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The Comedy of Terrors

Play trailer Poster for The Comedy of Terrors Released Jan 22, 1964 1h 28m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Waldo Trumbull (Vincent Price) is an amoral undertaker in 19th-century New England who takes to murdering people to have enough cash to support his drinking habit. Desperate for money after a widow stiffs him for a burial, Trumbull and his assistant, Gillie (Peter Lorre), decide to kill the wealthy Mr. Black (Basil Rathbone), their landlord, to whom they're indebted. But murdering Black proves to be quite a challenge, as he seems to keep recovering from death every time they do him in.

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The Comedy of Terrors

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A giddy romp. Rated: 3/4 Sep 10, 2021 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time, and some of the silly dialogue can stick in your head. Rated: 3/4 Sep 3, 2021 Full Review Alberto Abuín Espinof 'The Comedy of Terrors' is almost an operetta, a vaudeville full of wit, with triumphant entrances and exits of its characters, clinging to life, embracing death. [Full Review in Spanish] Apr 16, 2020 Full Review Paul Chambers Movie Chambers An all-out horror comedy set in 19th century New England with some of the best names in the business. Besides Price, there's Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone and in a small, but funny, segment, Joe E. Brown. Rated: B+ Nov 1, 2014 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It's hard to believe, but the horror spoof goes under despite this awesome cast. Rated: C Jan 25, 2008 Full Review Mark Bourne DVDJournal.com There's some terrific comic interplay, and director Jacques Tourneur (Night of the Demon) keeps it all looking good and moving forward. Nonetheless, this is an 84-minute film spun from 42 minutes worth of material. Apr 5, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (92) audience reviews
Dallas H Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff are the perfect trio to appear in incredible campy movies like this one. And it occurred to me while watching The Comedy of Terrors that Peter Lorre should have acted as Gollum in an adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. Is that too demeaning to suggest? Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/17/24 Full Review Logan D An unscrupulous caretaker and his mousy assistant murder clients to maintain the funeral business. One could think they are seeing double as this film features three of the leads from Tales of Terror, Price, Lorre, and Rathbone, released the year before but this is a different film. With a screenplay by Richard Matheson (I am Legend), genre icons are given the opportunity to stretch their humor muscles in this dark comedy. It's a joy to see these actors bouncing off of one another and seemingly enjoying every moment. I found their spirited performances infectious even though the tale gets stretched beyond its needed length. It's fun. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/24/23 Full Review Steve D Not as fun as it should be with this cast. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/20/23 Full Review Audience Member "Comedy of Terrors" sets its sights on a modest target and basically hits what it aims at, offering up an experience of good-old-fashioned campy fun well-suited for average novelty material. Peter Lorre is a particular delight to watch with his quivering timidity and deadpan humor, whereas an exaggerated, cornball performance by Vincent Price predictably did not lead to any suspense at that year's Oscars ceremony. Watching the film, I periodically chuckled beneath my breath, but grew weary of its merciless superficiality and lack of deeper inspiration. This film should please most who crave a work that is the artistic equivalent of a colorful Halloween decoration. For all others, look elsewhere. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Comedy of Terrors is an enjoyable companion piece to its predecessor " Tales of Terror" . Unfortunately it did not quite live up to Roger Corman's production or storytelling.. But seeing all these wonderful actors reunited once more makes it a film worth owning. Peter Lorre and Vincent Price play a role reversal compared to " The Black Cat" Episode in Tales of Terror which was a refreshing addition,However I wished they kept their positions from the former film with Peter Lorre as Amaryllis's husband and undertaker while Vincent Price would have been better suited as his coworker. All in all its a classic must have for me I will treasure for years to come. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member American-International Pictures follow up to The Raven, this movie reunites Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff. Adding to the trio is Basil Rathbone, giving this film an astounding cast. They're all working from a script by Richard Matheson and direction by Jacques Tourneur, who for my money made some of the greatest horror movies ever like Night of the Demon, The Leopard Man and Cat People. Price is Waldo Trumbull, a funeral home owner, a business that he stole from his partner Amos Hinchley (Karloff) after marrying his daughter Amaryllis (Joyce Jameson). They only have one coffin, which saves them money, as Felix Gillie (Lorre) dumps the bodies when he isn't setting up the death of wealthy clients. Rathbone plays John F. Black, Esq., the landlord that tries to evict Trumbull but keeps dying and coming back to life, giving soliloquies and dying again. The cat, who keeps waking him up due to allergies, is played by Orangey the cat, who also menaced The Incredible Shrinking Man. While a fun movie, this one could have really used Corman's touch. That said I'm a big fan of Tourneur. It wasn't a big success, but it's still worth a watch. You might even spot the hearse coach that now is part of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Comedy of Terrors

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Movie Info

Synopsis Waldo Trumbull (Vincent Price) is an amoral undertaker in 19th-century New England who takes to murdering people to have enough cash to support his drinking habit. Desperate for money after a widow stiffs him for a burial, Trumbull and his assistant, Gillie (Peter Lorre), decide to kill the wealthy Mr. Black (Basil Rathbone), their landlord, to whom they're indebted. But murdering Black proves to be quite a challenge, as he seems to keep recovering from death every time they do him in.
Director
Jacques Tourneur
Producer
Samuel Z. Arkoff, Anthony Carras, James H. Nicholson
Screenwriter
Richard Matheson
Distributor
American International Pictures
Production Co
American International Pictures (AIP)
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 22, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 19, 2017
Runtime
1h 28m
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