack Nicholson, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes", and "Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine."
That's not to say that all of Vincent Price's films are terrible. "The Fly" was an excellent feature, as were "The House of Wax" and "The House on Haunted Hill", and Price played a truly diabolical villain in the 1968 British historical horror film, "Witchfinder General". In fact, Vincent Price's trademark, his unique voice, was lent to Ratigan, the villain of Walt Disney's animated feature, "The Great Mouse Detective".
In addition, while American International Pictures and (schlock) director Roger Corman cranked out some truly horrible movies in the guise of being faithful adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe's work (*COUGH* THE RAVEN (1963) *COUGH*), there are some that have a unique charm, such as, "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Pit and the Pendulum", and the subject of this review, "The Haunted Palace."
So, enough of my Vincent Price fandom and onto what was one the first (loose) adaptations of an H.P. Lovecraft story to the silver screen.
H.P. Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"
H.P. Lovecraft wrote "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" in 1927, and, as H.P. Lovecraft was typically a short story and pulp writer, it is one of his longer tales. However, Lovecraft himself hated this particular story (calling it a "cumbrous, creaking bit of self-conscious antiquarianism"), and made little effort to publish the work, let alone never writing it past its original draft. It was later published after his death in Weird Tales magazine.
That's right, kiddies, the very same "Case of Charles Dexter Ward" that has been printed in millions of books is actually Lovecraft's rejected first draft, which is really an amazing feat for any author to have written an unrevised and unedited story of this caliber. It's even more amazing that H.P. Lovecraft couldn't see the merit of this particular story.
And while it unfortunately delves into a Lovecraftian rarity, the use of pseudoscience (ie "The essential salts" or ashes of a body used in resurrecting a being), I believe that "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is one of the first of Lovecraft's tales that truly expanded his writing style, and evolved the structure of the writing, and leaving a greater lasting effect upon the reader than most of his earlier short stories.
… Well, except for maybe his short story, "The Outsider," in which the last paragraph delivers a complete TKO knockout upon the reader.
"Dreams of Terror and Death" is a great, inexpensive starting place for Lovecraft newbs who want to be exposed to his writing. The full "TCoCDW" can be found in this book along with more of Lovecraft's best work.
"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" takes place in Providence, Rhode Island and follows the strange investigation of a young man named Charles Dexter Ward, who had disappeared after recently being committed to a mental asylum after an extended period of insanity. The investigation and narration of the story is provided by Marinus Bicknell Willett, the Ward family's doctor, who searches for the cause of Charles' madness. Dr. Willett gradually uncovers the chilling tale, beginning with Ward's inheritance of a Providence townhouse from his long dead ancestor, Joseph Curwen.
It is revealed that Joseph Curwen was once a shipping entrepreneur who, after escaping the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600's, had traveled the world and had gained forbidden knowledge, becoming a powerful alchemist, sorcerer and necromancer. Curwen would take the ashes of historical figures and resurrect them using alchemy, and the aid of gods from the Cthulhu Mythos, such as Yog-Sothoth. Upon resurrecting great historical figures and long dead sorcerers, he would then torture them for their knowledge of the past and of the occult. Curwen also found ways to slow his aging, keeping himself young for nearly half of a century. In the early 1700's, Joseph Curwen had settled in colonial Providence and began having the corpses of illustrious figures shipped to him in order to continue his 'learning'. In addition to himself, Curwen is supported by four other necromancers, who, as a whole, conduct a vast conspiracy to obtain knowledge, and in doing so get closer to bringing a great calamity to the earth and mankind.
However, in colonial Providence, Rhode Island, the villagers question Joseph Curwen's appearance never showing signs of aging, as well as his possible involvement in local graverobbings. In an attempt to appear normal, he marries a girl and starts a family, though it never gets in the way of his darker pursuits, which includes graverobbing, and the purchasing of slaves and killing them for his experiments. Eventually, some of the more important citizens of Providence get wind of his crimes and they raid his property and kill him.
More than 100 years later, Charles Dexter Ward discovers much of the information that his ancestor, Joseph Curwen, had left behind, and wanting Curwen's knowledge, Charles Dexter Ward accumulates the remains of Curwen and resurrects him. Curwen greatly resembles Charles Dexter Ward, and, after Ward refuses to continue with Curwen's work, Curwen kills Ward and assumes his identity. However, Curwen lacks the fundamental understandings of modern society, and he is committed to an insane asylum.
Dr. Willett continues his investigation, which leads him to the site of an old farm that was once the location where Curwen had, nearly a century ago, conducted his nefarious experiments in underground catacombs. As Willett uncovers Curwen's past in the catacombs, he discovers a way to destroy the resurrected Curwen. However, as Dr. Willett explores the pits in the catacombs, he finds Curwen's "imperfect" resurrections, incomplete cosmic creatures that are too horrible to fathom.
Well, they WERE too horrible to fathom, back in 1927 B.G. (Before Giger)
The doctor the accidentally resurrects an ancient spirit, whom is an ancient enemy of Curwen and his fellow necromancers, and the doctor faints from the shock. Awakening in the bungalow, a note from the spirit is left behind, written in Latin, instructing Dr. Willett to kill Curwen and destroy his body. The entrance to the catacombs from in which Dr. Willett discovered the truth and accidentally raised the spirit had been mysteriously sealed away.
Just a damn cool Lovecraftian creature image by Josh Komoda, "Embodiments". You may proceed reading the conclusion of "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" but beware of SPOILERS.
Dr. Willett confronts Curwen in the asylum and reverses the resurrection spell, and Curwen turns back into the "essential salts" of his body from which he was resurrected from. In addition, Willett receives news that Curwen's fellow necromancers had been slain by an unknown entity.
Roger Corman's "Edgar Allen Poe's: The Haunted Palace"
In the early 1960s, Roger Corman, sometimes nicknamed "King of the B-movies", discovered an ingenious formula:
Vincent Price + Edgar Allen Poe = WIN.
Well, it wasn't as simple as that, but Roger Corman is most widely known for his Edgar Allen Poe adaptations under American International Pictures. From 1960-1964, Roger Corman directed eight film adaptations of classic Edgar Allen Poe short stories and poems, and of those eight pictures, only one film ("The Premature Burial", 1962) did NOT feature Vincent Price in the lead role. After directing the (shitty) film, "The Raven" (1963), Corman wanted to make a brief departure from his Edgar Allen Poe movies and instead focus on adapting the H.P. Lovecraft story, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", into a movie. However, the Edgar Allen Poe movies were successful and so as not to break the series, the executives of American International Pictures required that the film be marketed as yet another Edgar Allen Poe adaptation. The poem "The Haunted Palace" was chosen as the title of the film, however there was a problem: The poem itself is only a page and a half long, spanning only six parts (paragraphs).
I'm not even exaggerating. I'm holding the fucking book right here for you to see how short this poem is (or at least as well as a cellphone camera will allow...)
Throughout the film "The Haunted Palace" is read aloud by Vincent Price in some hope of making the poem relevant to the movie of the same title. Now, granted, it is a beautifully written poem full of vivid imagery, but it's the fact that American International Pictures wanted to play off of the ignorance of the movie-going public that pisses me off.
"Oh, but don't worry. They must have credited H.P. Lovecraft in the film somewhere, right?"
Sure.
So there you go, you ignorant, illiterate bastards, it's firstly from a poem by Edgar Allen Poe, and secondly from 'a story' by H. P. Lovecraft. No mention of the NAME of the story from H. P. Lovecraft, just "a story". So next time you hit Barnes and Noble, ask one of the workers for a copy of "The Haunted Palace" by H. P. Lovecraft and make them work for a full hour's wage.
Okay, I'll stop ranting about H. P. Lovecraft getting shafted by movie studio bureaucracy and get on with the high and low points of "The Haunted Palace".
The story begins in 1765 at the small east-coast, colonial town of Arkham. There's a menacing mist, and villagers watch in horror out of their windows as a young beautiful girl walks through the street and towards the great castle/palace/mansion-thingy overlooking the town from atop the hill. The girl is greeted at the doors of the palace by Hester Tillinghast (Cathie Merchant), Joseph Curwen's mistress and Elvira impersonator. As the girl is brought into the house, it's clear that she's under a trance by Joseph Curwen (Vincent Price) himself. Curwen and his mistress lead the girl through the palace, and down a hidden passage and into a dungeon with an enormous pit/alter in the center. They tie the girl to the alter and summon something from the pit.
Joseph Curwen (Vincent Price) ... no jokes here, too much respect for V.P.
But the townspeople are suspicious of Curwen, and they form a torch and pitchfork mob and, consumed with superstitious rage, they politely knock on the front doors of the palace. Curwen, his mistress, and the glazed-eyed girl answer, but the townsfolk realize that the girl is under a spell and claim that Curwen is a warlock (a dude witch), tie him to a tree, and set him ablaze. However, in Joseph Curwen's final words, he curses the descendents of the townspeople.
… Well, so far they kind of got the premise right with Joseph Curwen being killed by the townspeople for being a warlock, but there's something that you, the reader, need to know about H. P. Lovecraft's stories:
There are no women characters. Ever. (Except for maybe the widowed wife of a sailor in "The Call of Cthulhu", or a maid here and there, but that doesn't count.)
Yes, it is incomprehensible that a man can go bat-shit insane without the slightest influence and/or presence of a woman, but in Lovecraft stories, it happens all the time.
But seriously, if you ever run into a movie based on a Lovecraft story, and there are female characters and (likely) sex, then it's already gone FAR astray from the source material.
Moving on:
110 years later, the ancestor of Joseph Curwen, Charles Dexter Ward (Vincent Price), arrives in Arkham with his wife, Anne (Debra Paget). From the get-go they are immediately despised by the people of Arkham because of not only Ward's blood relation to the long dead warlock, Curwen, but also because Ward is identical to Curwen in every way. One of the townspeople is extremely hostile: Ezra Weeden (Leo Gordon), whose own ancestor was the head of the mob who burned Joseph Curwen, and (as a sub plot) whose wife was Curwen's mistress, Hester Tillinghast.
What the hell are they staring at?
They are given some assistance in finding the Curwen Manor by Dr. Willet (Frank Maxwell), who knows a great deal about the history of Arkham, and of the Cthulhu Mythos (Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, the Necronomicon, etc). As the Curwens leave for the manor they spy some of the 'cursed' children of Arkham, most of them suffering from deformities on their faces. Meanwhile, others, like Weeden, have much more horrible things locked away in their attics and cellars.
Oh...
The two then enter the manor where they spy the picture of Dorian Grey- er, Joseph Curwen, in which Charles Dexter Ward is infatuated with. The caretaker of the manor, Simon Orne (Lon Chaney Jr. ie: the classic 'Wolfman') watches and bides his time as Ward's personality begins to shift as the essence of Joseph Curwen possesses Ward. Simon turns out to be one of Curwen's century-old necromancer accomplices (much like in the book version) and is joined by the third necromancer, Jabez Hutchinson (Milton Parsons). Simon is in possession of the Necronomicon, and the three begin where they left off a century ago.
Meanwhile, Anne sees the changes in Ward and wants the two of them to leave the palace, but Curwen's hold over Ward keeps them from ever leaving. Anne consults with Dr. Willet about her worries and Willet keeps a careful eye on Ward and tries to keep the town from becoming too hysterical over "Curwen's return". In the middle of the night Curwen and his two cohorts steal the corpse of his mistress in hopes to resurrect her using the Necronomicon, and continue with their nefarious experiments involving creating a new race of creatures by breeding Elder Gods with human women.
However, it doesn't stop Curwen from extracting revenge on the town by making a hit list and murdering the descendants of the more prominent townsfolk who killed him.
Impressions of the film
So, overall the whole film strays pretty far from the source material. While Joseph Curwen is indeed a warlock and a necromancer who conducts horrific experiments in the catacombs beneath his property and was killed by the townspeople, the relation to the character of Charles Dexter Ward misses the mark completely. Instead of Ward intentionally resurrecting Curwen and being killed by Curwen to assume his identity, Ward is instead overcome by the soul of Joseph Curwen through a painting on the wall. In addition, Ward (Curwen) was never sent to an insane asylum, so there was no investigation into the cause of Ward's madness, and hence Dr. Willett was recast as the town's physician and ally to Ward's wife Anne, who was also not in the book. Some of the other necromancers mentioned in the book make appearances in, one of which is played by Lon Cheney Jr.
The nature of Curwen's work has also changed dramatically. In the original story, Curwen steals the bodies of historical figures and ancient sorcerers, resurrects them, and then proceeds to torture them for their knowledge. In the movie, Curwen's motives are a little more obscure, but from what I could guess, he whores out townswomen to cosmic demons from the pit because he's under some unquestionable control by the creatures he summons.
So, is Roger Corman's "The Haunted Palace" a steaming pile of shit of which would emotionally scar the souls of both Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft and make the most loyal Lovecraft fans hunt down and kill the surviving members of American International Pictures like the rats they are?
Actually, no.
Despite H.P. Lovecraft not being adequately credited as the prime inspiration of the film, and with a lot of liberties being taken with the source material, there are some truly redeeming elements of "The Haunted Palace".
Firstly, the movie is very Lovecraft in spirit: the town is Arkham, some of the townspeople are deformed in truly horrible ways that remain off-camera, and the use of the Necronomicon and the mentioning of key Mythos deities. Even the premise of Elder Gods(the pit demons) impregnating women in order to build a new race and gain power is Lovecraftian to the core. Whoever wrote the film did SOME Lovecraft research, which is refreshing and much appreciated.
The Picture of Joseph Curwen
Secondly, VINCENT PRICE!!
Vincent Price does a great job bouncing his personality back and forth like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Because of the duality between Ward and Curwen, Vincent Price plays a more dynamic role than the other more one-dimensional characters from previous Roger Corman films. While Charles Dexter Ward is the stereotypical Dr. Jekyll, Joseph Curwen is a fairly complex character, who, despite wanting to take over Ward and serve his masters, he is oddly one of the more human characters: He is willing to do almost anything to bring his mistress back to life so that they may be together again, and he even seeks revenge against the ancestors of those who murdered him a century ago. And of course, Vincent Price plays the later role with his trademark dramatic flair. In addition, the early transition from Ward into Curwen isn't terribly abrupt. Granted, the change is noticeable, but it comes and goes with an ever increasing intensity that it feels more like a gradual loss of identity, rather than "drink a potion, become a bad guy" like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I wish I could say something special in regards to the performance of Lon Chaney Jr. His role in the classic "The Wolfman" film, he was a tortured individual and he delivers a powerful, iconic performance. However, in "The Haunted Palace", he becomes simply an Igor figure, a caretaker of the palace who doubles as an ancient friend of Curwen and a fellow necromancer who has no personality nor any true motivation throughout the course of the film. I honestly would have preferred to have seen Lon Chaney play Dr. Willet in order to give him a less stereotypical role, but what can a guy do?
And thirdly, there is a genuine atmosphere of dread and evil that doesn't come across (to me, at least) in other Roger Corman "Poe" films, not even "The Masque of the Red Death". The atmosphere is oppressive and sullen with unknown, yet presumably dark, secrets. While the majority of the film is shot in forced perspective in order to cover more ground on the small Arkham village set, the settings are no less uncomfortable at times.
In summation, Roger Corman's "The Haunted Palace" is one of the better early H.P. Lovecraft film adaptations, even if it fairly loose in comparison to the original material, and even if it isn't even fully credited as an H.P. Lovecraft story. And that is the real tragedy of the film: it's not a terrible movie at all, but horribly mislabeled, making it damn near a lost buried treasure of sorts. Out of all of Roger Corman's Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, "The Haunted Palace" is one of the better horror story adaptations (even if it has nothing to do with Poe, and takes liberties with Lovecraft's material). Vincent Price is in top form as he plays both the loving husband Charles Dexter Ward, and the grim occult sorcerer Joseph Curwen, but regardless which of the characters Vincent Price portrays, "The Haunted Palace" is a truly fun popcorn horror flick for any Lovecraft and/or Vincent Price fan.
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