***Castles, peasants, diabolical princes, plague, death and Vincent Price***

During what appears to be the late Medieval era in (presumably) Britain, pompous Prince Prospero tyrannically reigns, terrorizing the serfs, while holding up in his castle with other “royals” during the plague of the Red Death. Hazel Court plays his seasoned nefarious babe in the castle whereas Jane Asher appears as his new interest, a virginal, God-fearing peasant girl.

Produced & directed by Roger Corman for American International, “The Masque of the Red Death” (1964) is Gothic horror with a huge rep based on the Poe yarn from 1842. It has a good Gothic mood (similar to Hammer horror of the period) and a heavy subtext, but I found the story relatively dull. I prefer Corman's "The Terror," which came out the year before and was considerably cheaper. The sets & costumes are colorful and the cast is noteworthy, but the sets sometimes look artificial. “Conqueror Worm,” aka “Witchfinder General” (1968), has a more authentic feel while “Cry of the Banshee” (1970), also from American International, rehashes similar territory and is pretty much on par.

The overt satanism might be surprising for a film shot in 1963, but this can be observed in comparable contemporary movies, like “Devils of Darkness,” shot in 1964. Neither film paints satanism in a positive light, but Anton LaVey capitalized on this new interest and sprung his “church” of satan in 1966.

The alluring young redhead, Jane Asher, was Paul McCartney's girlfriend in the 60s. During production in December, 1963, she brought Paul to the set for lunch wherein he met Corman. This was the latter’s first film in England and he didn’t know who McCartney was. The Beatles’ first significant gig in nearby London was that night and Roger wished Paul well. The next day Corman read the gushing (and deserved) praise for the Beatles & their performance in the newspaper; it was the beginning of Beatlemania.

The movie seems to be set in the Middle Ages, perhaps the mid-late 1300s when the Black Death reigned. But there is no actual indication in Poe's tale that the story has to happen before 1500 or even 1600, 1700 or 1800. The “Red Death” is an imaginary plague and therefore the story does not HAVE to occur in the 1300s when the Bubonic Plague swept Europe. The events could even take place in the future.

The film runs 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot on sets left over from Becket (1964) at Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, just northwest of London.

GRADE: B-/C+