The Tomb of Ligeia
Roger Corman had created seven adaptations of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe for American International Pictures, and they had all been very profitable. But the director was growing tired of the series, and began looking for new ways to approach the material. For the eighth effort he chose to adapt the story “Ligeia,” (originally published in the September, 1838 issue of “American Museum” magazine). With the exception of a very few location scenes all the previous adaptations had been stage-bound, including “exterior” footage. This had contributed to the “unreal” atmosphere of the films. For his newest project Corman embraced real locations, including the ruins of Castle Acre Priory and even Stonehenge! He had been using a dependable staff of writers including Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont, but for this screenplay Corman took a new approach. He had been developing a young talent named “Robert Towne,” and he was assigned to write the script. Corman even proposed turning to a new star in the form of actor “Richard Chamberlain.” This last change was too much for AIP, and they insisted upon using Vincent Price as a condition for providing financing. Corman agreed, although he felt the actor was about twenty years too old for this particular role.
This week’s movie was “The Tomb of Ligeia” from AIP in 1964, filmed in England to take advantage of the Eady Levy financing. The film opens with wealthy landowner “Verden Fell,” (Price), who is burying his lovely young wife “Ligeia,” (actress Elizabeth Shepherd wearing a black wig). A Black Cat jumps on the coffin, and the impact causes the corpse’s eyes to spring open! The young woman is buried, but her spirit enters the Cat! Verden has a chance encounter with another young woman named “Rowena Trevanion,” (Shepherd again, but with blonde hair). Rowena becomes entranced with the brooding widower, and the two are married. But Ligeia remains a dominating presence, and mysterious and menacing events take place. Rowena discovers that her husband has unearthed his former wife’s body, and may even be engaging with it intimately! Ligeia even attempts to possess Rowena’s body, but returns to the Cat for a final climactic battle with Verden!
Corman achieves an effectively creepy atmosphere, but the story is a bit muddled on the first viewing. The romance between Verden and Rowena is unconvincing because the actors don’t really have any chemistry. The twenty-five year age difference between the performers is just too obvious. Efforts were made to conceal Price’s age with heavy makeup, a wig and dark glasses, but it just doesn’t work. This is one of the weakest of Corman’s Poe films, and he brought an end to the series.
Edgar Allan Poe revised the story of “Ligeia” over the years. He published a poem called “The Conqueror Worm” in the January, 1843 issue of “Graham’s Magazine,” but later incorporated the poem into “Ligeia” starting with its reprint in the February 15, 1845 issue of the “New World” weekly newspaper.
When AIP released Michael Reeves’ 1968 movie “Witchfinder General” in America they retitled it “The Conqueror Worm” in an attempt to fool audiences into believing it was a ninth Poe feature. The film had nothing to do with Edgar Allan Poe, but it did star Vincent Price.
Robert Towne went on to have a very successful career as a screenwriter. His best known screenplays would include “Chinatown,” (1974), and “Shampoo,” (1975).