The Premature Burial (1962)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1962
Running Times: 81 mins
Format: Eastmancolor     35mm     Panavision (anamorphic)
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: AIP / Filmways Pictures / Santa Clara Productions
Executive Producer: Gene Corman
Producers: Samuel Z. Arkoff, Roger Corman
Production Manager: Jack Bohrer

SCRIPT
Script: Charles Beaumont, Ray Russell
Story: Edgar Allan Poe

DIRECTION
Director: Roger Corman
Assistant Director: Francis Ford Coppola

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Floyd Crosby
Lighting: Lloyd Garnell
Key Grip: Charles Hannawalt

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Ronald Sinclair

MUSIC
Music: Ronald Stein, Les Baxter (uncredited)

SOUND
Sound: John Bury Jr

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Lou LaCava
Costume Designer: Marjorie Corso

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Pat Dinga

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Daniel Haller
Props: Richard M. Rubin
Paintings: Burt Shonberg

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Betty Crosby
Film Assistant: David Blangsted
Assistant To Producer: Jonathan Haze

LOCATIONS
Studio: Producers Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

CAST
Ray Milland (Guy Carrell)
Hazel Court (Emily Gault)
Richard Ney (Miles Archer)
Heather Angel (Kate Carrell)
Alan Napier (Dr Gideon Gault)
John Dierkes (Sweeney)
Dick Miller (Mole)
Clive Halliday (Judson)
Brendan Dillon (Minister)

PLOT SUMMARY

Life seems to going well for Emily Gault when she marries long-time lover Guy Carrell, despite his sister Kate's disapproval. But Guy is so obsessed by the fear of being buried alive that he builds a special crypt to prevent his greatest fear from ever happening. But are his fears really justified?

CAPSULE REVIEW

Ray Milland does a sterling job in this creepy and atmospheric period piece, full of the usual budget stretching production values, stunning photography and gothic atmosphere you could cut with a scythe. Another great Charles Beaumont script gives Milland some fine material to work with in this often too easily dismissed addition to the Corman / AIP / Poe cycle of the 1960s.

AVAILABILITY

UK
Video Distributors: Guild Home Video

USA
Theatrical Distributors: AIP
Laserdisc Distributors: Image (ID 2600 OR - on double bill with Tales of Terror)
DVD Distributors: MGM Home Entertainment (Midnite Movies Double Feature 1003680 - on double bill with The Masque of the Red Death)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Finland
Rating: banned

USA
Rating: unrated

AWARDS

1962
Laurel Awards, USA
Golden Laurel Sleeper of the Year - winner

TIMELINE

1962
March
7: USA - theatrical release

October
27: Denmark - theatrical release

1963
November
29: West Germany - theatrical release

2002
August
27: USA - DVD release (MGM Home Entertainment (Midnite Movies Double Feature 1003680 - on double bill with The Masque of the Red Death))

POSTER TAGS

Within the Coffin I Lie...ALIVE!

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Elävänä haudattu - Finnish title
Enterro Prematuro - Brazilian television title
Lebendig begraben - Austrian / West German title
Levande begravd - Swedish title
Levende begravet - Danish title
La obsesión - Spanish title
Sepolto vivo - Italian title

LINKS

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
Fright Night (1985)

SEE ALSO
The Crime of Dr Crespi (1935)
Horror (1964)
The Raven (1912)

REFERENCES

BOOKS

Elliot's Guide to Films on Video p.618
credits

Horror and Science Fiction Films Volume III p.213
credits

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.380
credits

KEYWORDS

buried alive, grave robbers, obsession, revenge, twist endings

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009