The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1964
Running Times: 89 mins
Format: Pathécolor     35mm     Panavision (anamorphic)
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: American International Pictures James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff present (opening credits) James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff have presented (closing credits)
Copyright: © Alta Vista Productions MCMLXIV
Produced by: Roger Corman

SCRIPT
Screenplay by: Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell
From a story by Edgar Allan Poe

DIRECTION
Directed by: Roger Corman
Assistant Director: Peter Price

PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographed by: Nicolas Roeg
Camera Operator: Alex Thomson

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Ann Chegwidden

MUSIC
Music by: David Lee

SOUND
Sound: Richard Bird, Len Abbott
Dubbing Editor: Allan Morrison

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: George Partleton
Hairdresser: Elsie Alder
Costume Supervisor: Laura Nightingale

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: George Blackwell

VISUAL EFFECTS
Title Designer: Jim Baker

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Design by: Daniel Haller
Art Direction by: Robert Jones
Set Decorator: Colin Southcott
Construction Manager: Richard Frift

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Joan Davis
Choreography by: Jack Carter

CASTING
Casting: G.B. Walker

CAST
Starring
Vincent Price (Prospero)

Co-starring
Hazel Court (Juliana)

and
Jane Asher (Francesca)

With
David Weston (Gino)
Nigel Green (Ludovico)
Patrick Magee (Alfredo)
Paul Whitsun-Jones (Scarlatti)
Robert Brown (Guard)
Julian Burton (Senor Veronese)
David Davies

and
Skip Martin (Hop Toad)

Gaye Brown (Senora Escobar)
Verina Greenlaw (Esmeralda)
Doreen Dawn (Anna-Marie)
Brian Hewlett (Lampredi)
Sarah Brackett
Rosemarie Dunham (uncredited)
Jean Lodge (uncredited)
John Stone (uncredited)
Harvey Hall (uncredited)
Gladys Dawson (uncredited)
John Westbrook (The Red Death (uncredited))

PLOT SUMMARY

Prince Prospero and his Satanist followers indulge in a lavish ball at his castle while outside the countryside is ravaged by the virulent plague, the Red Death. But Prospero and his guests are visited by a mysterious figure dressed entirely in red who Prospero mistakes for Satan - in truth, he's something much worse...

CAPSULE REVIEW

The best of the Corman / Price / Poe films, with a brilliant performance from Price, an excellent supporting cats and production values that belie the low budget. Working from a taut script, Corman pulls out all the stops and turns in his best work in the series, creating a stylish, atmospheric and frequently chilling adaptation.

AVAILABILITY

USA
Theatrical Distributors: AIP
Video Distributors: Lightning Video; Live Video; Orion Home Video
Laserdisc Distributors: Image Entertainment Inc (ID 2628 OR); Orion Home Video
DVD Distributors: MGM Home Entertainment (Midnite Movies Double Feature 1003680 - with The Premature Burial (1962))

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Argentina
Rating: 16

Finland
Rating: banned; K-18

Norway
Rating: 16 (with cuts)

UK
Rating: X; 15

USA
Rating: unrated

TIMELINE

1964
June
24: USA – theatrical release

1973
September
28: Finland – theatrical release

1995
July
5: USA - laserdisc release (Image Entertainment Inc (ID 2628 OR))

2002
August
27: USA - DVD release (MGM Home Entertainment (Midnite Movies Double Feature 1003680))

2006
December
28: UK - television broadcast (on BBC One)

POSTER TAGS

We defy you to stare into this face.

Look into this face

SHUDDER... at the blood-stained dance of the Red Death! TREMBLE... to the hideous tortures of the catacombs of Kali! GASP... at the sacrifice of the innocent virgin to the vengeance of Baal!

Stare into this face and count if you can the orgies of evil...

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

De blodtörstiga - Swedish title
Kuolinnaamio - Finnish title
La máscara de la muerte roja – Argentinian / Spanish title
A Máscara Mortal – Brazilian television title
La maschera della morte rossa - Italian title
Le masque de la mort rouge - French title
A Orgia da Morte - Brazilian title
Paholaisen lemmikkinä - Finnish title
Punaisen surman naamio - Finnish title
Satanas - Das Schloß der blutigen Bestie - West German title

LINKS

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Precious Images (1986)

SEE ALSO
Maska crvene smrti (1969)
Masque of the Red Death (1989)
Die Pest in Florenz (1919)
Prizrak brodit po Yevrope (1923)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Fangoria no.57 p.41 (USA)
review

Radio Times 25 September - 1 October 1993 p.74
credits

Video Watchdog no.32 pp.4-5 (USA)
review

BOOKS

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.293
credits

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

animals, castles, crossbows, dancing, dungeons, dwarves, fog, plagues, princes, revenge, roses, satanism, short story into film, sword fights, tarot

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009