''Twice-Told Tales'' is a 1963 American

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...

directed by

Sidney Salkow Sidney Salkow (June 16, 1911 – October 18, 2000) was an American film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulf ...

and starring

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

. It consists of three segments, all loosely adapted by producer/screenwriter

Robert E. Kent Robert E. Kent (August 31, 1911 in Canal Zone, Panama – December 11, 1984 in Los Angeles) was an American film writer and film producer. Career Kent began as a rapid screenwriter for Sam Katzman at Columbia. For seven years he worked as a ...

from works by

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

Plot

Each of the three sequences is introduced by

(in a

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

). Price also stars in all three narratives.

"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"

Two elderly friends, Carl Heidegger ( Sebastian Cabot) and Alex (Price), meet to celebrate Heidegger's 79th birthday. They discover that Heidegger's fiancée from 38 years before, Sylvia (

Mari Blanchard Mari Blanchard (born Mary E. Blanchard, April 13, 1923 – May 10, 1970) was an American film and television actress, known foremost for her roles as a B movie femme fatale in American productions of the 1950s and early 1960s. Early life and c ...

), is perfectly preserved in her coffin. Heidegger believes that the water dripping into the coffin has the power to preserve. He tries it on a withered rose and it comes back into full bloom. Carl and Alex drink it and become young again. Carl injects the liquid into Sylvia and she comes back to life. Sylvia reveals that she and Alex were secretly lovers. Carl attacks Alex, but Alex kills him in the struggle. The effects of the water wear off. Sylvia is reduced to a desiccated skeleton, Carl's body returns to its original age. Alex returns to the crypt to find more of the water, but it no longer flows.

"Rappaccini's Daughter"

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

, Giacomo Rappaccini (Price) keeps his daughter Beatrice (

Joyce Taylor Joyce Taylor (born Joyce Crowder; September 14, 1937) is an American actress. She starred in movies and TV series mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. Early years Born in Taylorville, Illinois, she based her stage name on her hometown. A coal miner's d ...

) in a garden. A university student next door, Giovanni (

Brett Halsey Brett Halsey (born Charles Oliver Hand, June 20, 1933) is an American film actor, sometimes credited as Montgomery Ford. He appeared in B pictures and in European-made feature films. He originated the role of John Abbott on the soap opera ''The ...

), sees her and falls in love. One of Giovanni's professors says that he used to teach with Rappaccini. Many years ago, Rappaccini abruptly quit academia and became a recluse after his wife ran away with a lover. Rappaccini has treated Beatrice with an exotic plant extract that makes her touch deadly; he does this to keep her safe from unwanted suitors, but it makes her a prisoner in her own home. When Rappaccini sees the attraction between Giovanni and Beatrice, he surreptitiously treats Giovanni with the extract so they can be together. Giovanni is aghast, and obtains an experimental antidote from his professor. He consumes the antidote in front of Beatrice, but it kills him. Beatrice drinks it also, killing herself. Rappaccini grabs the exotic plant with both hands and its touch kills him.

"The House of the Seven Gables"

Gerald Pyncheon (Price) returns to his family house after an absence of 17 years, bringing with him his wife Alice (

Beverly Garland Beverly Lucy Garland (née Fessenden; October 17, 1926 – December 5, 2008) was an American actress. Her work in feature films primarily consisted of small parts in a few major productions or leads in low-budget action or science-fiction movie ...

). His sister Hannah ( Jacqueline deWit), who had been living in the house, tells Alice about the curse put upon Pyncheon men by Mathew Maulle, who used to own the house but lost it in a shady deal to the Pyncheon family. Jonathan Maulle (

Richard Denning Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including ''Unknown Island'' (1948), ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954), '' Target Earth'' (1954), ''Day the ...

), a descendant of Mathew, arrives, but he refuses Gerald's offer to give him the house in exchange for the location of a vault where valuable property deeds are stored. Alice becomes haunted by the curse on the house, which eventually leads her to the cellar. Gerald finds her there and, lifting up the basement grave of Mathew Maulle, discovers the map to the vault. He kills Hannah to keep her share of the inheritance. Gerald traps Alice in the grave, then goes to the study to find the vault. He opens it, and a skeletal hand inside the vault kills him. Jonathan arrives and takes Alice out of the house, just as it shakes and collapses into rubble.

Cast

as Alex Medbourne / Giacomo Rappaccini / Gerald Pyncheon * Sebastian Cabot as Dr. Carl Heidegger *

as Giovanni Guasconti *

as Alice Pyncheon *

as Jonathan Maulle *

as Sylvia Ward *

Abraham Sofaer Abraham Isaac Sofaer (1 October 1896 – 21 January 1988) was a Burmese-born British actor who began his career on stage and became a familiar supporting player in film and on television in his later years. Life and career Although Sofaer was b ...

as Prof. Pietro Baglioni * Jacqueline deWit as Hannah Pyncheon, Gerald's Sister *

as Beatrice Rappaccini *

Edith Evanson Edith Evanson ( Carlson; April 29, 1896 – November 29, 1980) was an American actress of film, character and television during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Life and career She was born Edith Carlson in Tacoma, Washington."Coincidence." ''Pit ...

as Lisabetta, the landlady *

Floyd Simmons Floyd Macon Simmons (April 10, 1923 – April 1, 2008) was an American athlete and actor who competed mainly in the decathlon. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Biography Raised in Charlotte, Simmons was the son of a builder a ...

as Ghost of Mathew Maulle *

Gene Roth Eugene Oliver Edgar Stutenroth (January 8, 1903 – July 19, 1976), known profesionally as Gene Roth, was an American film actor and film manager. Early years Roth was born in Redfield, South Dakota. He was the son of a German father and ...

as Cabman

Production background

The film is an 'omnibus'-style film based on two of

's stories, " Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" (1837) and "

Rappaccini's Daughter "Rappaccini's Daughter" is a Gothic short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne first published in the December 1844 issue of ''The United States Magazine and Democratic Review'' in New York, and later in the 1846 collection ''Mosses from an Old Manse'' ...

" (1844), and on the novel ''

The House of the Seven Gables ''The House of the Seven Gables: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel written beginning in mid-1850 by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in April 1851 by Ticknor and Fields of Boston. The novel follows a New England family and their anc ...

'' (1851), which had previously been adapted in 1940 also starring Price. Only "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" was actually published in Hawthorne's ''

Twice-Told Tales ''Twice-Told Tales'' is a short story collection in two volumes by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first volume was published in the spring of 1837 and the second in 1842. The stories had all been previously published in magazines and annuals, hence th ...

'', which supplied the film's title. Similar to ''

Tales of Terror ''Tales of Terror'' is a 1962 American International Pictures horror film in colour and Panavision, produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson, and Roger Corman, who also directed. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson, and th ...

'' (1962), Price appeared in all three segments.

Production

Filming started on Halloween 1962.

References

External links

* * {{Rappaccini's Daughter 1963 films 1963 horror films 1960s English-language films 1960s fantasy films American horror anthology films American science fiction horror films American supernatural horror films Films based on American novels Films based on multiple works Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Nathaniel Hawthorne Films directed by Sidney Salkow Films produced by Edward Small Films scored by Richard LaSalle United Artists films 1960s American films