THE HORROR JAR:  Movies Starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee; and Vincent Price and Peter Cushing

By Michael Arruda

 

Welcome to another edition of THE HORROR JAR, that column where we feature lists of odds and ends about horror movies.

 

Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Vincent Price all share birthdays in May:  Cushing on May 26 and both Lee and Price on May 27.  Last year to celebrate this occasion we looked at movies in which all three stars, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Vincent Price appeared together.  It was a brief list, since it only happened twice.

This year to honor their birthdays we’ll look at movies starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee, and movies starring Vincent Price and Peter Cushing.  This list is brief as well.

Here we go:

Movies starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee, without Peter Cushing:

Believe it or not, there’s just one.

THE OBLONG BOX (1969)

Directed by Gordon Hessler

Screenplay by Lawrence Huntington, with additional dialogue by Christopher Wicking, based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe

Julian:  Vincent Price

Dr. Newhartt:  Christopher Lee

Edward:  Alister Williamson

Running Time:  91 minutes

Lurid tale about premature burial, voodoo, and revenge in this story about a vengeful brother who goes around terrorizing the countryside while wearing a red hood.  Vincent Price plays the lead, the man who tries to control his lunatic brother but constantly does more harm than good.  Christopher Lee is solid in a supporting role.  This film would have been so much better had Lee been cast as the evil brother Edward.  Still, as it stands, this flick is a heck of a lot of fun.

 

Movies starring Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, without Christopher Lee:

PHIBES RISES AGAIN (1972)

Directed by Robert Fuest

Screenplay by Robert Fuest and Robert Blees

Dr. Phibes:  Vincent Price

Captain:  Peter Cushing

Darrus Biederbeck:  Robert Quarry

Running Time:  89 minutes

Sequel to THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971) isn’t as good as the first one but comes darned close!  Barely counts as a Price/Cushing pairing, since Cushing’s role is only a cameo.  Blink and you miss him.  Once again, Price steals the show as Dr. Phibes.  Robert Quarry adds fine support as Phibes’ rival.

 

MADHOUSE (1974)

Directed by Jim Clark

Screenplay by Ken Levison and Greg Morrison, based on the novel by Devilday by Angus Hall

Paul Toombes:  Vincent Price

Herbert Flay:  Peter Cushing

Oliver Quayle:  Robert Quarry

Running time:  89 minutes

Price, Cushing, and Quarry are reunited in this effective yet flawed thriller about a horror actor (Price) making a comeback in the midst of a series of murders which seem to implicate his famed alter ego from horror movies of old, Dr. Death.  An odd movie.  At times, it’s really good, but at others it’s aimless and without direction.  The best part is finally, at long last, both Price and Cushing have sizable roles, Price as the haunted horror film star, and Cushing as his friend and screenwriter. They get to spend considerable screen time together.

 

And just for fun, here’s a reprint of last year’s list of the two films which starred all three, Price, Lee, and Cushing:

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN (1970)

An Amicus Production

Directed by Gordon Hessler

Screenplay by Christopher Wicking, based on the novel The Disoriented Man by Peter Saxon

Dr. Browning:  Vincent Price

Fremont:  Christopher Lee

Benedek:  Peter Cushing

Running Time:  95 minutes

 

HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS (1983)

Directed by Peter Walker

Screenplay by Michael Armstrong based on the novel Seven Keys to Baldpate by Earl Derr Biggers

Lionel Grisbane:  Vincent Price

Corrigan:  Christopher Lee

Sebastian Grisbane:  Peter Cushing

Lord Grisbane:  John Carradine

Running Time: 100 minutes

Sadly, neither of these movies is very good.  But you can’t beat the cast!

Thanks for reading!

—Michael