American International Pictures
Your Favorite Creeps Together Again! Four masters of the macabre star in this sinister and screamingly funny scare-fest! Waldo Trumbull (Vincent Price) is running his father-in-law’s (Boris Karloff) funeral home business … straight into the ground! Hounded by his landlord (Basil Rathbone), Trumbull and his assistant (Peter Lorre) devise a way to make death pay: by increasing their customer base through murder and burying the secrets of their success … body by body! Jacques Tourneur, the diabolical director of Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Out of the Past and War-Gods of the Deep, blended humor and horror for The Comedy of Terrors, written by Richard Matheson and co-starring Joyce Jameson with special guest star Joe E. Brown.
REVIEW
The Comedy of Terrors is not part of the Roger Corman ‘Poe Cycle’ and it has no participation from Corman whatsoever. But it does reunite Price, Karloff and Lorre with the addition of Basil Rathbone as Price’s nemesis. The film is handsomely produced, perhaps not quite as colorful as Corman’s films, but it looks a bit more expensive. The film is adequately directed by Jacques Tourneur, but many have pointed out that while he got the ‘terror’ right, he probably wasn’t the best choice for a film with ‘comedy’ in the title.
The result is a fairly off-putting performance from Price, who even when playing a villainous character still managed to do it with a likable twinkle in his eye. Here he is just repugnant in the way he verbally abuses his wife, and physically abuses his assistant. It really was unpleasant to sit through. Luckily there are some nice moments between Lorre’s Felix and Joyce Jameson’s Amaryllis Trumbull, with Felix’s unrequited love for Amaryllis on clear display for everyone but her husband to see. Unfortunately her constant sniping and shrieking at Waldo doesn’t help quell the issues in their marriage. And Waldo’s constant attempts to murder his father-in-law is played for laughs, but it just comes off as mean sometimes. At least Karloff, as Amos, is a real hoot with his line delivery. Interestingly, Karloff was to play the Rathbone role, but his infirmity prevented him from doing anything more physical than sitting down. But he makes the most of it and is a joy to watch.
The film’s more humorous moments come after Waldo and Felix attempt to murder the landlord of the funeral home, John Black (Rathbone), who just won’t stay dead. Lorre’s reactions to the situation also offer some laughs, so it isn’t a total wash. Joe E. Brown’s cameo is a bit … odd. Over all, The Comedy of Terrors is a mixed bag, not quite as clever as the Corman/Price films but a nice record of four film greats playing together.
American International Pictures
BLU-RAY
Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray looks fantastic. For a darker film than The Raven, the Blu-ray nicely presents those darker areas without any artifacting, night and darker scenes are well-balanced and everything is easy to see, while the brighter scenes are well-lit and never blown out.
The print itself, I assume, has gone through some sort of digital restoration to remove scratches and other wear and tear, and the grain pattern is appropriately film-like. The mono audio is also crisp and clear, no apparent hiss or pops, and well-balanced so the dialogue is never competing with sound effects or music.
The disk’s bonus material includes an informative commentary track from film historian Tim Lucas, publisher of the late, great Video Watchdog, another short segment with Richard Matheson discussing the film, theatrical trailers and a nice limited edition cardboard slipcase.
OVERVIEW
The Comedy of Terrors ends up being a mixed bag in the end. It does have a clever premise but I just had a really had time with Price being such an asshole. He’s certainly played cads before, but never quite as mean-spirited as this one. But Karloff and Lorre made me laugh, I enjoyed Rathbone’s performance, and it was very nicely produced. Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray is a magnificent representation of the film and should be a welcome addition to the collection of any film buff, or fans of Price, Lorre, Karloff or Rathbone. The film itself may have fallen short of my expectations, but I’m still very happy that I had a chance to see it in such pristine condition.
Kino Lorber generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes.
The Comedy of Terrors has a running time of 1 hour 24 minutes and is not rated.
American International Pictures
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