The Oblong Box

Director: Gordon Hessler Gordon Hessler

Overview

A British nobleman's attempts to keep his deformed brother a secret are spoiled when the sibling escapes from his lonely tower and embarks upon a deadly rampage. This minor horror outing was inspired by a short story by Edgar Allen Poe.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/20/2015
UPC:	0738329177720
Original Release:	1969
Rating:	R
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00

Special Features

Audio commentary by film historian Steve Haberman; Edgar Allen Poe's Annabel Lee (1969): narrated by Vincent Price; Vincent Price trailer gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Vincent Price	Julian
Christopher Lee	Dr. Newhartt
Alastair Williamson	Edward,Sir Edward Markham
Hilary Dwyer	Elizabeth
Peter Arne	Trench
Harry Baird	N'Galo
Sally Geeson	Sally
Carl Rigg	Mark Norton
Maxwell Shaw	Tom Hackett
Michael Balfour	Ruddock
Godfrey James	Weller
Rupert Davies	Joshua Kemp
Ivor Dean	Hawthorne
Uta Levka	Heidi
James Mellor	Holt
Danny Daniels	Witchdoctor
John Barrie	Franklin
Hira Talfrey	Martha
John Wentworth	Parson
Betty Woolfe	Mrs. Hopkins
Martin Terry	Sailor
Anne Clune	Prostitute
Jackie Noble	Prostitute
Ann Barrass	Prostitute
Janet Rossini	Prostitute
Zeph Gladstone	Trench's Girl
Tara Fernando	Gypsy Dancer
Tony Thawnton	Man in Tavern
Anthony Bailey	Talbot
Richard Cornish	Groom
Colin Jeavons	Doctor
Andreas Malandrinos	Baron,Actor
Hedger Wallace	Major
Martin Wyldeck	Constable
Harry Robertson	Composer

Technical Credits

Christopher Wicking

Lawrence Huntington

Gordon Hessler	Director,Producer
Louis M. Heyward	Executive Producer
Christopher Wicking	Screenwriter
Lawrence Huntington	Screenwriter
Bob Jones	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The Oblong Box isn't exactly good but it can be fun for horror fans in the right mood. Make no mistake, this is a potboiler: Lawrence Huntington's script is crammed with incident, throwing a murder, a brawl or a bit of bawdiness at the viewer every few minutes as it rushes headlong through its overstuffed plot. Gordon Hessler gives the story an appropriately intense style of direction, using John Coquillon's atmospheric photography to nice effect as he puts the story through its murderous paces. Neither Vincent Price nor Christopher Lee has much to work with in terms of character but they give it their all: Price had the 'tortured noble with a secret' act down pat by this time and puts his dark charisma to work in a effective manner here while Lee does subtler work, affecting a tone of sneering nastiness as he indulges in skullduggery while looking down on his less-wealthy accomplices. The end result runs out of steam near the end (the climax is rather perfunctory after all the buildup it gets) but it's entertaining while its rolling along and horror vets will get a kick out of Price and Lee's work, even if they never really get to share a proper scene together. In short, The Oblong Box is a minor but reasonably entertaining entry in American International Pictures' cycle of Poe adaptations and a decent way to kill a slow Saturday afternoon for the classic horror buff.