The Masque of the Red Death – 1964 | 89 mins | Horror | Colour

Plot Synopsis

The Masque Of The Red Death is an incredibly beautiful film photographed by Nic Roeg, it features the usual baroque sets and surrealistic pacing expected from Corman’s Poe films. Charles Beaumont and Robert Wright Campbell scripted the film with little regard to anything Poe actually wrote. The film was made using British crews and a largely British supporting cast, although it was strictly speaking similar to earlier movies made in the USA.

As a deadly 12th-century plague called "The Red Death" ravages Europe, sadistic Italian Prince Prospero (Vincent Price) rescues beautiful Francesca (Jane Asher) from amongst the villagers for his private amusement. Prospero hosts a lavish masked ball for noble devil-worshippers within the sanctuary of his castle walls. In the midst of their cruelty beautiful Julianna (Hazel Court) has her breast branded with an inverted cross, and Alfredo (Patrick Magee) is burned alive while clad in a gorilla costume by Prospero’s court jester. During the wanton revelry an uninvited masked guest dressed in red robes arrives – Death! And there is no escape from this messenger’s last danse macabre.