The Premature Burial (1962)

Director: Roger Corman

Starring: Ray Milland, Hazel Court, Alan Napier, Dick Miller

More info: IMDB

Tagline: Within the Coffin I Lie...ALIVE!

Plot: Emily Gault arrives at the Carrell mansion determined to rekindle an old relationship with Guy Carrell, despite the disapproval of his sister, Kate. Guy overcomes his all-consuming fear of being buried alive long enough to marry Emily but soon becomes obsessed again, building a crypt designed to guarantee that he will not fall prey to his most dreaded nightmare. Trying to prove that he has been cured of his phobia, he opens his father's tomb and is shocked into a catatonic state. His worst fears are realized as he is lowered into a grave and covered over, apparently never to learn that the treachery of someone very dear to him was directly responsible for his predicament.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Sure.


Since I started this blog nearly three years ago I've been slowly trudging my way through Corman's Edgar Allen Poe films of the early to mid 60s. Much to my dismay, I'm not really liking them all that much. They're OK but they seem to be missing a pulse, making them feel like Hammer-lite. All of Corman's Poe pictures starred Vincent Price (who's always fun to watch) except for this one. Ray Milland takes the role and does a better job of it than Price would have done. I say that because Milland brings a weight to the character that would have been missing if Price had been there who would have brought his natural levity.

Hey, kids! It's Dick Miller!

Noooooooooo!

It's a dark and moody film that benefits from the performances and the unknowing of what's really going on until the final minutes. It's a nice surprise, too, that pays off instead of feeling like a cheat or something you expected from the first ten minutes. Those are the worst. I'm probably in the minority on this one but, of all the Corman Poe films I've seen so far, this is my favorite yet.