Director: Roger Corman
Year: 1962
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
Following his wife's return from a trip away, she begins to notice her husband's growing concern and fascination with the concept of being buried alive has consumed him to the point of madness, and tries in vain to find a solution while he remains convinced of his beliefs.
Review:
This here was a decent enough if slightly flawed effort. What this one gets right is the exact same elements that have always worked so well before in the other Corman/Poe films, in the striking atmosphere present here that effectively takes the Gothic setting to its fullest. Taking place at their usually large, elaborate mansions with the main fixings to be found in these types of efforts with the grandiose layout, usually large spacious rooms and decorations that keep the flow and flair of the decrepit mansions of the genre, and along with the moss-overgrown columns and fog-laden grounds that permeate the house, make for a grand setting that perfectly fits in this kind of Gothic effort.
The different settings here, from the gnarled trees fitting around the cemetery outside or the fool-proof mausoleum he built for himself makes for a series of great set-piece settings here with these being added nicely to the film's atmospheric ideals and allowing for some creepy scenes throughout here, from his feverish search deeper and deeper into the cemetery to find the cause of the nightmarish whistling the tune that's befallen his nightmares for years, the nightmare hallucination he has letting his escape fantasy come to fruition of escaping from the coffin inside the tomb or the futile search through the house for the infamous whistling once again. As well, there's the usual fun to be had in the finale, where he leads them into the burial crypt that triggers the final charge, which lets this one let its main plot get worked out rather nicely in a series of chilling and truly suspenseful series of scenes that are far better than anything else in the rest of the film. These are what make this work.
It does have a few flaws here. The biggest factor here is the fact that there's just no real action to be had here which comes from the rather dull, plodding pace featured, which doesn't have a whole lot to do throughout here. For the majority of the film, this one concerns itself with the very idea of his condition grating on everyone rather than actually doing anything, and with his affliction growing worse, all it concerns itself with is his delusional ramblings and misplaced paranoia that just ends up doing nothing of any real interest and turning him into an utterly unlikable bore with his constant blathering about the condition. Not only does this not really produce any action, but it just makes the film pretty boring as a result, which also makes for the finale being quite bland as well, without the high-energy action of the usual burning-down-the-house finish that most of the others really used. These here are what hold this one back.
Overview: **.5/5
A decent entry in the series with some minor flaws, there's more to like here than expected, as the series of impressive factors here are more than enough to hold it up over some drawbacks. Those with an interest in this era of the genre, who enjoy this style of genre fare, or who are fans of the creative crew, will have the most to like here, as most others might want to heed caution.
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