Poe Time

January is the perfect time to share a spooky story, considering the length of its dark, chilly nights and anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe (January 19th, 1809).  Although mainly thought of by his peers as a literary critic, Poe popularized the horror tale by concentrating on psychological terror in his poetry and fiction.  The Raven is generally considered his most famous work, but the writer's dark shadow covers numerous classics including The Cask of Amontillado and The Pit and the Pendulum.

As cinema started, so did its fascination with Poe.  The Fall of the House of Usher was made into a silent film.  Universal added Poe to its black and white horror library with versions of The Pit and the Pendulum and The Black Cat - both starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff but bringing little of the Poe tales to the screen outside of their titles.  Poe's stories were often a mere starting point for filmmakers, as the writer's work generally delved deeply into the thoughts of his central protagonist in regards to a single, sensational occurrence.

Poe was most famously adapted to films by Roger Corman.  Vincent Price was Corman's principal factor bridging eight Poe based films, starting with The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) and continuing through The Tomb of Ligeia (1964).  Corman had a reputation for fast, inexpensive productions, but as his series of Poe films progressed successfully, more care was lavished on the movies - especially the final entry.

Elizabeth Shepherd still greets fans at a con.

"This was a Corman Epic - FIVE weeks shooting!" explains Tomb of Ligeia leading actress Elizabeth Shepherd.  "The first week was all on location at Castle Acre Priory, a beautiful ruined abbey in Norfolk, east England. Apparently both Vincent and Roger had dreamed of making a Poe film in a real ruin. So all the outside is on location - once we are inside the door of Verden's abode we are in the Studio - Shepperton Studios outside London."

 

Although unfamiliar with Corman's Poe films before being cast and mainly aware of Vincent Price's reputation for his earlier work such as 'Laura', Shepherd successfully threw herself into a role she had beaten out 200 actresses for - thanks to her ability to convey maturity despite her relatively young age.  The result was a classic.  Without doubt, one huge reason was the script. "He (Corman) had commissioned from Robert Towne a superior script for this movie, with well developed characters, a love-story with real emotional stakes, and was intent to make this last Poe film different and more substantial than the others," Shepherd said.