No Better Time for a Vincent Price Movie

More than half of the 110 movies that the late Vincent Price made are on video--and about one-third of them are his signature horror movies. Ironically, his death Monday came just days before Halloween, when there is peak interest in those films.

Since Price’s passing has been such big news, some retailers will undoubtedly capitalize on the publicity by displaying even more of his movies than they would anyway at this time of year. All are available for rent and many can be purchased in the $10-$15 range.

If you want to see Price at his scary best, chose your films carefully. Many of his movies were schlock fright-fests, with Price largely rehashing that ghoulish wax-museum proprietor he played in “House of Wax,” which fueled his career as a horrormeister.

In the too-bad-to-be-scary category: “Shock” (1946), “The Return of the Fly” (1959), “The Bat” (1959), “Diary of a Madman” (1963), “The Haunted Palace” (1963), “The Oblong Box” (1969), “Cry of the Banshee” (1970)” and “Scream and Scream Again” (1970). And don’t be misled by the title of Price’s “Tower of London” (1962): It’s really a historical drama--and an awful one at that.

You can’t go wrong with “House of Wax”--at times corny and over-the-top but nonetheless still effective--or Price’s exemplary series based on Edgar Allan Poe stories: “House of Usher” (1960), “Tales of Terror” (1962) and “The Masque of the Red Death” (1964). “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961), which gathers steam after a slow start, might be the best of the lot. “The Raven” (1963), featuring Boris Karloff and a young Jack Nicholson, is more of a spoof than a hard-core fright film.

Though not a Poe tale, 1958’s “House on Haunted Hill,” about a terrifying night in an eerie mansion, provides plenty of scary moments, as does “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” (1971). The campy 1972 sequel, “Dr. Phibes Rises Again,” is just plain abominable.

Of his horror movies Price’s favorite was “Theatre of Blood” (1973), which is both high fright and high camp. Killed by critics in reviews, a vengeful actor (Price) kills them for real, setting them up in famed theatrical death scenes. Naturally, it’s a critical favorite too.

While Price isn’t the main character in the original “The Fly” (1958), this horror classic is considered one of his films anyway. David Hedison actually is featured as the scientist who becomes part fly and has the great closing scene in a web.

Of Price’s non-horror films, by far the best is the 1944 mystery “Laura”--arguably one of the top five movies of the ‘40s. Price plays an oily gigolo named Shelby Carpenter who, along with a columnist (Clifton Webb) and a detective (Dana Andrews), is obsessed with the lovely Laura (Gene Tierney).

A favorite of hard-core film buffs is “The Whales of August,” a snail-paced 1987 drama about two elderly sisters (Bette Davis and Lillian Gish) that also features Price. The buffs reverently wade through it just to see three legends in action.

What’s New on Video:

“Born Yesterday” (Hollywood, no set price). Poor remake of the 1950 comedy that didn’t need remaking. Set in Washington, Melanie Griffith plays a dumb showgirl whose rich boyfriend (John Goodman) hires a tutor (Don Johnson) to educate her--unwittingly creating a savvy independent thinker. If you’ve ever seen the original (Columbia TriStar, $20), with Judy Holliday in the title role, the new one is unwatchable.

“Posse” (PolyGram, $95). Appropriate subtitle: Boyz on the Range. Director-star Mario Van Peebles revives the spirit of the early ‘70s blaxploitation movies in his Western about a gang of black outlaws battling villainous whites. Naturally, this heroic posse, featuring characters played by rappers Tone Loc and Big Daddy Kane, has 1990s sensibilities.

“The Dark Half” (Orion, no set price). George Romero directs Stephen King’s twist on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale. A writer (Timothy Hutton) has a vicious alter ego that normally vents its wrath when he’s working on his violent novels. But one day this dark half takes over, spurring him on a murderous rampage. One of the best horror films of the last few years.

“Dennis the Menace” (Warner, $25). Writer-director John Hughes infuses this low-grade slapstick comedy with elements of his hit “Home Alone” series, creating another uneasy blend of violence and sticky sentiment. In this one, Dennis, played cloyingly cute by Mason Gamble, is menaced by a creepy crook (Christopher Lloyd). Walter Matthau as Mr. Wilson is the film’s only real plus. Caution: It’s much too violent for kids under 10.

Upcoming

Just announced: “Hot Shots Part Deux” (Jan. 5), “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (Jan. 12) and “Rookie of the Year” (Jan. 26). All from FoxVideo.