One person who seemed destined to become the unofficial friend of Poe was an actor by the name of Vincent Price. During his lifetime, Vincent performed many of Poe’s work for the public. Vincent Price began his career as a character actor, but he discovered that he could secure leading roles in performances that required madness and understanding of the macabre. Price’s trademark voice, mischievous good looks, and penchant for dark humor brought Poe to life in Roger Corman’s Poe-centered films of the 1960s, which include “The House of Usher”, “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Raven.”
Vincent made a point to read Edgar Allan Poe’s stories to have a better understanding of the characters, the themes of the stories, and their overall meaning. Vincent found Poe easy to relate to, and he was quoted as a saying,
When they decided to use me for a series of Poe pictures, I sat down
and I read Edgar Allan Poe, and I found out something which I suppose in the
back of my mind I´d been told at some time, but I really didn´t
realize: that about 70 percent of Poe´s work is satiric ... there are a
great many of Poe´s poems that involve horror, but which also have a comic
twist at the end ...
And this, I decided, should be added to Poe. If I am going to do a Poe
picture, I must add that essential twist of Poe´s character (Plath).
It cannot be denied that Vincent brought charm and a devilish sinister edgy humor to his re-enactment of Poe's tales. Vincent would continue to act in other pictures that required his snarky charm. However, his last artistic accomplishments can be found in a voiceover for the hugely successful Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and a cameo as a charming, subdued-yet-doomed gothic romanticist inventor in Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands.”
Just like Poe, Vincent enjoyed making fun of himself. It is for this precise reason he agreed to do “Thriller (Plath).” Poe poked fun at his characters such as in “Metzengerstein.” The reason behind the feud that took place between the Metzengerstein and the Berlifitzing families was a prophetic message. The message said that the Metzengerstein family would trump the immortality of the Berlifitzing family, but the opposite occurred (Poe 135). Another comical Poe work is “A Predicament.” The author is to report back to her colleague with a story that tells of a fantastic death. However, the death ends up being her own and due to her own inattention and foolish behavior, her head is slowly decapitated. As she is being decapitated, her eyeball pops out, rolls across the floor and mocks her (Poe 294-95).
Vincent’s work continues to be enjoyed today by young and old. His ability to get into the head of his characters has made new fans of Edgar Allan Poe’s imaginative and macabre stories. Like Poe, given the numerous celebrations this year for his 200th Anniversary, Vincent still enjoys success since shedding his mortal coil, in the legacy of his movies and as presently as a comic series produced by Bluewater Productions called, “Vincent Price Presents.” Lastly, Vincent had keen insight into the future, even though it seems like he was joking at the time. When he was asked about how American Horror films made a resurgence every 10 years, Vincent said, “Every ten minutes (Plath).” Today, fans are making their own movies and videos faster than movie makers can issue theirs in a theater. To think, Vincent only passed away 16 years ago and he had this foresight back in 1985 (Plath). Although it has been 200 years, Poe has contributed to the acceptance of the short story and the popularity of the detective story, which predominant in television shows such as “Law and Order,” “CSI,” “Bones,” and the “Mentalist”. Price and Poe are both a gift that keeps giving.
Plath, James. "From the Vault: An Interview with Vincent Price." DVDTown.com. 2007. 21 June 2009 < http://www.dvdtown.com/news/from-the-vault-an-interview-with-vincent-price/4784 >.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “Metzengerstein.” Poe: Poetry, Tales, & Selected Essays. New York: The Library of America, 1996. 134-142.
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