1972's "The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe," released by Cinerama in 1974, remains the sole credit for writer-producer-director Mohy I. Quandour (for at least 38 years). Not to be confused with 1942's "The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe," this is an extremely low-budget fiction dramatizing the breakdown of Poe's wife Lenore (circa 1835), who awakens from a cataleptic state in her coffin just before the burial, and must then be confined to a mental hospital run by Dr. Richard Grimaldi (Cesar Romero). Fresh off a starring role in Larry Hagman's "Son of Blob" (1971), Robert Walker Jr. is well cast, bearing a striking resemblance to the young Poe, with Tom Drake as the narrator/friend who recommends the good doctor's clinic, unaware of the strange behavioral experiments being conducted secretly during the evening hours. Unfortunately, while the script seems to depict Romero's character as a greedy, dastardly villain, his performance seems merely misguided while much of the running time is spent wandering through hallways until the climactic bloodbath (which, alas, features PG-rated gore). You'll either love or hate the "Lenore" theme song, it's heard constantly throughout the film. Playing Grimaldi's demented wife Lisa is ice-cool blonde starlet Carol Ohmart (1958's "House on Haunted Hill" and 1964's "Spider Baby"), whose career ended with this film (likewise actress Karen Hartford), while Drake was relegated to TV roles for his final decade. This was one of the very last releases for Cinerama, a company that distributed many horror films from 1969-1974, such as "Willard," its sequel "Ben," "Tales from the Crypt", and "--And Now the Screaming Starts!" Overall, considering the lack of a tighter script and some amateurish performances, a commendable effort for the early 70s, airing on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on my 13th birthday, Oct 22 1977 (followed by 1942's "The Mummy's Tomb"), and once more on July 3 1982 (solo).
6 Reviews
Poe and snakes.
HumanoidOfFlesh18 October 2010
Edgar Allan Poe's lover Leonore is struck with malady and buried alive.She goes into shock and is take by Edgar to an asylum for recovery.Unfortunately the asylum is an dangerous place owned by the doctor,who performs ghastly snake venom experiments on his patients."The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe" by Mohy Quandour features famous Gothic horror writer as the main character.The film is obviously low-budget and it doesn't really work as a period piece.The sets look cheap and the acting is mostly amateurish.There are some eerie scenes,but the pace is sluggish and the cinematography is murky.It seems that Poe's macabre visions were inspired by the questionable events depicted in this film.6 premature burials out of 10.
Destroyed by the lack of a point.
mark.waltz11 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This gothic horror melodrama insinuates that Edgar Allan Poe's evening in a mental institution led to his creation of some of the spookiest short stories and poems ever written. Yes, it's a good idea, but the way that is presented, it doesn't ring true. Robert Walker Jr. is completely believable as the young Poe, forced to commit his fiance to a mental institution after she comes to after being buried alive. Poe spend the night there to get her settled in and while wandering the halls, ends up in a pit of terror. this sequence is by far the scariest as the pit is filled with water and snakes become a nightmare as they slither onto the plank he is tied into.
Walker is surrounded by a terrific supporting cast, namely Cesar Romero as the Vincent Price like head of the institution with a mysterious wife (Carol Ohlmart of "The House on Haunted Hill" fame) and doctor Tom Drake, as well as Romero's Igor like assistant and a mental patient confined in solitary who supposedly is responsible for Poe's plight. Twists at the end are interesting, but the narration is pointless and desperate. Ohlmart adds another delightful villainess to her gallery, although I don't recall her in any other film besides "The House on Haunted Hill" and this one.
The most interesting performance by far though is Romero, an apparent replacement for Vincent Price who was still doing American international films at this time and probably not even consulted. He's as suave as ever, and there is a little bit of mystery surrounding his character who may or may not be a diabolical character. The recurring theme song may annoy some, but I found it sweet. Nearly hits its mark, but not quite a touchdown.
Walker is surrounded by a terrific supporting cast, namely Cesar Romero as the Vincent Price like head of the institution with a mysterious wife (Carol Ohlmart of "The House on Haunted Hill" fame) and doctor Tom Drake, as well as Romero's Igor like assistant and a mental patient confined in solitary who supposedly is responsible for Poe's plight. Twists at the end are interesting, but the narration is pointless and desperate. Ohlmart adds another delightful villainess to her gallery, although I don't recall her in any other film besides "The House on Haunted Hill" and this one.
The most interesting performance by far though is Romero, an apparent replacement for Vincent Price who was still doing American international films at this time and probably not even consulted. He's as suave as ever, and there is a little bit of mystery surrounding his character who may or may not be a diabolical character. The recurring theme song may annoy some, but I found it sweet. Nearly hits its mark, but not quite a touchdown.
Chiller Theater
BandSAboutMovies17 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Edgar Allan Poe's (Robert Walker Jr., Evil Town, Hex) love Lenore (Mary Grover) was nearly buried alive after a coma made it appear as if she were dead and now, she's insane. Poe's friend Dr. Forrest (Tom Drake) advises him that Dr. Grimaldi (Cesar Romero) will take proper care of her, but then Poe starts to worry. That place should be strange but it seems truly odd.
There's someone who thinks that they are a werewold, an axe murderer and a watery tomb filled with snakes that you just know that Poe will get stuck in. Plus, you also get Dennis Fimple and Carol Ohmart.
It alll looks as cheap as possible and that's why I love it, as Mohy Quandour was the director,, writer and producer and tried to do all he could with the limited cash he had on hand. He also made the movie Yanco, which is one of the 95 films on the Church of Satan film list.
I hope that lots of schoolkids that watched this movie tried to use it for their book reports.
There's someone who thinks that they are a werewold, an axe murderer and a watery tomb filled with snakes that you just know that Poe will get stuck in. Plus, you also get Dennis Fimple and Carol Ohmart.
It alll looks as cheap as possible and that's why I love it, as Mohy Quandour was the director,, writer and producer and tried to do all he could with the limited cash he had on hand. He also made the movie Yanco, which is one of the 95 films on the Church of Satan film list.
I hope that lots of schoolkids that watched this movie tried to use it for their book reports.
Squanders its Poe-tential.
BA_Harrison18 April 2024
The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe is a fictional account of how the renowned writer came to be obsessed with death and the macabre.
According to this film, the young Poe (Robert Walker Jr.) was in love with a woman named Lenore (Mary Grover), who one day suddenly dropped dead, or so it seemed. At Lenore's funeral, Poe hears screams coming from the coffin and it is discovered that the young woman is still alive. In a catatonic state of shock, Lenore is admitted to a private asylum under the care of Dr. Grimaldi (Cesar Romero), who secretly conducts experiments on his patients and whose sister Lisa is a pychopathic killer. Poe becomes suspicious, and with help from his friend Dr. Adam Forrest (Tom Drake), he investigates.
I really like the idea of Edgar Allan Poe becoming involved in real-life mysteries, uncovering macabre happenings which would serve as inspiration for his stories -- it would make for a great TV series. This film, however, doesn't do the idea justice. The direction is pedestrian, the pace dreary, the acting barely passable, and the script mostly involves the characters wandering around the dark corridors of the asylum -- so dark that it is often hard to see what is happening. The chills and scares are strictly PG. On the plus side, Walker makes for an effective Poe, looking very much like the author.
The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe ends with Lenore dying for real (hacked to death by the axe-wielding Lisa), leaving Poe grief stricken, at least until he marries his 13-year-old cousin -- the only genuinely shocking thing about the whole film.
According to this film, the young Poe (Robert Walker Jr.) was in love with a woman named Lenore (Mary Grover), who one day suddenly dropped dead, or so it seemed. At Lenore's funeral, Poe hears screams coming from the coffin and it is discovered that the young woman is still alive. In a catatonic state of shock, Lenore is admitted to a private asylum under the care of Dr. Grimaldi (Cesar Romero), who secretly conducts experiments on his patients and whose sister Lisa is a pychopathic killer. Poe becomes suspicious, and with help from his friend Dr. Adam Forrest (Tom Drake), he investigates.
I really like the idea of Edgar Allan Poe becoming involved in real-life mysteries, uncovering macabre happenings which would serve as inspiration for his stories -- it would make for a great TV series. This film, however, doesn't do the idea justice. The direction is pedestrian, the pace dreary, the acting barely passable, and the script mostly involves the characters wandering around the dark corridors of the asylum -- so dark that it is often hard to see what is happening. The chills and scares are strictly PG. On the plus side, Walker makes for an effective Poe, looking very much like the author.
The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe ends with Lenore dying for real (hacked to death by the axe-wielding Lisa), leaving Poe grief stricken, at least until he marries his 13-year-old cousin -- the only genuinely shocking thing about the whole film.
An Edgar Allan Poe story made for Poe, about Poe, and, placing Poe in his own horrific world,...but, not written by Poe!
gilligan196526 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I've liked this movie ever since I was a child and saw it at the Memorial Drive-In in West Springfield, Massachusetts in the 1970s.
I was about seven or 8 at the time, and, I especially remember when Poe's wife, Lenore, sat-up in her casket after they discovered that she was still alive...and, her hair turned a complete-white due to the shock of being buried alive! This stuck with me throughout the decades, and, I was determined to find this movie, being a big Poe-Fan!
I just found this movie today, on YouTube, after connecting Edgar Allan Poe to Robert Walker, Jr. after remembering Walker in the early "Star Trek" episode "Charlie X" that I saw recently!?!? It's amazing how the memory works...you just gotta get it started again!
Years ago, before laws became more strict, animals like Burmese Pythons and such were allowed to travel to the US without a passport...this explains why they're in Virginia, and, how some were hired to do the 'water pit' scenes in this movie! Only kidding! :)
This was directed by one of the original directors of the television series "Bonanza" (1959), Mohy Quandour. The original "Joker," Cesar Romero, from the original "Batman" (1966), is also in this.
Of course, I didn't get the same fright from this movie that I did as a child, but, it's still good; especially that scene where Lenore sits-up in the casket. That 'white hair' thing is still shocking. Rumor has it that Marie Antoinette's hair turned white after being beheaded!?!?
This is a contemporary tale of Edgar Allan Poe being placed into one of his own nightmarish stories; and, of how he controversially married his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, and, his horror writing became even more intense.
American Drive-Ins once had the greatest variety of films...EVER! :)
I was about seven or 8 at the time, and, I especially remember when Poe's wife, Lenore, sat-up in her casket after they discovered that she was still alive...and, her hair turned a complete-white due to the shock of being buried alive! This stuck with me throughout the decades, and, I was determined to find this movie, being a big Poe-Fan!
I just found this movie today, on YouTube, after connecting Edgar Allan Poe to Robert Walker, Jr. after remembering Walker in the early "Star Trek" episode "Charlie X" that I saw recently!?!? It's amazing how the memory works...you just gotta get it started again!
Years ago, before laws became more strict, animals like Burmese Pythons and such were allowed to travel to the US without a passport...this explains why they're in Virginia, and, how some were hired to do the 'water pit' scenes in this movie! Only kidding! :)
This was directed by one of the original directors of the television series "Bonanza" (1959), Mohy Quandour. The original "Joker," Cesar Romero, from the original "Batman" (1966), is also in this.
Of course, I didn't get the same fright from this movie that I did as a child, but, it's still good; especially that scene where Lenore sits-up in the casket. That 'white hair' thing is still shocking. Rumor has it that Marie Antoinette's hair turned white after being beheaded!?!?
This is a contemporary tale of Edgar Allan Poe being placed into one of his own nightmarish stories; and, of how he controversially married his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, and, his horror writing became even more intense.
American Drive-Ins once had the greatest variety of films...EVER! :)
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
