Dr. Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) is a retired sorcerer living in his castle with his daughter Estelle (Olive Sturgess), pining over his lost wife and love, Lenore (Hazel Court). A raven appears to him one night and speaks with a man’s voice. Turns out, the raven is a fellow sorcerer, Adolphus Bedlo (Peter Lorre), who has been cursed by a rival of Craven’s, Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff). Craven finds a way to turn Bedlo back into a human, whereupon he learns that his lost Lenore might just still be alive and living with Scarabus, a slave to the other sorcerer. Determined to find out the truth of the matter, Craven is to journey to Scarabus’ castle, Bedlo travelling along (he wants revenge). They are joined by Estelle and Bedlo’s son, Rexford (Jack Nicholson). Once they arrive, they learn all is not what it appears to be, and Bedlo has tricked Craven into coming so that Scarabus can steal magical secrets that only Craven possesses. A duel to the death ensues, as each sorcerer pits their power against the other!
Here is a film in the Corman/Poe collection that I had not seen yet. I tried watching it a couple of times before, but since it was a horror-comedy that I didn’t find very funny in the first few moments, I gave up on it. This time, I was determined. I’m glad I was, because this is truly a gem of a film. The first half wasn’t very funny to me and I found it a bit tedious. They felt like they were trying too hard. But when Rexford enters the mix, things pick up. They hit overdrive when we finally get to Scarabus’ castle and meet the madman himself. Karloff is fantastic in this role, and once Price gets to meet him face to face, their interplay is joyous, funny, and exciting. They are a perfect match, two old pros having a delightful time. Everyone steps up their game at this point and what had been rather dull (to me) becomes a lively affair. The movie is worth watching for their magical duel at the end, if for nothing else. It is funny and whimsical and deadly all at once. Lorre is too ham-fisted at first for me, but settles in nicely as the story progresses, and young Jack Nicholson is a sight to behold. He’s very, very good in this, just the right amount of deprecating funny to compliment the older masters. You can almost feel the torch being passed along to him.
So yes, this is very definitely recommended if you get a hankering for an older film that might not at first fit your tastes. Richard Matheson wrote the screenplay and as always, he delivers. It may take a little time for the engine to warm up, but once it does, it’s roaring with fire.
★★★✮