Thanks for the memories!

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Someone on the forum for this film made a nice comment a while back, for which I'll paraphrase: he or she said something how the film "Airplane" was for airports as "Comedy of Terrors" is for undertakers. I couldn't have said it any better myself, even though I would've liked a few creepy scenes, considering the fine horror ensemble, and even a cat thrown in there, but this was 100% comedy. You know the cast by now, so I'll skip those details, but Vincent Price and Peter Lorre had fine chemistry together. If I knew this was a pure comedy and nothing to do with horror, I probably would've skipped the film, but I didn't know Price and Lorre could be just as entertaining as they were in "Tales of Terror", even though the latter is a better film. The only real negatives I can think of is Joyce Jameson's annoying singing, even though I know it was done on purpose, but it got tedious, as did Basil Rathbone's routine of rising from the dead. I don't think this film did too well at the box office, as plans for a sequel were nixed, but there are some truly funny moments by veteran horror actors that may be worth seeing.

Not exactly in the same class as A&C Meet Frankenstein, but a great cast with Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Joe E. Brown. Co-staring Joyce Jameson and a tabby cat named "Rhubarb". Vincent Price is reusing his funeral home's only good casket yet again (for 13 years) as he and Lorre unceremoniously dump the body into the grave and quickly bury it. Business is bad so he smothers a really old man with a pillow, but his beautiful and fickle young widow skips town without paying for the funeral. Price then decides that his landlord, Mr. Black, (Rathbone) has to go as he can ill-afford to pay his year overdue rent. The dialog is amazing as Price babbles away like a demented college professor and Basil spouts "Macbeth" continuously. Lorre is smitten with Price's "overstuffed" wife and her terrible operatic voice shatters both eardrums and glassware when she sings at funerals. The "running gag" is that (almost) no one actually dies and no bodies gets embalmed. Joe E. Brown gets to employ his famous yell yet again as the nervous cemetery guard. Even at the end, Price appears to be regaining consciousness. He has been given some of his own poison, which he conveniently carries around in a small vial in his breast-pocket. Boris Karloff plays the old and decrepit father-in-law who occasionally comes-to-life while reciting an all-purpose eulogy and other cynical comments. Far from being a great movie, but quite enjoyable for the "farce" that it is. A witty "script" written by Richard Matheson and an economical but well executed Roger Corman-style AIP production. The period set decoration with horse-drawn carriages add greatly to the overall atmosphere.

NOTES: Re-issued in the USA in March 1965 as "The Graveside Story".COMMENT: Here's a farce with truly marvelous cast that provides us with a good few laughs and a few good thrills; but unfortunately the whole affair doesn't quite come off. Just misses the level of excellent entertainment by a whisker. For example, Vincent Price's performance rates as just a little too hammy to be one hundred per cent effective. Admittedly, he can serve up a fair excuse in that the script hands him such a large proportion of the dialogue, he's forced to over-act to save us from boredom.It does seem pretty obvious in fact that the film was shot quickly by easy-going director Jacques Tourneur, who has left the actors much to their own devices.Peter Lorre, as always, is a delight to see and hear. The girl playing Price's wife lends top-notch support. And what a joy it is to see Joe E. Brown and hear his famous yell once more!

Despite a couple of minor flaws, it's impossible to dismiss this comedy movie as a failure thanks to the sheer pedigree behind it. Everything looks in place at a first glance: the script is written by one of the most famous horror writers of all time, Richard Matheson. The film is directed by that master of horror, Jacques Tourneur (NIGHT OF THE DEMON). And of course the film has been released by AIP, who made the hugely successful Corman/Poe series at the same time. THE COMEDY OF TERRORS is similar to THE RAVEN in that it teams up a number of major horror stars for a creepy tale with lashings of comedy. This film follows a template that some people may find off-putting; for instance the dialogue is unrealistic and "purple" all the way through, with characters speaking totally unrealistically. The emphasis is on comedy throughout and there are lots of hijinks, pratfalls and plentiful banter between the characters.The film looks relatively cheap with a few exceptions and takes place mostly in a single location. The special effects are limited and cheesy, but there are some nicely Gothic images of carriages rattling through the countryside and a fog-enshrouded graveyard. In fact the film manages to be pretty atmospheric and/or spooky in a number of spots, especially the graveyard scenes with Irish comedian Joe Brown which expertly mix the comedy and horror genres with ease. However, this is more of a comedy film with horror trappings. Despite on screen death and violence (swordfighting!) the emphasis is on bizarre and amusing characters and the way they interact.Every character is flawed in this film and loathsome in some way, even the pretty blonde heroine (the buxom Joyce Jameson) who vainly imagines herself as a talented opera singer when in fact she can't sing for tuppence. Vincent Price is utterly hammy in the lead and seems to be totally enjoying himself as a drunkard who doesn't mind smothering people in their beds. Despite his horrible character Price is great as always in a role that doesn't require him to be totally serious, thus suited to his acting style. Peter Lorre is also on hand as Price's put-upon assistant, Felix, and typically Lorre is abused both physically and verbally through the course of the movie. Then we have the delightful Boris Karloff as a hilarious old man who's lost his mind (Karloff gets some priceless dialogue at the dinner table: "Alexander the Great was embalmed in honey" "Edward the 3rd was buried standing up!"), the best thing in the film. One cannot go without mentioning Basil Rathbone, excellent as a victim of catalepsy who cannot die and goes around solemnly quoting Macbeth all the while. It cracks me up every time. Although the film is slow-paced and without a lot of incident, it showcases four of the best actors ever and is fun viewing just to see them together on screen.