The Haunted Palace
Encyclopedia
The Haunted Palace is a 1963 horror film
released by American International Pictures
, starring Vincent Price
, Lon Chaney Jr., and Debra Paget
in a story about a village held in the grip of a cult. The film was directed by Roger Corman
, and is usually listed as one in his series of eight films based on the works of American author Edgar Allan Poe
. However, the film actually derives its plot from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
, a novella by H. P. Lovecraft
. The film's only connection to Poe is its title, which comes from a poem by Poe
published in 1839 and later incorporated into his horror tale, The Fall of the House of Usher
.
town of Arkham
are suspicious of the strange goings-on up in the manor overlooking the village. They suspect its inhabitant, Joseph Curwen, of being a warlock
. After one of the girls in the village disappears, the townsmen storm the castle and confront its mysterious owner. Convinced the girl was bewitched, they tie Joseph to a tree outside his manor and burn him alive. Before dying, however, Joseph puts a curse
on the men and the town, saying he will rise from the grave to torment their descendants.
In 1875, Charles Dexter Ward and his wife Anne arrive in Arkham. Charles inherited the manor of his distant ancestor, Curwen. The locals are wary and inhospitable, as they believe they have developed strange deformities since Curwen's burning as part of the curse
.
A deformed son, kept locked in a room, is referred as "it", and resident Ezra Weeden mentions that "it knows he has arrived". The couple encounters many deformed
villagers missing eyes, limping, and with other facial deformities in the village. The doctor reveals that they were gathered by Weeden in an attempt to scare the couple away. He also mentions that Curwen came to the village 150 years ago, looking unnaturally young.
The doctor refers to the Necronomicon
, mentioning the Elder Gods, Cthulhu
, and Yog-Sothoth
, advising the couple to leave the village. The doctor mentions that the villagers believed Curwen wanted those beings to mate with mortal
women to create a new race to rule the world.
A creature exists in the pit under the palace, in the past (since at least 1765) and in the present. The creature has green skin, two arms, and two more limbs in his upper body, huge black eyes with no pupils and growls incoherently. Mortals are sacrificed to this being. In 1765, Curwen and his associates impregnated young girls with its spawn, partially explaining the townspeople's inherited deformities.
At the manor, they meet the caretaker, Simon Orne. That night, Charles is overtaken by the spirit of his dead warlock ancestor as he gazes into Curwen's portrait over the mantle. Curwen recognizes the caretaker—his old assistant—telling him that 110 years have passed. He first takes revenge upon the descendants of his murderers. Curwen has their names on a list; he tears off each name as they are slain. He burns two people alive. At the same time, he succeeds in resuscitating the long-buried corpse of his long-dead mistress using the infamous Necronomicon. At first, his hold on Charles is limited to the night, but as time goes on he grows stronger, eventually taking complete control. Charles's wife, noticing the changes in her husband, seeks solace in the advice of the town doctor. Eventually, the doctor realizes what the possessed Charles is trying to do, and foils him by burning the portrait of the dead warlock
. Escaping the flames of the burning palace, Anne breathes a sigh of relief, believing the terror is finally over. But as the camera fades on Charles, the viewer realizes that Joseph Curwen still inhabits his mind.
, and the descendants of the past events are portrayed by the same actors.
changed the film's name, against Corman's wishes, to keep it in line with the popular Poe series. The only connection the film has with the Poe poem is a brief quotation at the end of the film spoken by Vincent Price. The film would pair Price with both Debra Paget
and Lon Chaney Jr.: Paget bowed out gracefully from acting with this as she wanted to move on to other things, including Christianity
. Chaney, famous for playing The Wolf Man
, made only one appearance in a Roger Corman film: he made this one his only effort with Corman, this after he and Price did Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
seventeen years before.
The set for the village of Arkham was quite small, and was built in forced perspective
so that it appeared to cover more ground when filmed. Both the front of the palace and the underground dungeon later appeared in Corman's The Terror
, which was shot piecemeal on sets from other AIP movies.
Francis Ford Coppola
provided additional dialogue for the film.
Clips from The Haunted Palace are among the stock footage from various Corman features used for the 1974 Vincent Price film Madhouse
, in which Price plays a horror-movie actor. The clips are presented as the early work of Price's character.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
released by American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
, starring Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, Lon Chaney Jr., and Debra Paget
Debra Paget
Debra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s in a variety of feature films including Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender, the film début of Elvis Presley.-Early life and career:Paget was born in Denver, Colorado...
in a story about a village held in the grip of a cult. The film was directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, and is usually listed as one in his series of eight films based on the works of American author Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
. However, the film actually derives its plot from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a short novel by H. P. Lovecraft, written in early 1927, but not published during the author's liftetime...
, a novella by H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. The film's only connection to Poe is its title, which comes from a poem by Poe
The Haunted Palace (poem)
"The Haunted Palace" is a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. The 48-line poem was first released in the April 1839 issue of Nathan Brooks' American Museum magazine...
published in 1839 and later incorporated into his horror tale, The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in September 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine. It was slightly revised in 1840 for the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque...
.
Plot
In 1765, the villagers in the New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
town of Arkham
Arkham
Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers....
are suspicious of the strange goings-on up in the manor overlooking the village. They suspect its inhabitant, Joseph Curwen, of being a warlock
Warlock
The term warlock in origin means "traitor, oathbreaker".In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch ....
. After one of the girls in the village disappears, the townsmen storm the castle and confront its mysterious owner. Convinced the girl was bewitched, they tie Joseph to a tree outside his manor and burn him alive. Before dying, however, Joseph puts a curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
on the men and the town, saying he will rise from the grave to torment their descendants.
In 1875, Charles Dexter Ward and his wife Anne arrive in Arkham. Charles inherited the manor of his distant ancestor, Curwen. The locals are wary and inhospitable, as they believe they have developed strange deformities since Curwen's burning as part of the curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
.
A deformed son, kept locked in a room, is referred as "it", and resident Ezra Weeden mentions that "it knows he has arrived". The couple encounters many deformed
Deformity
A deformity, dysmorphism, or dysmorphic feature is a major difference in the shape of body part or organ compared to the average shape of that part.Deformity may arise from numerous causes:*A Genetic mutation*Damage to the fetus or uterus...
villagers missing eyes, limping, and with other facial deformities in the village. The doctor reveals that they were gathered by Weeden in an attempt to scare the couple away. He also mentions that Curwen came to the village 150 years ago, looking unnaturally young.
The doctor refers to the Necronomicon
Necronomicon
The Necronomicon is a fictional grimoire appearing in the stories by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first mentioned in Lovecraft's 1924 short story "The Hound", written in 1922, though its purported author, the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred, had been quoted a year earlier in...
, mentioning the Elder Gods, Cthulhu
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
, and Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth is a cosmic entity of the fictional Cthulhu Mythos and the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. Yog-Sothoth's name was first mentioned in his novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward...
, advising the couple to leave the village. The doctor mentions that the villagers believed Curwen wanted those beings to mate with mortal
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
women to create a new race to rule the world.
A creature exists in the pit under the palace, in the past (since at least 1765) and in the present. The creature has green skin, two arms, and two more limbs in his upper body, huge black eyes with no pupils and growls incoherently. Mortals are sacrificed to this being. In 1765, Curwen and his associates impregnated young girls with its spawn, partially explaining the townspeople's inherited deformities.
At the manor, they meet the caretaker, Simon Orne. That night, Charles is overtaken by the spirit of his dead warlock ancestor as he gazes into Curwen's portrait over the mantle. Curwen recognizes the caretaker—his old assistant—telling him that 110 years have passed. He first takes revenge upon the descendants of his murderers. Curwen has their names on a list; he tears off each name as they are slain. He burns two people alive. At the same time, he succeeds in resuscitating the long-buried corpse of his long-dead mistress using the infamous Necronomicon. At first, his hold on Charles is limited to the night, but as time goes on he grows stronger, eventually taking complete control. Charles's wife, noticing the changes in her husband, seeks solace in the advice of the town doctor. Eventually, the doctor realizes what the possessed Charles is trying to do, and foils him by burning the portrait of the dead warlock
Warlock
The term warlock in origin means "traitor, oathbreaker".In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch ....
. Escaping the flames of the burning palace, Anne breathes a sigh of relief, believing the terror is finally over. But as the camera fades on Charles, the viewer realizes that Joseph Curwen still inhabits his mind.
Characters and cast
Characters are used anachronisticallyAnachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
, and the descendants of the past events are portrayed by the same actors.
| Characters | Portrayed by |
|---|---|
| Joseph Curwen | Vincent Price Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St... |
| Charles Dexter Ward | Vincent Price Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St... |
| Anne (Ward's wife) | Debra Paget Debra Paget Debra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s in a variety of feature films including Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender, the film début of Elvis Presley.-Early life and career:Paget was born in Denver, Colorado... |
| Hester Tillinghast (Curwen's mistress Mistress (lover) A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,... and Weeden's betrothed) |
Cathie Merchant |
| Dr. Willet | Frank Maxwell |
| Priam Willet | Frank Maxwell |
| Simon Orne | Lon Chaney Jr. |
| Jabez Hutchinson | Milton Parsons |
| Ezra Weeden | Leo Gordon Leo Gordon Leo Vincent Gordon was an American movie and television character actor as well as a screenplay writer and novelist. He specialized in playing brutish bad guys during more than forty years in film and television.... |
| Weeden's wife | Barboura Morris Barboura Morris Barboura Morris was an American actor. She acted under some other names."The girl with the lovely smile," Barboura Morris was born in L.A., and went on to appear in many low-budget movies, such as A Bucket of Blood, American comedy horror film directed by Roger Corman. She graduated from UCLA... |
| Gideon Leach | Guy Wilkerson |
| Mr. Leach | Guy Wilkerson |
| Bruno | Bruno VeSota |
Production notes
Producer and director Roger Corman, at the time famous for his Poe-based horror films, wanted to do something different with The Haunted Palace by doing a Lovecraft story. American International PicturesAmerican International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
changed the film's name, against Corman's wishes, to keep it in line with the popular Poe series. The only connection the film has with the Poe poem is a brief quotation at the end of the film spoken by Vincent Price. The film would pair Price with both Debra Paget
Debra Paget
Debra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s in a variety of feature films including Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender, the film début of Elvis Presley.-Early life and career:Paget was born in Denver, Colorado...
and Lon Chaney Jr.: Paget bowed out gracefully from acting with this as she wanted to move on to other things, including Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Chaney, famous for playing The Wolf Man
The Wolf Man
The Wolf Man is a 1941 American Werewolf Horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man, featuring Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Béla Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya...
, made only one appearance in a Roger Corman film: he made this one his only effort with Corman, this after he and Price did Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a 1948 American comedy horror film directed by Charles Barton and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the first of several films where the comedy duo meets classic characters from Universal's horror film stable...
seventeen years before.
The set for the village of Arkham was quite small, and was built in forced perspective
Forced perspective
Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It is used primarily in photography, filmmaking and architecture...
so that it appeared to cover more ground when filmed. Both the front of the palace and the underground dungeon later appeared in Corman's The Terror
The Terror (1963 film)
The Terror is an American horror film produced by Roger Corman, and famous for being filmed on leftover film sets from other AIP productions, including The Haunted Palace...
, which was shot piecemeal on sets from other AIP movies.
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
provided additional dialogue for the film.
Clips from The Haunted Palace are among the stock footage from various Corman features used for the 1974 Vincent Price film Madhouse
Madhouse (1974 film)
Madhouse is a 1973 British horror film directed by Jim Clark for Amicus Productions. It stars Vincent Price, Natasha Pyne, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri and Linda Hayden.-Plot:...
, in which Price plays a horror-movie actor. The clips are presented as the early work of Price's character.