22.02.12

This year saw the centenary of the birth of one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic stars. Though American by birth, Vincent Price had the appearance of a suave Englishman, a debonair eccentric as at home in the backwaters of Chelsea and Kensington as the gated enclaves of Beverly Hills.

Inextricably linked with horror, Price was more versatile than critics and the public often gave him credit for. In fact, his horror roles accounted for no more than a third of a prodigious output spanning almost sixty years, only really taking hold during the latter part of his career.

However, where other actors may have shunned a genre which is seldom taken seriously, Price embraced the field of horror passionately, seeing it as providing the ideal medium through which to express his often flamboyant approach to the acting profession.

Looking back, the various facets of the multi-talented Price met their zenith in four films he made in London during the early 1970′s. Intrinsically individual, The Abominable Dr Phibes , Dr Phibes Rises Again , Theatre of Blood  and Madhouse (released in 1974 but filmed the previous year), did share a common denominator, which Price himself may have had sympathy with.

Source: Little White Lies (blog)