I remember being a kid and seeing William Castle's The Tingler after midnight on cable. A few things vaguely stood out in my mind: a creature pulled by fishing line; the sight of blood red in an otherwise black-and-white film; a character literally being scared to death. This was my first "real" exposure to Vincent Price beyond his guest appearance on "The Muppet Show," his brief role in Edward Scissorhands, and being the laughing man from "Thriller." Years later I knew I had a fond admiration for Price, but with only faint or limited reasons behind it. Why? I always assumed that these limited impressions and memories served as pieces to a bigger picture that I enjoyed; I don't think an episode of "The Muppet Show" would bother re-inventing a guest star. A good idea would've been to check out more of his movies. And there was Vincent Price, forever stored on my cinematic to-do list, somewhere after "see more Bergman and Lean films," plus whatever got thrown onto the pile over time.
I read the AV Club often and am fond of their features; one of them called "Gateways to Geekery." The idea is to discuss icons, artists, publications, or genres of geek cult that people could shun you for not knowing anything about (Monty Python, EC Comics, Westerns, etc.) and the "possible gateway" that could get you started (plus what to avoid unless you're a true fan). An article popped up one day for Vincent Price, and caught my immediate interest.
His early career could be described as no less than normal for the time period. I watched some of these films. He's a main character in Laura, an above-average film noir from Otto Preminger; and he plays the title character in Sam Fuller's The Baron of Arizona with a charming empathy that struggles to overcome Fuller's typically heavy-handed writing and directing. Obviously these roles did not connect the dots with my childhood impressions, and are not even close to what people remember as the Price persona. According to that AV Club article, the "possible gateway" to Vincent Price is, no surprise, The Tingler.
The author went on to provide a laundry list of films to check out after The Tingler, and I was surprised to discover that I was more familiar with Price than I'd realized. He worked with Roger Corman on a few Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, some of which I'd seen in an eighth grade reading class; and I had forgotten about seeing the first film he worked on with Castle, House on Haunted Hill, when I was a lot younger. How could I have forgotten that skeleton rising from a vat of acid?
The picture was becoming more complete, I was discovering that the limited impression of Price that I had wasn't so limited, and that I was actually somewhat well-versed in his brand of oogly-moogly mania. After revisiting both The Tingler and House on Haunted Hill as an adult and fully appreciating both Price's hammy charm and Castle's spooky good-time gimmicks, I decided to approach a few more films that had caught my eye.
The later portion of Price's career is marked by a few revenge films made before his declining health. The most famous title is probably The Abominable Dr. Phibes, with its equally enjoyable sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again, in which Price plays the mad title character set on avenging his wife's death. Yes, vigilante/revenge films are inherently dumb. Especially now, these films are steeped in heavy plotting, and usually the main character's wife/son/daughter has been so wronged by the justice system/drug cartel/police/government that the audience feels a vicarious joy in the character's journey for personal justice. Conveniently, these films feature stylish deaths, and usually a happy ending. Money!
The difference with the Phibes films is that the main character's driving motivation, his wife's death, really isn't so horrific. She dies during an operation (or at the hands of incomptetent doctors, depending on your perspective), but no evidence suggests that the death was malicious in any way. At worst, it's an unfortunate accident. Amusingly we see none of this; instead we have Price stealing scenes with ham-fisted monologues that simultaneously explain his motives and earn sympathy from the audience. Even with the complicated "seven plagues of Egypt" murders that Phibes commits with incredible ease, it isn't until hindsight that we realize we've sided with and cheered for a lunatic. The same could be said for the sequel, which takes itself even less seriously as Phibes goes to Egypt to give his dead wife immortality. Makes sense, that's the first place I'd think of.
Price alone carries these films. After a while, one can forget the character can't speak (due to a car accident that leaves his mouth sealed shut) from the precise throat movements and gestures to the passion in Price's eyes with each line mourning his dear "Vic-toooooria." There's a lot to be said about the set designs and stylish murdering (I'm especially fond of a misleading death that involves poisonous snakes), but only Price's expressive and energetic performances turn these inherently dumb films into great ones.
The best of the Price revenge films is Theater of Blood, which gives Price the chance to indulge in Shakespearean monologues while still playing a murderer. The premise is similar, but substitute a dead wife for career-ending notices, and doctors for theater critics. Instead of Egyptian plagues, the critics die according to Shakespeare tragedies. This film boasts a screenplay of astonishing wit and style, but it would still be nothing without Price in the lead.
Catch up on Vincent Price; not only is he a joy to watch, his personality alone seems to create a bizarre cinematic universe that combines an infectious humor and energy with a snickering blend of blood and ghouls. His best films aren't so-bad-they're-great (see Troll 2), nor are they exemplary classic horror. He's one of the few actors where the fact that he stars in it is pretty indicative of what kind of film it is. Recently I tried explaining to a friend of mine what makes Price so special. The best I could come up with is that he reminds me of the charm of a homemade haunted house.
I'll stand by that.
UPDATE: I've just found Dr. Phibes Rises Again streaming for free on Hulu, along with House on Haunted Hill. Enjoy!
