Comedy of Terrors (1963)
Directed by: Jacques Tourneur
Mr. Trumbull finds himself in quite the quandary. For at last his land lord Mr. Black threatens the streets for one Trumbull, wife, and company! He wants his overdue rent and he want's it now! Trumbull trying to concoct his latest scheme must once again call upon his partner Mr. Gillie to help him speed the service of his customers. At this time no one is dying...to drop in quite literally. So it's time for Trumbull to take matters into his hands! Will Trumbull lose his home and will his business see the light of glory but at what cost?
It looks like fortune smiles on Mr. Trumbull this night as his latest conquest leads him to a very rich Mr. Phipps! What Trumbull doesn't count on is that the now widow of Mr. Phipps makes a mad dash with everything but the kitchen sink leaving him to count his losses once again. Now, at a complete twist of fate he turns his eyes to Mr. Black who might be able to help him solve this quandary. Mr. Black will help kill two birds with one pillow... As the title implies this horror comedy doesn't quite end there. As Trumbull finds out Mr. Black has quite a few cards up his sleeves. Will fortune finally smile on Trumbull and company or will Mr. Black prove victory over Trumbull tune in and find out.
Comical at every turn. Eloquent sets, excellent costumes, clever dialogue, amusing score, and overall one great film! Two thumbs WAY UP for this one!!!!!!! I absolutely loved this and want to own it!
Peter Lorre add's the sensitive, humbly dubious nature, and humor to Vincent Price's crafty, charming yet quirky behavior. Boris Karloff of course, is memorable in his own right cheeky and present when his character isn't present, Basil Rathbone adds theatrics to Price's charisma to make this film an instant success! Unfortunately, in the 60s this wasn't as well received. The beginning moments read like Hammer Horror meets Benny Hill with memorable introduction to the precedent for the film. This film is excellent. Check this film out if you love classic horror, Hammer Horror vibes, a lot of comical turns from some of the memorable icons of horror, a humorous sword fight, and lovable cast of characters.
So what can you expect from This 'Comedy of Terrors', an introduction that read like Hammer Horror meets Benny Hill. A charismatic drunkard that manages to steal the show, a lovable partner in crime that is the underdog in this tale, a stereotypical overbearing landlord who knows his Shakespeare and adds quite the theatrics to the main characters, a lovable horror icon dozing away and still manages to steal the screen when on screen, a "nightingale" with a taste for opera that isn't well received on others except for Felix Gillie, one beautiful coffin that seems to hold the affections of the main character, lots of laughter coming from you at the most random points on screen, realizing Gillie was MacGyver, a sassy cat, did I mention lots of humor, and a lovable assortment of characters and surprises at every corner.
9.6/10
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