The Oblong Box (1969)

Curse of the Crimson Hood. the Oblong Box is directed by Gordon Hessler and adapted to screenplay by Lawrence Huntington and Christopher Wicking from the short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. It stars Vincent price, Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Alister Williamson, Uta Levka, Sally Geeson and Peter Arne. Music is by Harry Robertson and cinematography is by John Coquillon. Aristocrat Julian Markham (Price) keeps his disfigured brother, Sir Edward (Williamson), locked in a tower of his house. Occasionaly Sir Edward escapes and causes havoc around the town. Edgar Allan Poe's work had already been mined for consistent rewards, normally with Price in the lead role, unfortunately this one became a step too far (it's loosely adapted). It was blighted with the original director, Michael Reeves (Witchfinder General), committing suicide during production. In came Hessler, whose subsequent directing CV smacks of a lack of quality, and here it's a flat production straining to gain any horror momentum. Thematically there's interest, with witch doctors, drugs that simulate death, double-crosses and a crimson hooded murderer on the loose. There's also the whiff of British Colonialism pulsing away in the mix. Sadly the "unmasking" of the killer is a damp squib of poor make up, the twin horror greats of Price and Lee don't share screen time together, and the finale drifts aimlessly into a nothing worthwhile twist. Not a dead loss as such, but really it's bottom tier of the Poe horror adaptations. 5/10