BY HANK REINEKE

The Premature Burial (1962) is the third of Roger Corman’s eight film cycle of Technicolor extravaganzas loosely based on the writings of the legendary masters of literary mysteries Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Corman had previously successfully partnered with Samuel J. Arkoff and James Nicholson of American International Pictures, the trio having mutually enjoyed a tidy profit on their relatively modest investment on two earlier Poe efforts, Fall of the House of Usher (1960) and The Pit and the Pendulum (1961). Corman and the producers would eventually come to loggerheads regarding a fair and equitable split of the The Pit and the Pendulum box-office receipts – a not unforeseeable dispute as Arkoff, Nicholson and Corman were all notorious for their penny-pinching proclivities. In Corman’s recollection both Usher and Pendulum brought in nearly two million each in rentals on a “negative cost of some $200,000.” Corman was rankled by AIP’s tough contract clauses so, as a true independent filmmaker, decided to finance his third Poe adaptation through Pathé Lab who, in Corman’s own words, had “helped back some AIP productions and did their print work.”

This time around Hollywood’s most industrious maverick would lose his gambit. Upon learning of Corman’s brash decision to leave the fold, AIP chose to leverage some economic muscle. They contacted Pathé and threatened to pull all of the company’s subsequent lab work from them should the deal with Corman proceed. Arkoff and Nicholson then brazenly and effectively bought out Pathé’s interest in Corman’s new project, this time a liberal retelling of Poe’s short story of 1844, The Premature Burial.

The Premature Burial is a visually stunning film and a worthy successor to Corman’s two earlier efforts. There’s absolutely no reason why it wouldn’t be as all three films share several key behind-the-camera talents. The most notable returnee is Director of Photography Floyd Crosby, on hand for his third atmospheric rendering of a Poe film. This time around he works in perfect tandem with the Goth styling’s of set designer/art director Daniel Haller. There are also some fresh faces on set as well. Film editor Ronald Sinclair took the cutting reins from Anthony Carras on Poe film no. 3, with the lush orchestrations of Ronald Stein replacing the more avant-garde and jazzy styling of Les Baxter. Corman’s assistant director on this new project was a young and ambitious transplant from the east coast, Francis Ford Coppola.

The single most crucial element missing from The Premature Burial is, of course, the most obvious: Vincent Price. Stories vary on Price’s non-participation in the project. Corman recollects that, upon learning he was about to go rogue, “AIP, aware of my intentions, locked Vincent into an exclusive contract.” Other film historians discount this, noting that Price’s three film contract with AIP had already ended with The Pit and the Pendulum. Price and his wife took off for Europe in the spring of 1961 where he was to appear in two Italian peplums – a genre all the rage in 1961. Though Milland turns in a worthy, professional performance as the emotionally wrought and self-haunted Guy Carrell in The Premature Burial, he wasn’t able to capture the elegant, self-tortured mania that Vincent Price easily brought to similar roles. When The Premature Burial brought in only half the rentals following its release in the spring of 1962 – this extreme financial fall-off despite having enjoyed the same budget as the two earlier Poe adaptations - AIP wisely chose to bring Price back into the fold. The independent Price was happy to return as he was offered a long-term, non-exclusive contract by AIP, thereby allowing him to keep his options open.