The Premature Burial (film)
| The Premature Burial | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roger Corman |
| Produced by | Roger Corman Samuel Z. Arkoff Gene Corman (Exec Prod) |
| Written by |
Short story: Edgar Allan Poe Screenplay: Charles Beaumont Ray Russell |
| Based on | The Premature Burial by Edgar Allan Poe |
| Starring |
Ray Milland Hazel Court Alan Napier Heather Angel Richard Ney |
| Music by |
Ronald Stein Les Baxter |
| Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
| Edited by | Ronald Sinclair |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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81 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1 million 172,329 admissions (France) |
The Premature Burial is a 1962 American International Pictures horror film, directed by Roger Corman, starring Ray Milland, also with Hazel Court, Alan Napier, Heather Angel and Richard Ney, screenplay by Charles Beaumont and Ray Russell, based upon the 1844 short story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. It was the third in the series of eight Poe-themed pictures, known informally as the "Poe Cycle", directed by Corman for American International.
Set in the early dark Victorian era, the film follows Guy Carrell, a British aristocrat who is consumed with the fear of being buried alive. His fear becomes so overwhelming, it nearly prevents him from marrying his fiancee Emily. He tells her that he, like his father, suffers from a cataleptic disease which can make one appear to be dead. Guy then takes Emily down to the family catacomb, and claims that when he was a boy, he heard his father scream from his tomb after being interred, even though his sister insists it was all in his mind. But despite all this, Emily tells Guy that she still wants to marry him.
After the wedding ceremony, Emily plays the melody to Molly Malone on the piano which seems to send Guy into a state of abject misery, finally causing him to pass out. After regaining consciousness, Guy becomes even more morbid, obsessed with the idea of being buried alive. He soon builds an elaborate vault, equipped with several safeguards in case of his premature burial, including a poisonous elixir to be used as a last resort. This latest project causes both his wife Emily and his colleague, Miles Archer, to become concerned with his mental health.
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