Premature Burial (1962)

33% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
41% of users liked it
(355 ratings)

Roger Corman's success with low-budget adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe tales continued with this third installment, the first to lack the commanding presence of Vincent Price. Instead, we have Ray Milland as tormented protagonist Guy Carrell, who is so traumatized by the death of his father -- whom… More Roger Corman's success with low-budget adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe tales continued with this third installment, the first to lack the commanding presence of Vincent Price. Instead, we have Ray Milland as tormented protagonist Guy Carrell, who is so traumatized by the death of his father -- whom he believes was entombed alive after suffering a cataleptic attack -- that he becomes convinced that he will meet a similar demise. Guy's mounting dementia rapidly undermines his recent marriage to the lovely Emily (Hazel Court), particularly after he begins the construction of a specially designed crypt rigged with numerous escape devices. Encouraged by Emily to face his fears, Guy decides to view his father's remains, to prove once and for all whether he died peacefully. When the crypt is opened, however, what he finds there is so horrifying that he succumbs to a cataleptic episode himself, which doctors misdiagnose as a fatal heart attack... and Guy's worst fear soon becomes a reality. Milland's performance conveys the requisite amount of hand-wringing torment (in the mode of The Lost Weekend), even if he fails to capture the manic intensity that Price brought to the other Poe films. Corman's deft direction, employing a rich palette of colors and superb widescreen compositions, is on a par with the series' finest installments. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Roger Corman
Written By: Charles Beaumont
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Mar 7, 1962 Wide
On DVD: Sep 11, 2007

Critic Reviews

Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
The third of the Edgar Allan Poe adaptations directed by Roger Corman and released by AIP, is... the ugly stepchild of the franchise
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
Ray Milland emotes, by turns, dour gloominess or manic eyeball-spinning through a weak script that bears too little sense and too many similarities to its predecessors, Usher and Pendulum.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
The Premature Burial doesn't fare as well with its 2.35:1 anamorphic print not quite as clean or colorful, but it's still a good image with fine monaural DD 2.0 audio.
Scott Weinberg, Apollo Guide
Like many of its immediate ilk, this one's stagy and outdated and kinda silly - in other words, good stuff.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Middling Corman spook show.

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

This is a cool sixties horror movie, I really liked it. This guy is obsessed with finding a way that he can escape from coffins because he's afraid of being buried alive. What a great story for a horror film, right? This is a great movie.
Bruce B

This is a API Film and its an excellent film. Ray Milland plays an excellent part as he did in many movies in the horror film era and was put in front of us during the Drive In Movie era. Ray plays Guy Carell who is obsessed with being buried alive, which makes for the best of plots… More
This is a API Film and its an excellent film. Ray Milland plays an excellent part as he did in many movies in the horror film era and was put in front of us during the Drive In Movie era. Ray plays Guy Carell who is obsessed with being buried alive, which makes for the best of plots from the Edgar Allen Poe Short Stories. 4 Stars on this MGM Midnite Double feature films.
Randy T

Campy, fun Corman classic about a man terrified of being buried alive. I remember my mom having nightmares about this one after she saw it. It is a little creepy, but in a carnival spook-house sort of way.
Lafe F

A weaker Poe movie, where Ray Milland plays a man so afraid of being buried alive, he builds a special escapable crypt for himself - too bad his loved ones want him dead. It would've been weird and comedic to see Vincent Price in the role. Those scary grave diggers were neat-o,… More
A weaker Poe movie, where Ray Milland plays a man so afraid of being buried alive, he builds a special escapable crypt for himself - too bad his loved ones want him dead. It would've been weird and comedic to see Vincent Price in the role. Those scary grave diggers were neat-o, but didn't scare me much. I got tired of that song they kept whistling. The cinematography and set pieces were ghoulish, but the contrived happenings just weren't scary or interesting. Yup, much better to watch late at night alone.