At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is not on par with "The House of Usher" with Vincent Price two years earlier but in the same style and category. The main character is as sickly and haunted as Vincent Price but tougher and more self-determined, as he actually tries to deal with his own fate but fails in a satisfactory revenge. This is as far from Edgar Allan Poe as the Usher film, but the atmosphere, mood and creepy settings are the more Poean for their very illustrative sustaining character. Ray Milland is or was a great actor, and although not as creepy as Vincent Price could be when he mobilized his resources and forces to the full, he is more intelligent and does not fumble or commit mistakes in unnecessary exaggerations. Ray Milland is thinking while he is lying dead and actually succeeds in understanding what is going on, although the ladies outwit him.It's more an entertaining film than a horror movie, and although there are some startling effects, the main satisfaction of the film is that of an entertainment, since it's impossible to take any of the absurd goings-on for serious. .

A very surprising mystery-thriller from the 60s that I usually won't write reviews for the old flicks, but for this one an exception. The film was based on the book of the same name that sets in the early 19th century. Since it was a short tale the film was just a 80 minutes long. It looked like the film 'Take Shelter', but while progressing its narration totally impressed me with the uniqueness in the development area. However, I did not understand the final scene after all those twists, yet it is obvious an agenda that was achieved.The cast was small and a single location concept where most of them takes place inside a building and its surroundings which were obviously settings. The story was very interesting with turns in every few minutes and incredible performances. This is not a popular film, but surely it deserves more attention for telling a quality tale. Or maybe a remake won't be a bad idea to make it more thrilling product with the availability of the present technical assistant. It is no masterpiece like Hitchcock films, but still worth watching, so I recommend it.7/10

While most of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe film adaptations employ little actual Poe, "Premature Burial" is more notable for something else that is missing: Vincent Price.Price's mordant wit and oddly effective plays for sympathy amid otherwise sinister turns made him essential in all the other Corman-Poe films. Here, the less sinister Ray Milland is cast against type but does even better, at least with one key scene, one he played before in a more famous movie.In "Dial M For Murder," Milland plays a man who plots out his wife's murder beforehand, explaining how cleverly he planned it all out to a shocked associate (as well as us the audience). In "Premature Burial," he lays out similar plans, this time for preventing a death - his own. Here, as rich layabout Guy Carrell, he explains to shocked wife Emily (Hazel Court) all the various ways he has mapped out for breaking free of his crypt should he be buried before he is actually dead, which happens to be his greatest fear.A rope ladder, a hidden panel, a bell, even "a recent invention by a Swedish chemist named Nobel" are among the accouterments Carrell places at his disposal to effect his escape. He even has amontillado (nice Poe touch) and some reading material to rest up with before busting out.Watching Milland explain all this, you relish as with "Dial M" the effective foresight his character has brought to bear. You also see, because of the tight way Milland controls his voice and the subtle way he works his eyes, that his character is teetering on the brink of madness. In at least this scene, "Premature Burial" makes a case for being a superior Corman-Poe vehicle, Price or no.The rest of the time, Price is missed.While an effectively moody thriller in the main, "Premature Burial" does suffer from some serious faults. For a Corman film, it's unusually slow-paced, with a morbid air that can't be helped due to the dark subject matter but begs for the kind of humor Price could have brought with a twitch of an eyebrow. I doubt even Vincent could have done much with some of Guy's groaner lines ("From the beginning, death has come to the Carrells like an assassin"), but they would have sound less awkward coming from him rather than the more stolid-seeming Milland.There are an excess of inartful "boo" moments used in place of real chills, employing a gravedigger, a corpse, even a hobby horse. A lot of scenes don't make much sense, especially when viewed again. Questions linger, like: Why is Guy looking on at the beginning upon what is later said to be a grave robbery? Why is Guy's sister so openly hostile to Emily? What happened to Guy's dog and cat after their scare scenes were over?It's not that "Premature Burial" doesn't try to answer at least some of the above queries, but the answers provided are convoluted.What's good about the movie outweighs the bad, though. I'd enjoy Hazel Court in anything, or nothing at all for that matter, and here you get all of that and a clever part besides. The moody EC-horror-comic-book vibe keeps the story involving even as the fog threatens to overtake the entire cast. Even a rather silly, sudden ending produces real chills, even if Milland by then appears more than a bit lost. At its best, "Premature Burial" connects with basic human fears while delivering a deliciously overwrought tale of Gothic suspense and revenge. But it is not always at its best.Just for delivering Milland's one scene in his magic crypt, "Premature Burial" is worth a viewing. You wish Price was there for the rest of the film, but for those 10 minutes Milland is as effective as Price ever was on a Corman-Poe project, and his hollow smile and sickly twinkle leave you with the kind of creepy feeling that lingers long after.

An artist (Ray Milland) grows distant from his new wife (Hazel Court) as an irrational horror of premature burial consumes him.The story of this film's creation is almost as interesting as the film itself. This film was the first one Roger Corman made after "The Intruder" flopped. While today "Intruder" is considered one of the highlights of his career, its failure at the time convinced Corman to stay with horror -- much to our benefit.Also of interest, Corman went to Pathe, rather than American International Pictures, in order to make this film. Thus, he had to cast Ray Milland rather than Vincent Price, who was under contract with AIP. Sam Arkoff, the head of AIP, was furious, and purchased the film back from Pathe (threatening to pull lab work from them) before it was made -- but after Milland was cast.Thus, we have only one of the two AIP Poe films without Price (the other is "Murders in the Rue Morgue", which also did not have Corman). Is this a blessing or a curse? Well, among horror fans, Vincent Price is probably the single greatest figure in history. However, in general, Milland is probably the better actor. So what we have here is a film that is probably less campy, less overly dramatic than it would have been with Price. This makes the tone somewhat different from the others in the series, but perhaps not in a bad way.Mike Mayo says "Corman makes the fullest possible use of a few richly decorated and fog-shrouded Gothic sets" and calls the story "a cracking good yarn." I completely agree on the sets. While the scenery is minimal (we rarely venture out of a single-room mausoleum), it works by being elaborate. The many-layered escape plan scene really is the highlight of the film.Like Mayo, Howard Maxford points out that we witness "the studio dry-ice machine working overtime." Indeed, if you remember nothing else about the outdoor scenes, you will recall the seemingly endless amounts of fog drifting by. Perhaps a bit too much?Overall, the story is well-told, well-paced, well-acted and builds up as it goes. Maybe the premise is a bit far-fetched, because even the severest case of catalepsy would require breathing, but it serves as a great plot device and I can handle that.Bonus: the legendary Dick Miller appears in a cameo role.