If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

If you like Vincent Price this is a must-see, like the Pit and the Pendulum and the House of Usher. All these classics are directed by Roger Corman and Mr. Price just gives us some of his finest performances in these movies. In The Masque of the Red Death, an evil prince worshiping Satan and practicing Black Magic tries to lure an innocent beauty to the Left-Hand-Path. But in the end, the black magician is confronted by a force even more powerful than the Fallen Angel.Imho this is one of Roger Corman's and Vincent Price's finest moments. A must-see for the lover of classic horror movies.

Deciding to visit the countryside towns, an Italian prince throws his annual masquerade ball to overlook his burning a village down to forget the plague ravaging the area only when the party guests start dying, he is forced to come face-to-face with his own personal demons.This one has several built-in pluses working for it being another of the Price/Corman/Poe films. Among the best parts here is that this one continues what occurs in most of the other efforts as it features some great location work. As most of the time is spent with the characters exploring the Gothic, cob-webbed labyrinthine castle, it builds up suspense marvelously through several fun and highly enjoyable scenes. The first trip through the castle, as the character is exploring it for the first time, creating a sense of dread as the build-up to an unexpected moment is clearly within reach with the small little jump at the end a nice topper. The fact that a large portion of the film is built around his treatment and obsession with the girl works well with the different manners he goes about trying to win her approval through his cruel treatments makes for some fun times here, and are given a lot of room to work here with the setting in that particular castle. The beautifully constructed story is as usual based on one of Poe's tales, and it keeps the movie rolling along nicely as a fast-paced film from this time, which is quite nice and it stays close to the story as well. As well, there is plenty to like about this one's main facet with the party scenes. The dagger sequence is as brilliant a display of suspense as ever, and a later dream sequence is also a masterful highlight capturing a striking mood. The last plus here is the film's biggest asset in that it ages a lot better than the others in the series due to it's high production values, beautiful looking scenery, and the occasional shock jump here and there. Of course, all of this is useless without the wonderful as ever Price leading the way with one of greatest performances ever. He truly is magical to behold and this one is no exception. There's really only one complaint about the film, which is quite dependent on many viewer's own issues. This is the fact that the much-rumored party sequence is so late in the movie that it can seem like eternity to get there. Yes, it does move along at a fast enough clip, but it happens so late in the film that it can seem like forever before it happens. It is worth the wait, however, but sometimes it feels like it should've happened earlier. One relatively minor complaint, though, isn't enough to deter this from one of the better Corman/Price/Poe film around.Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence and satanic themes and rituals

"Why should you be afraid to die? Your soul has been dead for a long time."In moving his adaptations of Poe's classic tales of horror to the UK, Corman not only produced his best work, but also benefited greatly from the contributions of the likes of cinematographer, Nicholas Roeg. Loosely based on Poe's work of the same name, the film's screenplay amalgamated strands from two works by the master of horror, while also presenting a celluloid version of a 'morality play' not present in the original story. The presence of Charles Beaumont in the pair of screenwriters, given his prominence in the development of the feel of many episodes of the 'Twilight Zone', lends the movie its surreal yet captivating quality. From the outset, Roeg's influence can be appreciated with the 'Bergmanesque' appearance of Red Death in the mist-laden forest. Indeed, Corman delayed production of this movie due to the similarities to Bergman's 'Seventh Seal'. Moreover, one can witness Roeg's recent experience of working under David Lean on 'Lawrence of Arabia' in his masterful use of editing. Another important British contribution is that of musician and composer, David Lee, whose score for this film would be a career high point for the man responsible for Peter Sellers and Sphia Loren's hit, 'Goodness Gracious me'. It is amazing that this score, which so aptly adorns each scene of the movie, was completed in just three weeks from the man who would become one of the founders of JazzFM. Corman himself belies his reputation as merely a helmer churning out bare-bones 'B-movies' with the sumptuous artistic look of the piece. Though, he could be accused of attributing style more importance here than the pure mechanics of horror, which are given more vent in the rest of his films. The performance of Vincent Price can be ranked as one of his best, portraying the sadistic Prince Prospero, who holds court over the decadence and depravity of his rich guests, taking sanctuary from a pestilent disease decimating the impoverished peasantry outside the castle gates. His despotic nature reveals itself in the callous disregard he has for the lives of his subjects, and the relish he takes in seeking to corrupt the beautiful young ingenue played by Jane Asher, the girlfriend of McCartney at the time. By incorporating Prospero's satanism in the plot, and contrasting it to the young peasant girl's Christian beliefs, the director and screenwriters allow for an opportunity to recast Poe's story as a philosophical treatise on the nature of good versus evil. Price is in his element hinting at the malevolent deity he worships, in one memorable scene, stating: 'If a god of love and life ever did exist...he is long since dead. Someone...something rules in his place'. Prospero's growing fascination with the young girl leads to the growing resentment of the incumbent 'lady' of the castle, succinctly played by horror film regular Hazel Court. Her attempt to maintain her position by fully embracing the prince's satanic beliefs, and then offering herself as bride to his master, leads to a truly memorable dream sequence in which she is repeatedly sacrificed to the shaman priests of various cultures, before her own brutal death. Yet, the most terrifying scene belongs within the sub- plot based on another short story from Poe. In retribution for a mindless assault on his dancer girlfriend by one of the prince's malevolent guests, the court midget, Hop Toad, lulls the perpetrator into performing a party trick which will end in a truly horrific fiery end. In portraying the former, Skip Martin, and the latter, Patrick Magee, respectively complete a solid supporting cast . The denouement of the story is more faithful to Poe's original narrative in establishing that death comes equally to all, with a superb dance macabre where Red Death, voiced superbly by John Westbrook ( am I alone in thinking it was Christopher Lee), passes fatally among the castle guests before revealing his true identity to Prospero himself. The film does have obvious flaws, among which are firstly, the use of a child dubbed with an adult's voice to incarnate the midget dancer, and secondly, the countless opportunities afforded to Prospero to have sport with deciding the fate of the peasant girl's lover and father (played by Nigel West before he achieved more renown). Yet, the lasting impression, down to the final credits, is of a film which should be remembered as demonstrating Corman's unexploited potential as a true auteur.

Once again Roger Corman succeeds in creating a classic film based (however loosely) on a Poe story. All the ingredients are present and correct, from an over the top Vincent Price to the lavish costumes and sets. It constantly amazes me how much Corman achieved on a fairly low budget, the scenery is scrumptious and never false for a minute, probably because once again the costumes were left over from a high budget film. Clever man, clever plan.This time the thrust of the story is dialogue-based, with Price expounding on the qualities of Satan-worshipping, the Red Death story becomes lost around the middle of the film only to surface again at the end as a form of retribution. Price is on top form here, conveying the charm and hypnotic power of evil, his Prince Prospero is a cunning and evil man, yet intelligent, warped by his sadistic ways and only achieving self-pleasure through violence and torture. There is still a human underneath his cold exterior, after having peasants shot to death outside his castle he spares the young child with them. That Price can still be charismatic and likable (or maybe I'm biased) even though he's a terrible character is simply a testament to his skill. You can read stories about him becoming lazy and campy, not in this viewer's opinion though.Price is surrounded by a good cast which probably helps to bring out the best in him. Hazel Court, doing a turnaround from her innocent victim role in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, plays Prospero's wife, herself willing to succumb to the Devil, in some of the film's most psychedelic and disturbing scenes she is attacked by fetish-dancing demons while the camera elongates her face into a nightmarish distortions. Jane Asher plays the innocent, a young peasant girl taken in by Prospero, she is given a fleshed-out role and comes across as both believable and a highly capable actress. Further down in the cast list are plenty of familiar faces, like Nigel Green as another peasant. Patrick Magee, usually playing doctors in psychological stuff, plays a cruel nobleman. Skip Martin is Hop Toad, a young jester-type who has a relationship with the beautiful Esmerelda. This was based on another of Poe's short stories and the relationship is used as a sub plot here, to good effect, Martin is wonderful.Aside from all the lavish trappings and despite the title, this film is primarily about Satanism and devil worship, and attempts to shed some light on a man's reasons for following it. It succeeds and must be praised for not showing Satanism in a necessarily bad light, but treating it in a realistic and authentic way, it's not just a shallow excuse for some black magic rituals like it is in many other films. The ending to this film is also a classic, where the Red Death himself walks around, destroying those who he passes in an instant. The confrontation between Price and the Death is a smart one, a battle of wills and religion. Of course it's religion on which this film is based, especially faith. These factors make the story a complex one and more than just a horror film, indeed it's worthy of higher status than the other films in the Poe cycle because of this.