The Haunted Palace

A man (Vincent Price) returns to the house inhabited by his ancestor, a warlock burned alive 100 years ago.

The Haunted Palace is notable as the first film adaptation of a work by renowned horror author H.P. Lovecraft. Directed by Roger Corman, it was meant to be a slight departure from the Edgar Allan Poe adaptations he’d been doing at the time with star Vincent Price, but the studio, wary of changing the formula, slapped a Poe title and closing quote on the film and marketed it as yet another Poe adaptation.

Still, screenwriter Charles Beaumont does incorporate some of the Lovecraft mythos, and Corman shows moments of brilliance, such as the sound effects during a scene where Vincent Price and his wife find themselves surrounded by disfigured townsfolk on a village street.

Unfortunately, there aren’t enough of these moments and Corman soon slips into his traditional Poe formula, making the ending something of a foregone conclusion. It’s a shame because the cast and production are good, and when the movie clicks, it really does work. Certainly, there’s enough potential here to make you think that if Corman and Price had done another adaptation or two of Lovecraft’s work they could have created something special, but sadly, we’ll never know.

In the end, The Haunted Palace may be something of a letdown for Lovecraft aficionados, though they still may want to give it a look for the curiosity’s sake. Fans of Corman and Price’s Poe adaptations should find this outing agreeable enough, however.