The Comedy of Terrors

Released Jan 22, 1964

1h 28m

Horror

List

89%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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

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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

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Jacques Tourneur

Director

Vincent Price

Waldo Trumbull

Peter Lorre

Felix Gillie

Boris Karloff

Amos Hinchley

Joyce Jameson

Amaryllis Trumbull

Joe E. Brown

Cemetery Keeper

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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

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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
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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