7 Classic Vincent Price Movies and Where to Stream Them This Halloween
Halloween is almost here, which means it’s the perfect time to revisit the work of horror icon Vincent Price. Price had a long career in Hollywood, with roles in movies such as Otto Preminger’s 1944 film noir Laura, the gothic romance Dragonwyck, and the James Bond spoof Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. He also narrated Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, wrote multiple cookbooks, and was a prolific art collector. But he may be best remembered for his starring roles in a string of horror flicks in the 1950s and 1960s, many with director Roger Corman. Here’s where to stream seven classic Vincent Price movies that are perfect for spooky season.
‘House of Wax’
One of Price’s earliest forays into the horror genre was 1953’s House of Wax, which was the first color 3D movie released by a major studio. (The movie was remade in 2005.) Price plays a sculptor named Henry Jarrod who is disfigured in an accident that also destroys his museum of wax figures. Afterward, Jarrod creates a new museum filled with eerily lifelike sculptures. At the same time, bodies start disappearing from the local morgue.
House of Wax is available to rent on Prime Video and YouTube. You can also stream it on demand at TCM.com if TCM is part of your cable or streaming live TV package.
‘The Fly’
In the 1958 horror/sci-fi movie The Fly, a scientist named André Delambre is experimenting with a teleportation device when gets his atoms mixed up with those of a fly. The accident leaves him with the head of an insect. Al Hedison plays the scientist, while Price plays his brother François, who tries to help André’s wife Hélène reverse the procedure.
The Fly is streaming on HBO Max, which also has David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake with Jeff Goldblum.
‘House on Haunted Hill’
An eccentric millionaire named Frederick Loren (Price) invites five people to spend the night in a supposedly haunted house. If they make it through the night, they’ll each receive $10,000. This classic, campy B-movie was directed by William Castle, who used a trick he dubbed “Emergo” to have a skeleton fly over the heads of audiences during the film’s initial theatrical release. Sadly, that’s not a gimmick that’s easy to replicate at home, but you can still stream House on Haunted Hill for free on Tubi, Redbox, Kanopy, Prime Video, and Pluto. You can also watch the version with Rifftrax commentary on Amazon Freevee.
‘House of Usher’
The 1960 movie House of Usher is the first of Price’s multiple collaborations with Roger Corman. It’s an adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Fall of the House of Usher. Price plays Roderick Usher, who believes his family’s bloodline is cursed. When Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) arrives at the Usher family’s desolate and creepy mansion to see his fiancee Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey), Roderick does everything he can to discourage their marriage and put an end to the family’s curse. House of Usher is streaming for free on YouTube (with ads) and on Kanopy.
‘The Pit and the Pendulum’
The second of seven Poe adaptations that Price and Corman worked on together was The Pit and the Pendulum. It’s based on the story of the same name, with a script by Richard Matheson. The movie is about an Englishman named Francis Barnard (John Kerr) who visits his brother-in-law’s castle in Spain to investigate his sister Elizabeth’s (Barabara Steele) death. Price plays Elizabeth’s husband, 16th-century nobleman Nicholas Medina, who mentally unravels following his wife’s demise. The Pit and The Pendulum is streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Kanopy.
‘Theater of Blood’
In 1973’s tongue-in-cheek Theater of Blood, Price plays a Shakespearean actor named Edward Lionheart who devises a clever way to get revenge on critics who’ve panned his performances. He sets out to murder those who’ve ignored his work, killing each in a manner drawn from one of Shakespeare’s plays. Diana Rigg also stars in this horror-comedy as Lionheart’s daughter Edwina. It’s streaming on PlutoTV.
‘Edward Scissorhands’
Price’s final movie role was in Tim Burton’s dark fairy tale Edward Scissorhands. Burton – a long-time fan of Price’s work – cast the actor in the role of the Inventor, who creates the title character (Johnny Depp) but dies before he can give him hands. Some might argue that Edward Scissorhands is more of a Christmas movie than a Halloween film, given that it explains why it snows around the holidays. But with its goth vibes, it’s definitely appropriate for spooky season as well. It’s streaming on Prime Video, Disney+, and for free with ads on YouTube.
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