Tales of Terror (1962)

Corman’s fourth Poe film is an anthology of three stories about aspects of death, each one introduced by and starring Vincent Price.
The first is based on 'Morella'. Vince is on excellent form and the castle is beautifully shot, but the story feels rushed and is unclear.
The second is a merger of 'The Black Cat' and 'The Cask of Amontillado'. It’s an attempt at introducing comedy into the works. Peter Lorre's performance is excellent, but the sit-com moments really weren't complementary.
Finally, 'The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar' is the real treasure and the only one that's in any way chilling, in part due to Basil Rathbone's intensity.

3 untimely agonies out of 5

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Boris Karloff reprises his role as the big guy in this second sequel to Frankenstein. Features the first appearance of Ygor (as portrayed by Bela Lugosi). The Monster is even duller and more devoid of personality here than in the earlier installments and is reduced to being Ygor’s lackey. This feels like a step in the wrong direction, and of course both the movie and monster suffer for it.

2.5 let the poor bastard die already out of 5