I was hoping for a dark, spooky tale in the manner of The Pit and the Pendulum, another Edgar Allan Poe adaptation which also starred Vincent Price. But boy, was I wrong. This 1963 flick is played for laughs, but the laughs aren't that good. Price amiably hams it up as a benevolent paternal magician but you know what you're dealing with the moment a raven flies through his window and starts talking to him with a wise-ass delivery. This is Sabrina the Teenage Witch territory, The Munsters but less fun and without the groovy theme tune.
A great supporting cast such as Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and a young Jack Nicolson do little to enliven this and even at 80 minutes it outstays its welcome. This is more like a forgotten Disney flick, hoping to prompt an indulgent chuckle, and it unfolds very predictably. Rubbish special effects too, even for the time.
A great supporting cast such as Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and a young Jack Nicolson do little to enliven this and even at 80 minutes it outstays its welcome. This is more like a forgotten Disney flick, hoping to prompt an indulgent chuckle, and it unfolds very predictably. Rubbish special effects too, even for the time.