THE PREMATURE BURIAL (1962)
Article #622 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 11/27/2002
Posting date: 4/22/2003

A man is haunted by visions of himself being buried alive.

This is a rather dullish entry in Roger Corman’s series of movies based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. One of the problems with this one is that the premature burial theme had been used in both HOUSE OF USHER and THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM before them, so it wasn’t particularly novel. The absence of Vincent Price is also sorely felt; not that Ray Milland isn’t a good actor, but the role seemed tailor-made for Price, and at the end, when the character flips out, Milland is simply not as much fun as Price would have been. Actually, there’s a nice revelation at the ending, but it just doesn’t seem worth going through the whole movie to see it. Hazel Court is also in the movie, as well as Dick Miller and John Dierkes as the gravediggers.