a_chinn This was going to be the fourth film directed by Michael Reeves ("Witchfinder General," "The Sorcerers," "She Beast"), who's a filmmaker I'm fascinated by, mostly because of the three intriguing horror films he directed before his untimely death. None of these films were horror classics, but they were unique stories and were more of an edge than most horror films of this era. I was particularly taken with "Witchfinder General" where Vincent Price gave a rare non-hammy performance and was terrific. "The Oblong Box" would have again paired Price and Reeves, but sadly Reeves died due to an accidental overdose during pre-production. Veteran horror director Gordon Hessler took over and made the film more in line with the previous AIP Poe film adaptations, which isn't a bad thing, but it's disappointing to not see what Reeves would have brought to this cycle of films. In this Poe tale, Vincent Price's brother, Alister Williamson, is buried alive, and then reappears wearing a red mask, exacting his bloody revenge. Overall, this film is not as classy or smart as the Roger Corman Poe films, but it's entertaining none-the-less.

BA_Harrison Believing him to be guilty of accidentally killing a local boy, natives at an African plantation grab Sir Edward Markham (Alister Williamson), nail him to a wooden cross, and use witchcraft to leave him hideously scarred and struggling with his sanity.Back in England, and locked in a room by his brother Julian (Vincent Price), Sir Edward devises a desperate plan to escape and reverse his disfigurement: he swallows a special tablet that makes it seem as though he is dead. Once interred, he is to be secretly dug up and taken to a witch doctor who will hopefully cure his malady.Unfortunately, things don't go as well as planned, and Sir Edward is left buried alive—at least until a body-snatcher unearths him and takes him to the home of surgeon Dr. Newhartt (Christopher Lee). Coming out of his self-induced death state as the doctor prises open his coffin, Sir Edward blackmails Newhartt into keeping his existence a secret while he seeks revenge on those who left him for dead.Other than the title, The Oblong Box has very little in common with Edgar Allen Poe's short story, but it matters not: the first film to star both Price and Lee, this ghoulish tale of vengeance benefits from a compelling screenplay, stylish direction, and great performances, not just from its leading duo of horror icons (who sadly share little screen-time together), but also from a fine supporting cast, including the lovely Hilary Heath as Sir Julian's wife Elizabeth, and extremely cute Carry On star Sally Geeson as maid Sally.Also adding to the fun are some mean-spirited murders (albeit wholly unconvincing, with bright red paint for blood), some fleeting nudity, a midget whore, and a rousing bar-room brawl. Very much in the tradition of Hammer's later horror movies, this Poe-in-name-only offering from American International is well worth the effort.7.5/10 rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Claudio Carvalho In the end of the Nineteenth Century, the aristocrat Edward Markham (Alister Williamson) is disfigured by sorcery in Africa by the natives. His brother Julian Markham (Vincent Price) brings him back to the Markham Manor in England and keeps him prisoner in the attic. The mad Edward asks his lawyer Trench (Peter Arne) and his partner to bring the African sorcerer N'Galo (Harry Baird) in secret to heal him but Julian does not allow any contact with his brother. Trench and N'Galo simulate the death of Edward to remove him from the attic in a coffin. However, body snatchers bring his body to the unscrupulous Dr. Newhartt (Christopher Lee) for his research. Edward offers a large amount to Dr. Newhartt to stay hidden in his house and wears a crimson hood to hide his face. When Edward goes to the town, his mask brings problem to him and he begins a series of murders. When he finally meets N'Galo, he finds why the natives have deformed him and he seeks revenge."The Oblong Box" is a dark horror movie based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe. The screenplay keeps the story interesting until the end and the cast has two icons of the genre - Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. The sets and the atmosphere are stylish and adequate for the story. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): Not Available

Prichards12345 The Oblong Box is one of Poe's milder effusions into horror; and this film, prepared with Michael Reeves in mind for Director, owes at least something in approach to his Witchfinder General. It owes virtually nothing to Poe other than the title. It's often surprisingly nasty by the standards of the time, but Gordon Hessler, who replaced Reeves after his untimely death, does a good job of making the film into a reasonably compelling narrative, even if he is a little too fond of extreme close-ups.The film is also marvellously photographed, and in this respect at least it harks back to Roger Corman's Poe films. Vincent Price gives an impressively restrained performance (probably influenced by the favourable reviews he received for a similar turn in Witchfinder) although his romance with Hilary Dwyer's character is a little improbable, given his age.What's more remarkable of course is the totty his mad brother manages to pull! A big nose and a bad case of acne is hardly a reason to turn into a deranged mask-wearing killer. Yet it doesn't seem to put off the females much (including Sally Geeson, no less). To quote Groucho Marx in A Night at The Opera of a sleeping Harpo: "He does better asleep than I do awake!"Christopher Lee lends sterling support to proceedings as a Doctor not above hiring body snatchers for his researches. As the film is set in the mid-Victorian era, this plot point seems rather anomalously late, as Doctors were able to procure bodies perfectly legally by then! Overall this is a pretty decent movie. It's not well thought of by most critics, though, so you may not like it as much as I did.