The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

• Year: 1964
• Released: 20 Jan 1965
• Country: United States, United Kingdom
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059821/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/The_Tomb_of_Ligeia
• Available in: 720p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Not Rated
• Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
• Runtime: 82 min
• Writer: Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Towne, Paul Mayersberg
• Director: Roger Corman
• Cast: Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook
• Keywords: cat, tomb, black cat, edgar allan poe,

	6.4/10
	86% – Critics
	60% – Audience

The Tomb of Ligeia Storyline

Erudite recluse Verden Fell is truck by a meeting with lady Rowena, daughter of country lord Trevanion, who reminds him of his late wife, Ligeia, both being somehow associated with a black cat and the wild fox the lord loves hunting. They fall in love, marry and resolve he leave the ruined abbey where he buried Ligeia. However Rowena’s devoted gentleman friend Christopher Gough discovers it cannot be sold as Ligeia was never declared legally dead, making Rowena’s marriage involuntarily bigamous. After a hypnotic session shows Ligeia possesses Rowena, strange things keep happening. Verden relapses in gloom and seclusion, but Christopher gets his loyal old manservant Kenrick to assist in an exhumation. In the abbey, things turn to a spectacular, dramatical conclusion for all concerned, yet not quite.

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The Tomb of Ligeia Movie Reviews

“It’s like déjà vu all over again!”–Yogi Berra

Price plays a man whose young wife vowed never to die–at which point, she promptly died! Well, in a way, she is still very much alive, as Price cannot get on with his life and he is a brooding and sullen jerk. Despite all this, he eventually meets a nice lady who he marries and everything seems peachy–until they return to Price’s mansion from their honeymoon. It seems that there are, naturally, weird goings on at the home and the young wife is both frustrated at Price for acting like a weirdo and is scared because something unnatural and unholy is occurring there.

In the early 1960s, Vincent Price and Roger Corman teamed up for a bunch of pretty good horror tales with titles based on Poe Stories–though the stories themselves often had little to do with Poe. However, the plots of many of these films were almost indistinguishable from each other–having plots involving dead wives or sisters who weren’t quite dead (such as FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, MASQUE OF RED DEATH and THE TOMB OF LIGEIA. Additionally, Corman also made several films without Price along similar lines, such as THE PREMATURE BURIAL and THE TERROR. As a result, for someone like me who has seen all these other films, THE TOMB OF LIGEIA is like a case of déjà vu–and after a while it’s hard to keep them all straight.

However, if you have NOT seen all these other films, then THE TOMB OF LIGEIA is a very entertaining and competent film–though far from great or memorable. For a relatively low-budget film (though for once, this one has many exterior shots–something NOT seen in the earlier films), it is a pretty good film and Corman certainly got a lot of bang for the buck, so to speak.

Whether it is Corman’s very best Poe adaptation I am not sure, but it is still one very good film

In my opinion, Corman’s best Poe adaptation is Masque of the Red Death with Tales of Terror being his weakest(still an interesting film though). The Tomb of Ligeia does have some draggy padding and an ending that doesn’t feel as complete as it could’ve been, however it is perhaps the most visually beautiful Roger Corman Edgar Allen Poe adaptation. Because it really is beautifully shot, and the locations and costumes are gorgeous. There is a haunting undertone to the score as well, and there is a great distinctly chilling atmosphere throughout. The slow pacing mostly did add to that. There is a very intelligent and I think flawlessly written script, and the story(reminding me slightly of Vertigo in its theme) delivers the creepy moments effectively. The fact that it does depart from the Poe story didn’t bother me and I don’t think it hindered the film much either. Corman directs splendidly, and the two leads are wonderful. Vincent Price is sinister but in a more subtle way than usual, while Elizabeth Sheppard really makes the most of her dual role. Overall, a very good film though I am not entirely sure whether it is the best of the Corman-Poe-Price films. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Gothic Vincent Price horror with a wistful feel

Another slice of Edgar Allan Poe, served with extra relish for those of us who are fans of his work. The ubiquitous Vincent Price is on top form as the morose lead, a man who has sensitive eyes (and wears strange glasses) during the day, and is plagued with the memory of his dead wife by night. All of the usual elements from a Poe film are there, from haunting black cats (which actually are essential to the plot this time around) to graves being opened up.

THE TOMB OF LIGEIA has a rich Gothic atmosphere, helped by the fact it was filmed in Britain, and good use is made of the Norfolk countryside and settings. The abbey is typically spooky, with secret rooms and passages. All actors and actresses are impeccable and complement the story, imbuing it with a sense of doomed realism from the start. We all know Price is a goner, but the film draws us into the mystery surrounding his wife until the startling and genuinely original ending (which mostly eliminates any supernatural suggestion, but leaves much open to our imagination).

Roger Corman once again puts in those shots of burning timbers, in case you were wondering. The thing that really makes the film is Price himself, however; he is superb as the gloomy man trapped in his own fantasies, and his rich voice booms throughout the film in haunting grandeur. This is truly a film from a forgotten age, with a real magic that is rarely captured elsewhere; the genres of horror and romance are blended perfectly. I admit I wasn’t expecting much when I put it on, but I have to say that it is now one of my favourites, and one of the best of the whole Corman/Poe cycle.