Cry of the Banshee (1970)

I wanted to like CotB because it had Vincent being evil, using the power of his magistrate role to be enforcer of the law and simultaneously above its judgement, but overall, besides a small number of well-acted scenes, it didn't reach the heights that it was aiming for. Had I not been very much in the mood for 60s-70s horror I might even have found it boring.
The story makes reference to a Banshee but forgets to actually include one, but it’s AIP and that’s how they roll. (The Poe part is another lie.) It has witches, though, who are, of course, Satanists because in old movies there’s rarely any distinction between the two very different lifestyles.
I was surprised to see Terry Gilliam provide the opening credits. His style is unmistakable, but a little unusual for this type of thing.

2½ seeds of evil out of 5

Scream and Scream Again (1970)

SaSA isn't an anthology film, but it's comprised of three stories that seem to have little to do with each other for a long time: a violent murder case with a tactless cop; a militarised state that resembles a spy drama; and a silent nurse who doesn't do her patient any favours. Each part has one of the three greatest horror actors of all time. Unfortunately, Cushing’s role is little more than a cameo, while Price and Lee are once again side by side for the briefest time. The film itself is an odd mix of realism, fantasy, murder mystery and science fiction that absolutely deserves credit for trying something different, but it’s quite honestly a structural mess most of the time.

2½ working parts out of 5

The Oblong Box (1969)

Roger Corman may have ceased but AIP didn't: TOB is another Poe film that has no actual Poe in it. What it did have was both Vincent Price and Christopher Lee in the same production, the first film to do so, but the two men are only onscreen together for a brief time; a wasted opportunity.
There are gruesome happenings in a plot that seems to go all out to shock, incorporating voodoo-esque rituals and practices, murder, body snatching from graves, conspiring unsavoury types and reputable, professional types resorting to blackmail to cover their guilty asses. It lacks the flair of the Corman years, but it's an entertaining 90+ minutes for 60s horror fans.

3 urgent debts out of 5