An artist grows distant from his new wife as an irrational horror of premature burial consumes him.An artist grows distant from his new wife as an irrational horror of premature burial consumes him.An artist grows distant from his new wife as an irrational horror of premature burial consumes him.
- Awards
- 1 win
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- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRoger Corman started this film outside of American International Pictures. Since Vincent Price had been signed to an exclusive contract with AIP, Corman chose Ray Milland for the lead role. American International would acquire the production just as principal photography began.
- GoofsWhen about to show his guests the cup of poison, Guy refers to this as the coup de grace, but mispronounces it as "coup de gras" (as in "foie gras" or "Mardi Gras"). It is very unlikely that a well educated English grandee such as Guy would make such a mistake.
- Quotes
Guy Carrell: Can you possibly conceive it. The unendurable oppression of the lungs, the stifling fumes of the earth, the rigid embrace of the coffin, the blackness of absolute night and the silence, like an overwhelming sea.
- Alternate versionsThe original UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to remove shots of maggots being poured from a cup and to edit scenes of Emily's body being covered with earth. The Optimum DVD is the uncut print.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: Premature Burial (1975)
Featured review
Premature Burial is not Roger Corman's best filmed Poe adaptation, Masque of the Red Death is my favourite, but I did prefer it over the interesting but uneven Tales of Terror. It could have been a little longer, and not all of it is what you call surprising. However, it is well worth a look. It is well shot and I loved the Gothic atmosphere of the sets. The music really haunts your mind, at its best in Milland's hallucination dream sequence. The script is very literate and maintains interest, with Alan Napier getting the best lines, Milland showing his wife and friend around his tomb and the story has some fine moments especially with the dream sequence, Court's shadow and with the grave-diggers helped by a genuinely creepy atmosphere that Corman evokes wonderfully. Corman does direct assuredly. I was impressed by the performances also. Ray Milland is going to have inevitable comparisons to Vincent Price, who for me gave pitch-perfect performances in the rest of Corman's Poe adaptations(all but this one), but he deserves to be judged on his own merits, and I think he does give an understated and vulnerable performance that proved most effective. Hazel Court is also terrific, and Alan Napier relishes some of the best lines of the film. The rest of the cast do solidly in their roles also. In conclusion, a very under-appreciated Corman film that shouldn't be dismissed because it doesn't have Price in it. 8/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Nov 8, 2012
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,250,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 21 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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